Lemon Gem Cupcakes!

Let's dust off some old recipes...

I was asked to bring a (vegan) dessert to a dinner I was invited to.  After mulling a few ideas around in my head, it was suggested that I bring cupcakes.  Great! I haven't made a batch of cupcakes in a while.  I was then suggested:   "How about those lemon cupcakes you made that time..." 

Would you believe the last time I made these was FOUR years ago?!  What a fool I am, because these are one fabulous cupcake.

If you don't have Veganomicon already, you can see the cupcake recipe here, and then run out and buy yourself a copy, because it truly is an amazing cookbook...

Lemon Gem cupcakes truly stand up to their name.  They are sunny, bright, and full of amazing lemony flavor, mostly from the FRESH lemon juice and zest that goes in to the cupcake batter.  I had gotten a nice bottle of pure lemon extract, and I added 1/2 tsp of that too, just for good measure.

This time, I added a splash of vanilla and lemon extracts to the frosting as well, which really added a nice touch ^_^

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

Cookbook Challenge Week 2 - Veganomicon

Now, if you know anything about me at all, you know I'm a hot sauce fiend.  I have been meaning to try this recipe for some time now...  A.  because it's hot sauce  B. because it's GLAZED.  anything glazed is okay in my book

So, here it is:  Triangles of steamed tempeh, marinated in a tangy, spicy liquid, then grilled to perfection.  I used my super-cool non-stick grill pan! (aren't the grill marks nice)?

Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh

By Isa Chandra Moskowitz (VEGANOMICON)

Ingredients

8 ounce package of tempeh
1/2 cup wine (whatever kind you've got on hand, just nothing sweet, or use vegetable broth and a touch of wine vinegar)
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions 

1. Bring a pot of water to boil.
2. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices.
3. Cut the tempeh in half width wise then cut each of those squares diagonally to form 4 large triangles. When the water is boiling, add the tempeh, lower the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
4. Use tongs to remove the tempeh and then immediately place them in the marinade bowl for 1 hour, flipping them every now again to cover with the marinade.
5. Preheat a greased grill pan over medium high heat. Brush lightly with olive oil
6. Grill each side for 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.

Now, for a chili-head such as myself, one would think this would be my dream recipe.  But, alas, it was not.  I fear I am loosing my taste for whole pieces tempeh, and that makes me very sad.  I am, however, still a HUGE fan of crumbled tempeh (IE Better-Than-Tuna Salad sandwiches)!! 

Let's crumble these triangles up, and make something spicy!!  (All is never lost... Crazy Casserole to follow...)

Tomato-Rice Soup

Cookbook Challenge Week 2 - Veganomicon

I have a special fondness in my heart for Veganomicon, as it was the very first vegan cookbook I purchased.  With that said, for the cookbook challenge,  I wanted to be sure to make recipes from the book that I had never tried before.  With all the snow lately, and temperatures being down in the single digits, the Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans sounded too good to be true.

What I like so much about this recipe is that is was simple, and that it called for BROWN rice, something I had been really craving. I followed the original recipe almost exactly, except for a couple things:  Instead of the roasted garlic, I used six whole cloves of garlic, smashed, and simmered those along with the soup, and I used 1 tsp of dried basil instead of marjoram.  I ate my first bowl as is.  Once the soup had cooled, I added the slightest touch of agave nectar, just to round out the acid of the tomatoes.

Simple, warm and comforting, and certainly puts that can of condensed Campbell's to shame!

*This recipe make A LOT of soup, so half went into a container in the freezer, and the rest will be for my lunches the rest of the week. ^_^