Samhain/Halloween Cookies

We had so much fun yesterday! It’s been really cold, and we’d decided to forgo trick or treating based on the weather, and the fact that the treats they’d get would neither be vegan nor organic. Because of the cold, it was a great opportunity to turn on the oven and bake our little, black hearts out. ♥

My favourite sugar cookie recipe calls for sour cream, so I tweaked it with a substitution of coconut cream instead (thank goodness, it worked!), and we made a bunch of Samhain/Halloween shapes.

Here are a bunch just going into the oven.Yummy! They smelled so good. ♥

A few little scraps leftover.

I was so sick of making cookies by the end of it, but each one was worth it. ♥

Creativity rules when we decorated them in classic colours: white, black, orange, green and purple. Cookies FTW!

Yummy Bread ♥

We go through a lot of flour here making tortillas, cupcakes, cake, and biscuits, that it’s a natural progression for me to make bread. I’ve tried so many recipes, and not all of them with great success. Until this one. This is our favourite, and I love it most for its simple ingredient list, adaptability, and ease. It’s also super-yummy!

Bread ♥

3 tsp fast-acting yeast

1½ Tbsp sugar*

3 C warm water

6 C flour*

1½ tsp salt

glug of oil

* = Organic

∴ Add yeast, sugar and water to a bowl, and whisk/stir to combine. Set aside for about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt together. Once the yeast/sugar/water is frothy, pour the contents over the flour mixture and combine with your favourite spatula. After the mixture has come together to form a nice dough-ball, flour your work surface and dump the dough onto it. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Once the dough is decently silky, or no longer super-sticky, add to a bowl with a little glug of oil at the bottom. Turn the dough in the oil to coat. Cover with either a lid or damp towel. Allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes or so in a warm place. After this proofing period, punch dough down and cut in half**. Flatten each half into a rectangle, then roll it into a log and place into an oiled baking dish. Cover once again, and proof for another 45 minutes or so in a warm place. Preheat your oven to 425°F/218°C/Gas Mark 7. Bake loaves 25-30 minutes. Cover loosely and let loaves cool completely before cutting. Makes 2 loaves.

** After the first proofing, you can cut each half into yet smaller pieces, and form into:

• dinner rolls – proof covered a second time, then bake for 20 minutes until browned;
• stuffed buns – roll balls out a bit/flatten in your hand, then fill with something, pinch closed, and bake for 20 minutes (seam-side down) until browned;
• tortillas – roll lemon-sized balls to approximately ¼” thick, and fry briefly on both sides in a dry pan (makes about 20);

Enjoy! ♥

Vegan Moussaka – Pictures

It’s been a busy week, so I’ll update today. =0)

This past Wednesday, I made a Vegan Moussaka for supper. It was awesome!

Vegan Moussaka

1 Medium Eggplant*

2 Medium Zucchinis*

1 Large Baking Potato*

1/4 C Olive Oil*

1 Large Onion*

4 Garlic* Cloves

1 Can Crushed/Diced Tomatoes*

1 tsp Dried Oregano*

1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon*

1/4 tsp Turmeric*

Salt and Pepper* to taste

Olive Oil* for drizzling

* = Organic

 

Vegan Béchamel Sauce

1.2 C Olive Oil*

1/2 C Flour* (g-free flours work well, too)

1/8 tsp Nutmeg*

2 C Coconut* Milk (Soy, Dairy, you choose)

Salt and Pepper* to taste

* = Organic

:: Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/Gas Mark 5.

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1. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Salt the slices and lay them in a colander to “sweat” for about 30 minutes. The “sweating” process draws out the bitterness from the eggplant.

2. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, set them aside.

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3. Heat oil in pan over medium heat and saute the onion until almost transparent. Add garlic, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and pepper. Mix through, then add tomatoes and simmer 5-10 minutes.

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4. Lightly oil the bottom of your baking dish.

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5. Wash the potato and slice it lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Layer the bottom of your oiled dish with the sliced potatoes.

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6. Spoon a third of the sauce over the potato slices.

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7. Layer the eggplant slices neatly next.

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8. Spoon a third of the sauce of the eggplant slices.

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9. Layer the zucchini slices neatly next.

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10. Spoon the remaining sauce over the zucchini slices. Cover with foil and bake for 1.5 hours @ 375°F/180°C.

11. Prepare the béchamel sauce. Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the flour, and whisk to blend. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper. Slowly pour the milk in, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until mixture begins to boil and thicken. (I like to have a glass of water nearby to add if I need to thin the sauce a bit.)

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12. Pour béchamel sauce  over the moussaka, drizzle with olive oil and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes.