Fried Yeast Doughnuts

So this is a recipe for fried yeast doughnuts as well as a chocolate topping.  (makes about half a dozen doughnuts and a about 8-10 doughnut holes)

1 packet yeast

1/6 c sugar (if your measuring cup doesn't have a 1/6 marker, look at 1/3 and do about half)

1/2 tbsp sugar

1/4 melted butter or veg oil

1/2 c warm water

2 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 soy milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

oil for frying

1. In a small glass bowl, mix 1 pkg yeast and 1/2 tbsp of sugar and set aside for 10 minutes
2. In another small bowl, mix the 2c flour and 1/4 tsp of salt
3. In a third, larger, bowl, mix the 1/6 c sugar, 1/8 c melted butter/oil, and 1/4 tsp vanilla
4. Add the yeast mix to the sugar mix
5. Slowly add in the flour  mix until firm dough forms
6. cover and let sit for 1 hour
7. once your dough has risen, on a floured surface knead for about a minute, adding flour as needed
8. roll out to 3/4" thickness (that's fairly thick- almost an inch)
9. Cover and let rise for another 20 minutes until doubled in size
10. Cut out your shapes (a round cookie cutter and a smaller cookie cutter would be perfect, though I used a candy corn shaped cookie cutter from a halloween set and a mini shot glass for the hole) and fry (oil is hot enough when dough floats) until browned on both sides 

It's a good idea to drain it on a cloth to get excess oil off- and then you can top it with whatever you like! If you want to make filled doughnuts then form a thicker ball of dough, slightly like a semi flat oval. Once it's done cooking let it cool completely before adding the filling. I admit, I cheated and used regular 'classic white' icing from the store. Use an icing bag or press with a long pointy tip to puncture the doughnut and fill as much as you like. You can then top it with the following chocolate recipe:

1. In a small pan, bring 1/4 c soy milk to a simmer
2. add in 4oz of chocolate chips (that's usually about 1/3 of the bag)
3. once melted add 2 tbsp sugar (or about 1/8 c powdered sugar) and 2 tbsp maple or golden syrup
4. once mixed and melted, remove from heat. Do not chill or it will be too firm to dip doughnuts in

You may also brush with butter and top with cinnamon and sugar. Next time I'll experiment with fruit fillings! 

(chocolate recipe slightly adapted from a recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World)

Quick and easy mini vegan Pillsbury cinnamon rolls

I don't know if you've heard the news, but Pillsbury Crescent rolls are vegan- and deliciously soft and flaky. These were always a favorite when  I was a kid! So go ahead and pop open a can and lay the two halves on top of each other.

Pinch together any seams that you need to and then use a rolling pin to roll into a nice square about 1/4" thick.

Baste with some melted butter, sprinkle on cinnamon and brown sugar (however much you want!) leaving the edges clean so that they'll stick together when you toll it. 

When you're finished, just roll into a log and cut with a knife into little discs! Spray a cupcake pan (or you could even just use a regular cookie sheet) and bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes depending on your oven. 

For the icing I started with a basic glaze recipe:

2 c powdered sugar 

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp alt. milk 

1/4 c vegan butter 

Then I added about another cup of sugar, another teaspoon of vanilla and a spoonful of vegan cream cheese before I was really happy with it. You can stick with the original glaze recipe if you like or use one of your own. 

And viola- mini cinnamon rolls! 

Creamy Mac and "cheese"

Pretty Cupcakes

I've been relying on the same 'ole vegan chocolate cupcake recipe for a couple of years now until now. Granted, the icing is just store bought Pillsbury vanilla, but it's the cake part itself that makes this so awesome. The recipe is from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World- which I strongly recommend you buy. But for now, here's your basic chocolate cake recipe (makes about a dozen):

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:
1 c soy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Okay, so firstly combine the soy milk and vinegar in a bowl all on it's own so it has time to curdle (this may sound gross but smell it when it's done- it's sweet!). While that's doing it's thing mix your dry ingredients in a smaller bowl (the one you put the soy milk in is going to be your main mixing bowl)

1 c all purpose flour
1/3 c cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Set that aside and go add these ingredients to your soy milk mixture and beat until foamy:

3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (hint: this is the secret ingredient)
1/3 c vegetable oil (you can sub 1/3 c apple sauce if you'd like too)

Now slowly add in the dry ingredients until the big chunks are all out (small ones are fine). Add to your cake pan or cupcake liners and bake for 18-20 minutes (or 15 if your oven is super old like mine and likes to burn your baked goods! lol)

Seriously- this is beyond delicious. You can also experiment with adding other flavorings in place of the almond extract but this, to me, is absolutely perfect.

Steak Fried Tofu