When my sister and I went vegetarian about four or so years ago, there was really only one thing we found ourselves longing for. When we were kids, our favourite after school snack was the S’more. Not a very labour intensive method was used, we just placed a marshmallow on a graham cracker, threw some chocolate chips on top and nuked in the microwave for a few seconds then-the best part-smooshing the melty chocolate and puffy marshmallow with another graham cracker.

Enter Sweet & Sara. The genius company behind the vegan marshmallow. I recently placed an order on vegan essentials and yesterday a box arrived for my at doorstep. These are what were nestled inside:

I was reallllly excited to try these and they did not disappoint, these were better than any marshmallow I’ve ever had in my life. These are some gourmet marshmallows, fluffy with a delectable hints of vanilla (and not that cheap vanilla taste. The good kind). I was a bit sceptical that these would not hold up for a s’more though…would they puff like a marshmallow should? Or would they fail miserably as so many vegan cheeses do? My province currently has a ban on any open fire (it’s really dry here, my neighbour’s well ran dry the other day) so I had to pass on any attempt to recreate the authentic campfire treat and take the microwave route. No matter, the s’more I made was just as I remembered, with gooey melty chocolate and marshmallow nestled between crunchy homemade graham crackers.

Sweet & Sara offer there own take on the vegan s’more which I ordered along with my marshmallows to sample.

I tried the Peanut Butter S’more and it was really good. It reminded more of a moon pie (or whatever they’re called) rather than a s’more though and I don’t know if I’d purchase one again. I prefer my homemade s’mores, they’re a lot cheaper to make too!  All in all, I love these products and am kind wishing I had have splurged on the Coconut variety they also offer but oh well, I think that my summer is kind complete anyway with my vegan vanilla marshmallows.

I should have made these last week. Maple is a fitting flavour to enjoy for Canada Day but whatever, I’m not regretting my decision to make Strawberry Shortcake.  Last night, I was craving cookies but was out of chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal…all my usual ingredients that go in to a cookie.  But I had maple syrup (what good Canadian girl doesn’t?) and remembered a recipe in Vegan with a Vengeance that I’ve been meaning to bake since I got the book two years ago-Maple Walnut Cookies. 

I nixed most of the walnuts, (because well, I was getting low on walnuts) instead I just topped them with a walnut halve after drizzling them with Creamy Maple Frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  They turned out delicious, soft and chewy cookies with lots of maple flavour and the frosting was unbelievable, it was so thick and easy to work with.  I never have that much luck with frostings.  Ever.  I’m definitely trying out the maple cupcakes that accompany the frosting recipe one day.  Maybe for a more fitting time, the next time Canada needs celebrating?

It’s nearing the end of my five day vacation and today (day 4) I finally got to soak in a bit of sunshine.  I seriously think I’m cursed sometimes as days 1, 2 and 3 were all overcast and rainy.  Oh well, I have one more break in August so *hopefully* I’ll be enjoying sunny bliss then.  Anyways, Happy Birthday Canada!  The big 1-4-1!  Awz, you’re growing up so fast.

How did I celebrate?  By eating of course!  The other day my mom and I spied a roadside fruit stand (definitely one of my favourite sights of summer) and purchased a flat of strawberries.  That’s a lot of strawberries.  I think after this weekend I’m all strawberried out.  We ended up freezing a lot of them (yay smoothies!) and today I used them in a special Canada Day Dessert.  But first, here’s what I made from breakfast this morning:

Waffles! I used the recipe I always use and as usual they went over very well with my family.

I wasn’t sure what to make for dessert. I was playing with the idea of baking a cake but then after the arrival of the flat of strawberries I knew exactly what to make. It has been a tradition to have Strawberry Shortcake on Canada Day in my family for as long as I can remember. I’m not sure why, could it be that the red and white colouring is a demonstration of national pride? Or is it that strawberries are always conveinently in season and my family just really really loves these sweet little berries? It’s probably the latter but whatever the reason, I made Strawberry Shortcake today.

This turned out to be one of my most proudest accomplishments in the kitchen. The one you see in the photo above wasn’t the most prettiest one (I always serve everyone else first then I photograph mine and it takes awhile sometimes so the whipped topping got a little melty) so this probably just sounds silly but whatever I’m damn proud of the presentation of this dessert. So how did I do it? First I baked up my favourite biscuit recipe (make these biscuits, you will thank me), mashed up 2 pints (maybe pints? you know, the little baskets) of berries with a little bit of sugar and made a coconut cream whipped topping (chill a can of coconut, scoop off the cream that formed at the top then whip it with a couple tablespoons of icing sugar). Then to put it all together, I just split a biscuit, scooped some of the strawberry mixture over one half then some of the whipped topping, place the other half over it all (strawberry sandwich!), spoon more strawberry filling on top, then whipped topping and finish with a single whole strawberry on top.  There, a simple yet totally fancy dessert fit for only the most awesome country in the world (ha! just kidding.  kinda).
 

