Recipes for Delectable Vegan Muffins

Here is a cookbook to treasure and use frequently--150 Best Vegan Muffin Recipes, by Camilla V. Saulsbury presents not only delicious and easy to make recipes but the author has done her research. The front of the cookbook contains information preparing muffins in general and helpful details about the  different  vegan ingredients.                             

 A few examples of scrumptious recipes: Jelly Doughnut Muffins, Morning Oatmeal  Muffins (a very nice way to have your oatmeal and a muffin, too), Tropical Fruit Muffins with Coconut Streusel, Fig Date Muffins, Pineapple Lime Muffins, and Raspberry Vanilla Muffins, to name just a few of many perfect recipes.

 Published by Robert Rose, Inc. $19.95.                                                           

Sample recipe:

Strawberry Yogurt Muffins (page 50)

Makes 12 muffins

At the height of summer, you can't have too many strawberries. Here, they are enveloped in golden muffins. The slightly tangy, not-too-sweet batter is a breeze to mix up.

•    Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)

•    Blender

•    12-cup muffin pan, greased

2⁄3 cup   vegan granulated sugar or    150 mL

     evaporated cane juice, divided

1 cup     all-purpose flour  250 mL

1⁄2 cup   whole wheat pastry flour     125 mL

1 tsp     baking powder 5 mL

1⁄2 tsp   salt 2 mL

1⁄4 tsp   baking soda   1 mL

11⁄4 cups halved strawberries 300 mL

1⁄3 cup   vegetable oil 75 mL

1⁄3 cup   vanilla-flavored soy yogurt  75 mL

1 tsp     vanilla extract    5 mL

1.   Set aside 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the sugar. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining sugar, all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

2.   In blender, process strawberries, oil, yogurt and vanilla until blended and smooth.

3.   Add the strawberry mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.

4.   Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar.

5.   Bake in preheated oven for 19 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool.

 

Tip: Although they are somewhat harder to find, almond milk yogurt or rice milk yogurt may be used in place of the soy yogurt.

Excerpted from 150 Best Vegan Muffin Recipes by Camilla V. Saulsbury © Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

More Than Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is often a quick and easy choice for a filling and nutritious snack or as an ingredient in a sandwich or many other meals.
Earth Balance®, a line of all-natural healthy buttery spreads, shortenings, nut butters and soymilk,recently announced the Non-GMO Project Verification of Earth Balance® Nut Butters, including Earth Balance® Peanut Butter and Almond Butter products.

Earth Balance® Nut Butters are Non-GMO Project Verified and made with the highest quality peanuts and almonds on the market. Available in Peanut Butter and Almond Butter varieties, Earth Balance® Nut Butters are made with a special blend of expeller pressed oils that prevent separation, are fortified with flax seeds for added ALA Omega 3 content, and are sweetened with a touch of natural agave syrup, a low glycemic sweetener. All Earth Balance® Nut Butters are vegan, free of lactose, cholesterol, dairy, gluten, and no other nut butters offer the unique combination of taste and benefits.



All that and they taste delicious, too.

Dreaming in Vegan

  There's so much more to Thanksgiving than turkey. If you have been thinking about dipping your fork just a little into the vegetarian and even vegan lifestyle, you can't do much better than starting with The Conscious Cook  by Tal Ronnen. (William Morrow, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) The cookbook promises to bring you "Delicious meatless recipes that will change the way you eat," and it does. Chef Tal Ronnen admits to being a former meat-lover--steak, pastrami, veal scaloppini, spicy sausage. He became a vegetarian and then a vegan and was determined to create delicious and satisfying meat-free dishes that were as mouth-watering as those he had as a meat eater. His success is your reward. Here are a few ideas from the cookbook--perfect for Thanksgiving and any other time you want to cook consciously: Aritichoke Ricotta Tortellini with Saffron Cream Sauce,

Beet and Orange Autumn Salad, Green Beans with Fresh Cranberries,  Split Pea Soup with Tempeh Bacon and Chipotle Cream, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Oven-Roasted Banana Rum Cheesecake

Chef Ronnen also makes use of some pre-packaged vegetarian entree options, such as Gardein's  chicken-style strips and beef-style strips. (Gardein offers a limited edition Savory Stuffed Turk'y that would make a delicious entree for Thanksgiving or other feast. http://www.gardein.com/  Please see our Gardein review earlier). This allows for the cook to be creative but save some time, without sacrificing nutrition,or taste.

We aren't preaching vegetarianism or vegan choices. These are personal decisions. But when you can choose an alternative, even just once in a while, that tastes as delicious or better than meat, why not give it try? It might feel better to eat food you would be comfortable preparing from its very beginning to the table.
http://www.talronnen.com/ 

Cookie Perfection

Cookie—one of the American English words with origins in Dutch. Cookie comes from the Dutch koekje, which means little cake.  (In British countries this little treat is usually called a biscuit. The precise meaning varies in different parts of the world. Biscuit is derived  from a Middle French word meaning "twice cooked.")

