Vegan Berry Tartlets - Rainy Monday

So here is the one picture that survived my camera's tantrum today. Believe me when I tell you - there was a tray full of various tasty tartlets, all with different berry configurations; some with a chocolate Vegan "Custard" which was totally Dairy-Free. The tartlet trays are approximately 2 inches in diameter and completely adorable. The crust is made with a Soy based butter alternative, and due to the fact that I belive in gently rolling out the dough, it was light and flaky. Today was a dreary one here in New England, we'll have to bake something cheerful up to make it through the night.

Vegan Butterfly Cookies & Spring Cupcakes

Here are some of the sweets I made this past week. Spring has sprung - and these pastel iced cookies helped usher in the new season.... The cupcakes are topped with these awesome sparkly sprinkles that look like shards of pink ice. The cookies are speckled because in lieu of an egg, this version of the traditional butter cookie used ground Flax Seed so they are tasy and good for you. Today I was busy whipping up my Golden Chickpea Lentil Soup and Chapati Flat Bread. Photos and recipes to follow. We are getting ready for the DVD project and I have been busy typing up a lot of my recipes, attempting to get it together.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cupcakes w. Dark Chocolate Centers

OK - I am getting over a mean cold/throat/Spring transition kapha ("kapha" see Ayurvedic season changes.... not "kafkha" I am not morphing into an insect, thankfully) thing - so I have been house-bound for several days; thus I have been baking up a storm. When not baking I have been reading and passing out listening to ocean sounds on my iPod iTouch....yes I know how New-Agey and geeky that sounds but when I feel lousy it seems to help; conjuring up images of white sand, a red bikini and a cold beverage with paper umbrellas in it, my 3 pm massage scheduled to take place in the saltwater poolside cabana......Ahem.....

Back in reality here in New England....Today I am feeling the best I've felt in a week so I am working on a batch of Vegan Peanut Butter Cupcakes w. Dark Chocolate Centers. San Tropez - not quite, but the kitchen is warm and toasty, and I came up with a new recipe for my ongoing Vegan quest...

Once the cupcakes had thoroughly cooled off, I whipped up a soy milk and dark chocolate Ganache, piped it out loosely and there you are! I am yet to taste them, but have high hopes for these little cakes. By the way - listening to some Led Zeppelin really gave these cupcakes a kick, as always I highly recomend listening to music while you bake. Let's see what's next.....

Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup & Cherry Dark Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

Cherry Dark Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

You are supposed to let these cupcakes chill for an hour prior to serving but being that I was patient enough already in so far as waiting for the stuff to cool, I immediately tried one and they were quite tasty.

Vegan Tacos & Simple Spinach Toast Soup

Today's soup was fantastic - I took about 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1/4 cup dry white wine and a 2 inch square of parmesean cheese and brought to a boil; simmered for 20 minutes over low heat. Next I added some black pepper and made two slices of wheat toast. Off heat the spinach (about 2 cups) is added and as it wilted I placed one slice of whole wheat toast in each of two deep soup bowls. Lastly I topped each bowl with some grated parmesean and that was that. You could try substituting Nutritional Yeast Flakes instead of the parmesean to go Vegan with this soup.

The tacos were basically a modified Vegan chili recipe, 1 package firm tofu pulsed in the food processor, (do not overdo it or you will get mush)...1/2 bottle of beer, 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 cup black beans, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, sea salt to taste, black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like more heat) one red onion (sauteed with a little bit of olive oil), fresh cilantro & and vegan mozerella cheese to top it off.

Chocolate Ravioli & Vegan Lasagna Rolls

Vegan Lasagna w. Arugala & Baby Spinach, Ravioli Filled with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

What I Have Been Up To....

Vegan Chocolate Layer Cake w. Raspberry Puree

Vegan Awesome Oatmeal Cookies

Tofu "Paneer" with Peas

Coconut Samosa

Curried Cauliflower

Vegan Linzer Tarts

OK so I have made so many more recipes but it's been a busy month and I have been remiss with bloogging. Basically I LOVE experimenting with recipes and plan to keep going so stay tuned! Recipes for the above photos will be posted this week....