One of my favourite past-times is flicking through magazines.  My favourites are often in the range of home design and cooking, as I’ll always find inspiration from what colour I should paint the bedroom (we’re in the pre-renovation stages, I’m so excited!) or to what to cook for supper.  One of my favourite publications is one that is popular with vegans, Veg News, is always full of recipes that I mean to try (and do try, like that delicious Mac ‘n’ Cheeze I made not too long ago). In the May + June issue there was a column on dessert featuring a recipe for Chunky Monkey Brownies which instantly captured my attention.

These bars, albeit have an almost too-cutesy name, are chock full chocolate, banana chips, cashews (except not mine, I used walnuts instead) and coconut, lots of crunch layered on a thin yet fudgy and satisfying brownie. After taking these babies out of the oven I was a little sceptical as they appeared to have sunken a tiny bit but after waiting for them to cool, I sampled one and was not disappointed. These were everything I could hope for in a dessert bar, rich, chocolatey but with their addition of tropical goodness, they have a lot more depth than your average square. These have to be shared so since this issue’s supply is dwindling on the store shelves, I’m going to post the recipe for all those who were not able to read this article (maybe you don’t have access or maybe you haven’t given Veg News a try yet, why not? I think this recipe would push you do so).

Chunky Monkey Brownies by Beverly Lynn Bennet
Originally published in the May + June 2008 issue of Veg News

3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup safflower oil [I used canola]
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
4 tsp arrowroot
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup dried banana chips, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
2 tbs dried coconut, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan [I used an 8 inch) and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, oil, water and vanilla. Sift in flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot, baking powder and salt. Stir well to combine.

3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Evenly scatter banana chips, chocolate chips, cashews and coconut over top and press gently with hands into the batter.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set in the centre. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into nine squares.
1/4 cup cashews, coarsely chopped [I used walnuts]

I have never had a quiche before. From my knowledge of it, I know it’s some traditional egg pie thing that’s often served at brunch. Yeah. So after becoming vegan, I had no desire to make a vegan version. But when Isa posted about her recent potluck experience, sharing a photo of this delicious looking Classic Broccoli Quiche, I decided I had to give this quiche thing a try.

Using Celine’s super awesome Pie Crust recipe (I used Whole Wheat Pastry flour and it turned out wonderful), I whipped this up yesterday afternoon to have for supper (I don’t really do savoury in the morning). It tasted delicious with its creamy texture and its delectable aroma. It also made a wonderful lunch today at room temperature, the flavours really shone through after they had more time to settle in.

So I am now a Quiche convert, and can’t wait to give this recipe another try with an array of variations (smoked tofu perhaps? mushrooms? fresh herbs?).

I owe you all a major update, don’t I?  I know I promised that I would be updating frequently once my vacation started but lo and behold two months have already went by since I’ve been off and the number of posts haven’t really increased…sorry!  I’ll make it up to you by showing you photos of what I’ve been up to lately.

Garden of 2008!

This year I didn’t let the fact that our backyard may soon become a renovation site discourage me from gardening.  I instead decided to try my hands at container gardening and so far the results have been promising.

This is my Arugula plant, it’s been growing quite well. I’m not sure if I even like arugula. I tend to do that when picking up seeds or seedlings at the garden centre, buy plants that I’ve never tried before, it’s probably not the most intelligent thing to do but whatever, it’s pretty and green. I do know that once this plant has reached its picking stage, it will be going into the Pasta Della California from Veganomicon.

This is another plant I wasn’t sure about but once I gave it a whiff, I knew I had to grab it. Chocolate Mint! It smells like a Peppermint Patty (although some will argue with you and claim it smells like licorice but they’re wrong) and I’ve heard it makes a wonderful tea. I also plan to make a sea-salt-body scrub thing with it (look at me thinking ahead and being all practical).

This is the one plant that I am not growing in a container, my Lemon Balm plant. Or should I say one of many lemon balm plants. I bought a tiny lemon balm years ago and despite the fact I neglect, shun and ignore it, this plant is everywhere in my yard. There are so many of these things and the most pathetic thing about its population surge? I’ve never used it for anything. Not once. Maybe I’ll try it brewed as a herbal tea this summer. If anyone has any ideas for its use, let me know!