 Enough linguistics. Let’s talk about goodness and taste By any name these new cookies from Back to Nature Foods are just perfect—made with ingredients you would not be ashamed to put on your table  and in your mouth. They are just amazing.


Triple Ginger—just piquant enough and still sweet
Madagascar Vanilla—heavenly smooth
California Lemon—citrus snap and very refreshing

All taste like shortbread confections—rich, buttery and filling but they are actually vegan and not that caloric.

Back to Nature is a proud supporter of The Nature Conservancy and teams up with  the Whole Planet Foundation to make a difference in developing nations. 
http://www.backtonaturefoods.com

Amy's Has the Answer

You have decided to eat more natural foods but need to save time and maybe you have special dietary needs. Leave it to Amy's Ktchen to fill the need. Some of their newer offerings include: Gluten Free Dairy Free Mac & Cheese, Gluten Free Dairy Free Chocolate Cake, Rice Crust Roasted Veg Pizza (Single Serve), Light in Sodium Rice & Bean Burrito, Light in Sodium Cheese & Bean Burrito, Light in Sodium California Burger, and their deliciousWhite Pizza, and Four Cheese Pizza. The family-owned and run company received so many requests from consumers for foods that fit with a variety of diets that they added these to their ever-growing list of never-disappointing healthy foods. If you are unable to find what you ae looking for in a store, you might be able to order it online:  http://www.amys.com/buy/buy_online.php

In any case, their website has a lot of interesting information, including the answer to "How is tofu made?" and  a new  Amy's Diet Plan

http://www.amys.com/index.php

Trompez la palette

Thinking about cutting down your meat consumption but aren’t quite ready to go the straight tofu route yet? Have the best of both worlds with some new vegetarian entrees that  will fool your taste buds. New and very tasty Morningstar Farms® offerings include Veggie Sweet & Sour Chik’n—vegan so it can be enjoyed by almost anyone—that features tempura-style veggie chik’n, pineapple, and red and green bell peppers on a bed of whole-grain rice – a delicious, microwaveable, meatless meal with 35% less fat. 

Another satisfying delight is Lasagna with Veggie Sausage-- Layers of tender lasagna noodles, light ricotta cheese, savory marinara sauce and veggie sausage crumbles – a delicious, microwaveable, meatless meal with 42% less fat.  

Hot and Spicy Veggie Sausage patties are a tasty caliente twist on their versatile veggie sausages and will make a perfect addition to any meal time. These savory sausage patties have 78% less fat and a great blend of peppers and spices that gives them a bit of a bite.

The absolute star of the new offerings—and they are all very good, indeed—is the  Grillers® Turk’y Burger. These are Juicy, California-style veggie turk'y burger with 37% less fat, and a great blend of avocados and tomatoes.

Whether you are a confirmed vegetarian (for whatever reason) or just want to explore a bit of the veggie experience, try a few of these—you will not be disappointed.

http://www.morningstarfarms.com/

Gardenburger Delights

Today there are many varieties of veggie burgers and each is delicious in its own way. There is room for all and consumers benefit by having more to choose from.

Gardenburger Veggie burgers are the original veggie burgers and now they have new flavors that are very tasty, versatile and easy to prepare. Don't just think of them as a substitutes for meat. They are delicious on their own terms. And you don't always have to serve them as burgers.

The Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burger (vegan) has a nice spicy bite and works well as a base for Tex-Mex inspired meals. The Sun-Dried Tomato Basil is a nicely-nuanced addition to any dinner and gives a flavorful touch

The Portabella tastes the “meatiest” and lends itself to a star appearance in many dishes. The Veggie Medley is packed with colorful vegetables that lend color as well as nutrition.

Veggies burgers can be cooked on the stove or on the barbecue grill for extra flavor. Serve them in buns like meat burgers with fixings or crumble them and treat them like ground meat. You buy them frozen so just let them thaw and then just handle them like you would ground beef. Make tacos using the crumbled Chipotle burgers or meatloaf with the Original Plain or Tomato Basil or the Portabella. Add another Gardenburger flavor to pasta sauce to make it Bolognese.

Just because you are buying veggie burgers doesn’t mean you can’t turn them into another form for a myriad of dishes and Gardenburger veggie burgers offer the perfect range of flavors for many recipe uses. A new twist--several new tasty twists-- on a proven product.

Have Your Cake

Amy’s Organic Cakes, in Orange or Chocolate. Either way, both are fabulous Vegan, non-dairy, 11 ounces of pure sweet delight. No trans fats, No preservatives-- These cakes taste homemade. The texture, taste and fragrance all add up to a heavenly dessert. There is no aftertaste and no regret. Try both with non dairy topping or fruit or maybe ice cream.

The Orange is delicate and moist, a perfect summertime, anytime treat. The chocolate may not taste like an ultra-rich decadent chocolate cake—the flavor is more subtle and at the same time very pleasing to the palate.

Amy's Orhanic cakes are available frozen and thaw in the refrigerator in about 2 hours. They can be served warmed but taste just wonderful nice and cool right from the fridge.

It is true, like it says on the box, no one will believe it’s not homemade!