Let's get cooking!

So I get asked for recipes occasionally. I'm always typing them in anyway, so I figure I might as well kill two birds with one stone, so I'm starting a blog. Woo hoo! We're joining the 21st century!

My two recent requests are for the Curried Split Pea soup and the "Fauxstess Cupcakes". These are both from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan With a Vengeance.

Fauxstess Cupcakes

Isa's notes: black cocoa powder makes the color and flavor closer to the original, but isn't necessary. You can just use regular (which I did). Don't skip the sifting--cocoa clumps. The recipe doubles easily.

1 c all purpose flour
1/4 c cocoa powder
3 T black cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk*
1/4 c canola oil
1/2 c maple syrup
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners, spray papers with cooking spray.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, baking soda, salt (and xanthan gum). In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, oil, maple syrup, sugar, vinegar and vanilla. Beat at medium sped with an electric mixer for a good 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two batches, mixing as you go. Beat for about a minute more.
Use a wet ice-cream scoop to fill the cupcake liner 3/4 full. Bake for about 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a coling rack. Time to make the Fluffy White Icing.

Fluffy White Icing:

1/4 c nonhydrogenated margarine
1/2 c nonhydrogenated shortening
3/4 c superfine or castor sugar
1/4 c plain soy milk powder
2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the margarine and shortening with an electric handheld mixer on medium until well combined. Add the sugar and soy milk powder and beat for a good 10 minutes until very fluffy. Add vanilla and salt, and beat for another minute. You may want to do a little taste test and adda little more sugar if needed.


Chocolate Ganache icing:
1/3 c milk*
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 T maple syrup

In a small saucepan, scorch the milk (bring it to a boil (I don't think she means actually burn it...)), then lower the heat to a simmer and dd the chocolate and maple syrup. Mix with a heatproof spatula for about 30 seconds. Turn the heat off, and continue stirring until the chocolate is fully melted and the icing is smooth. Next, make the icing for the squigglies.

Royal Icing for the Squigglies:
2 c powdered sugar
2 T soy milk powder
2 T water

Sift the sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the soy milk powder. Add 1 T of water and stir, then add the rest of the water a little bit at a time until you rach a consistency slightly more solid than toothpaste. the icing should not be drippy at all; if it is, add a little more sugar.

Assemblage:
You will need two cake decorator's bags, one fitted with a small round tip for writing, and one fitted with a large star-shaped or round tip (or the special filling tip that you can purchase online or at Joanne's--GK).
Fill the large-tipped one with fluffy white icing. Fill the writing one with royal icing.
Poke a hole in the center of each cupcake, using your pinkie (I read someone online uses a cleaned sharpie--GK). Cram the tip of the bag with the fluffy white icing into the hole and squeeze to get as much icing into the center as you can, slowly drawing out the bag, until the icing fills to the top of the hole.
Wipe the excess off the top of the cupcake with a napkin, or (if you're Isa or me) your finger.
Dip the top of each cupcake into the ganache. Put all the cupcakes on a cookie sheet or cutting board, make some room in your fridge and put them in there to let the ganache set, about 10 minutes.
Use these 10 minutes to practice your squigglies for the tops. I (Isa) use my left hand to steady my writing hand by holding onto my right wrist. Practice a bit and see what works for you.
Remove the cupcakes from the fridge and make your squigglies on the top of the ganache. Return to the fridge to set. They keep well in the fridge, until ready to serve.



GK's notes:
Cupcakes: I used Bob's Red Mill gluten free ap flour, and 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, and I subbed vanilla hemp milk for all instances of milk. I didn't spray the liners and they came out fine. Gluten-free, I didn't need to use a scoop. A 1/3 measuring cup would do fine, or whatever kind of spoon you normally use. Also because it was gf, I cooked it for about 35 minutes, to get it dry enough, and the toothpick never did come out clean, but they weren't burned or gummy.

Fluffy White Icing: We can't use soy milk powder, and didn't have superfine sugar, so we used hemp milk and powdered sugar, which has cornstarch in it for thickening. It worked fine. (It was also an accident, since we hadn't planned ahead at all, and were scrambling for something to improve with!) Also, we can't use margarine, so it was all shortening. We use Spectrum non-hydrogenated palm oil.

Ganache: Again, lack of foresight made this a crazy quilt. I used Enjoy Life Chocolate chips, because that's what I had and what is safe for my son, hemp milk and store brand maple flavored syrup. In fact, I don't buy real maple syrup because it's so expensive, so that's what I used for all of this recipe. Isa is a vegan. I'm not. I sub like mad!
Plus, I didn't read the danged directions and dumped everything in a bowl and microwaved it. It worked fine, but it took longer to set up and never did get firm at room temp. I don't know if that's the hemp milk or the lack of following directions. But it's firm enough, and tastes fine!

Royal Icing: Again, no soy milk powder, so instead of 2 T powder and 2 T water, I just used two T hemp milk and hoped, and it worked fine!


Curried Split Pea Soup

Isa's note: Serve as an entree with some jasmine rice or as the perfect starter to an Indian meal.


1 T olive oil
1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4 in dice
3 cloves garlic
2 T fresh ginger
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ardamom
a generous pinch cinnamon
2 tsp salt
8 c water
1 lb dried split peas
1 carrot
fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

In a stockpot, saute the onions in the oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add spices, garlic and salt. Saute for another 2 minutes.
Add water and stir well. Ad split peas. cover and bring to a boil.
Bring heat back down to medium; simmer for about an hour, until the peas are tender. Grate in the carrot and serve. You can garnish with fresh cilantro, if you want.

GK's notes: I used vegetable broth instead of water, cause it sounded boring. I also instead of serving over rice, added 2 c water and 1 c short grain brown rice to the pot when I added the broth. My family likes rice in our split pea soup because it adds toothsomeness and heartiness. It also helps make you feel more satisfied longer. Honestly, this is good, but it just basically tastes like split pea soup. The recipe from the red plaid cookbook is easier, and just as good. Of course, I don't make it as written, either!