These are the only plants I started from seed weeks ago that sprouted. Spring Onions. Actually, that’s a lie, my chives also sprouted, I just didn’t take a photo of them because they look the same as Spring Onions do. They’re a little bit bigger now and growing in a bigger container.

This is my Tomato Plant. I used to grow tomatoes years ago and every fall I’d have bags and bags of green/yellow/red tomatoes that I’d be pawning off on my neighbours (I don’t think they minded). I only have one plant this year so I don’t think I’ll have that large of a surplus but I’m excited to have fresh tomatoes again.

Ok, on to the flowers!

Lilac! We actually had two lilac trees but Benji destroyed one. He doesn’t like gardening, he’s afraid of bugs. Why he had to take it out on that poor lilac tree, I’ll never know.

Hanging Basket (can I just pause and say how much I love this hanging basket? It’s so pretty, sure beats those plastic ones all to hell) of Begonias and Myrtles.

I can’t remember what these flowers are but take a look at this urn! I’ve been wanting an urn ever since I saw one in a Martha Stewart Living Autumn issue. I want to put whatever it was that was in it in that issue I saw (corn husks? squash? I can’t remember but whatever it was I remember liking it).

I hope you enjoyed the tour! I hope to expand the garden, every time I go to the garden centre, I don’t leave empty handed. I really want to try growing kale. And beets. Beets look really pretty in a container. And swiss chard…and strawberries…

I know these have been blogged about numerous times.  I myself have even blogged about these twice before but it’s all for good reason.  These cookies are fantastic.  And what harm could talking about them a little more possibly do? 

These are Vegan with a Vengeance’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, a cookie that never lasts too long in this house.  I baked these up today with the excuse that I have to break in my new cookie sheet and what better way than to do so with the most popular cookie of the world (probably)?  What I’m trying to say here is that you should make these cookies.  C’mon, don’t fear the cookie.

Oh cookies, it’s been far too long.

Oddly, I haven’t baked cookies in a while and I’ve been going through serious withdrawals.  Inspired by the lovely Celine, today on my (albeit rainy) day off I decided to bake myself some cookies with flair, cookie sandwiches. Using my all-time favourite cookie, the Big Gigantoid Crunchy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan with a Vegeance and Celine’s soy yogurt Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse, the ultimate cookie sandwich was born.  Oh yeahh.
 

I love mini-cakes. Not only are the adorable beyond measure, they’re fun and incredibly simple to make. I’m not the biggest fan of decorating and frosting cakes, I love the idea of decorating cakes but once I break out the pastry bag, my enthusiasm fades. When the cake is smaller, the task of decorating it is not quite as great.

This is the Ginger-Coconut-Macadamia-Carrot Cake from Vegan with a Vengeance made with walnuts instead of the macadamia nuts and sans crystalized ginger as there are some people who are wary of an excess of ginger in this house. To bake this mini-cake, all I did was halve the recipe, and bake the batter four 4-inch round cake pans for 20-25 minutes. Then I frosted and filled it with a buttercream frosting flavoured with coconut extract and I was left with two tiny cakes to enjoy and share (or not).

I haven’t updated in awhile, sorry! I haven’t even been that busy, I think it was just a case of blogger’s block or something.

Anyways, what have I been up to lately?

I started a small garden! I planted Spring Onions, Basil, Cilantro, Mint and Chives, all of which, once they sprout, will be housed in pots on my deck (My yard is rather shady so I need them to be able to ‘follow’ the sun). I’ll post photos once they sprout. I’d like to grow some other vegetables aside from the onions, but for now I’m going to see how these turn out.

Speaking of sprouts, know what I’ve been loving lately? Sprouts! I bought a small bag of organic Spring Salad Mix Sprouts at the farmer’s market last weekend and they have been wonderful on my tomato sandwiches.  They’re so good for you too, especially broccoli sprouts which are full of antioxidants.  I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to give sprouts a chance.

I’ve been fighting off a cold this week and Veganomicon’s Creamy Tomato Soup has been ever so nourishing and comforting.  I blogged about it previously here.

Last night, my mother and I ate out at my favourite restaurant here in Halifax (which I’ve blogged about a couple times here before, ha ha). I got the Cajun Tofu dish (my favourite!) which is tofu smothered in a hot cajun style sauce served with brown rice and steamed kale with some sort of delicious sauce. My mother got a slice of Coconut-Cashew-Banana Pie which was so heavenly we got another slice to go, pictured below:

That is all for now, I promise the next post will be sooner than this one was!