Merry Christmas to All!
-The Vegan Villager
Sunday 25 December 2011
Sunday 18 December 2011
Bake Sale/Soup for Sponsorship Bonanza!
Holiday Greetings Friends!
I am painfully aware that I have not posted in nearly a month!
But never fear, the recipes are here!
The past few weeks have been extremely busy ones in my world of vegan baking and cooking!
For those of you who don't know me personally, I work in the field of Social Services. Each year I lead fundraising initiatives to help sponsor individuals and families who may be experiencing particularly tough times, or who could use a boost of holiday cheer at Christmastime. What better way to raise the funds needed than with FOOD! These past few weeks marked the 3rd Annual Sponsorship Bake Sale and the Annual "Soup's on for Sponsorship" soup lunch in our office - both bring out the generosity in everyone! Lot's of people contributed to the bake sale and even more folks purchased baking and soup - making it a huge success!
This money goes a very long way to help a lot of adults and children have a happier holiday. We take a lot of things for granted, and it really puts into perspective how fortunate many of us are when you see with your own eyes that selling some cookies and fudge will allow a child to have presents to open on Christmas morning. So...now that my rant about the virtues of giving (not just at the holidays mind you...) is complete, let us move on to some of the recipes that make it happen. I say some, because there are so ma ny people involved in both the bake sale and soup,I could never do it on my own, and if any of them are reading, you know who you are and THANK YOU!... On with the vegan recipes!
Easy Peasy Lemon Cookies
These are quick and easy, perfect for a bake sale, they freeze really well too!
You will need:
1 box of vegan lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon extract
1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar (to roll the dough balls in)
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350° F
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, water, oil and lemon extract.
Stir together until well blended, dough should be moist enough to roll into balls.
Roll dough into 1" balls and set aside.
In a shallow lidded dish pour granulated sugar, in small batches (6-10, depending on the size of your dish) roll dough balls in sugar. I throw a few in, close the lid and shake to coat.
Place sugar coated dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet approximately 1" apart, do not press with fork, leave as balls.
Bake 9-11 minutes, edges should be barely golden.
The cookies will puff up slightly in the oven, do no press them down, they will fall and crack as they cool.
You can make these cookies smaller or larger depending on your needs, you can also roll them in coloured sugar depending on the occasion.
Broccoli Soup
This recipe is a go-to Fall and Winter favourite at our house!
You will need:
1 medium to large head of broccoli (if you aren't sure if it's large enough, always go bigger!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 + cloves of garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups soy milk
1/4 cup margarine
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dry sage
salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
Chop onion and garlic, place in a large tall sided cooking pot with olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic being careful not to burn them, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Chop broccoli and place in pot with onion and garlic, cover contents with stock and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until broccoli is very tender.
In a blender (I have to do this in two batches) place contents of the pot; onion, garlic, broccoli and stock, puree and set aside.
In the empty pot melt margarine, add flour to melted margarine to create a roux.
Slowly add soy milk to the roux and whisk to break any lumps.
When the milk mixture is smooth and lump-free add the pureed broccoli mixture.
Bring soup to a full boil and reduce to simmer.
Heat through and serve with fresh whole wheat rolls or crackers.
*This is a very easy recipe to keep at the ready - all you'll need is broccoli. I keep a tetra pack (looks like a big drinking box) of stock and the same size of soy milk on hand, the rest of the ingredients are standard staples around here.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts
A quick and delicious way to use up the almonds I had in my freezer - yum!
You will need:
2 cups unblanched almonds (means the skins are still on them)
Happy Holidays!
The Vegan Villager
I am painfully aware that I have not posted in nearly a month!
But never fear, the recipes are here!
The past few weeks have been extremely busy ones in my world of vegan baking and cooking!
For those of you who don't know me personally, I work in the field of Social Services. Each year I lead fundraising initiatives to help sponsor individuals and families who may be experiencing particularly tough times, or who could use a boost of holiday cheer at Christmastime. What better way to raise the funds needed than with FOOD! These past few weeks marked the 3rd Annual Sponsorship Bake Sale and the Annual "Soup's on for Sponsorship" soup lunch in our office - both bring out the generosity in everyone! Lot's of people contributed to the bake sale and even more folks purchased baking and soup - making it a huge success!
This money goes a very long way to help a lot of adults and children have a happier holiday. We take a lot of things for granted, and it really puts into perspective how fortunate many of us are when you see with your own eyes that selling some cookies and fudge will allow a child to have presents to open on Christmas morning. So...now that my rant about the virtues of giving (not just at the holidays mind you...) is complete, let us move on to some of the recipes that make it happen. I say some, because there are so ma ny people involved in both the bake sale and soup,I could never do it on my own, and if any of them are reading, you know who you are and THANK YOU!... On with the vegan recipes!
Easy Peasy Lemon Cookies
These are quick and easy, perfect for a bake sale, they freeze really well too!
You will need:
1 box of vegan lemon cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp lemon extract
1/3-1/2 cup granulated sugar (to roll the dough balls in)
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350° F
In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, water, oil and lemon extract.
Stir together until well blended, dough should be moist enough to roll into balls.
Roll dough into 1" balls and set aside.
In a shallow lidded dish pour granulated sugar, in small batches (6-10, depending on the size of your dish) roll dough balls in sugar. I throw a few in, close the lid and shake to coat.
Place sugar coated dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet approximately 1" apart, do not press with fork, leave as balls.
Bake 9-11 minutes, edges should be barely golden.
The cookies will puff up slightly in the oven, do no press them down, they will fall and crack as they cool.
You can make these cookies smaller or larger depending on your needs, you can also roll them in coloured sugar depending on the occasion.
Broccoli Soup
This recipe is a go-to Fall and Winter favourite at our house!
You will need:
1 medium to large head of broccoli (if you aren't sure if it's large enough, always go bigger!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
4 + cloves of garlic
4 cups vegetable broth
4 cups soy milk
1/4 cup margarine
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp dry sage
salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
Chop onion and garlic, place in a large tall sided cooking pot with olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic being careful not to burn them, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Chop broccoli and place in pot with onion and garlic, cover contents with stock and simmer on low for 15 minutes or until broccoli is very tender.
In a blender (I have to do this in two batches) place contents of the pot; onion, garlic, broccoli and stock, puree and set aside.
In the empty pot melt margarine, add flour to melted margarine to create a roux.
Slowly add soy milk to the roux and whisk to break any lumps.
When the milk mixture is smooth and lump-free add the pureed broccoli mixture.
Bring soup to a full boil and reduce to simmer.
Heat through and serve with fresh whole wheat rolls or crackers.
*This is a very easy recipe to keep at the ready - all you'll need is broccoli. I keep a tetra pack (looks like a big drinking box) of stock and the same size of soy milk on hand, the rest of the ingredients are standard staples around here.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts
A quick and delicious way to use up the almonds I had in my freezer - yum!
You will need:
2 cups unblanched almonds (means the skins are still on them)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
What to do:
Preheat oven to 250° F
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to coat almonds. Spread almonds on a non-stick cookie sheet in a single layer (you may need to bake in two batches), bake for 30 minutes, turning or shaking the almonds on the sheet half way through. Allow the almonds to cool about 10 - 15 minutes, this allows the coating to set. Seal in an airtight container or fills cello bags for easy and delicious gift giving!
So, there we have it, three recipes for the weeks I've missed on here. I hope to have time this week to post a few more recipes for vegan holiday goodies!
Happy Holidays!
The Vegan Villager
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