First time in Portland for Vida Vegan Con!

Portland, Oregon.  A city most vegans only dream about.  Where nutritional yeast is sprinkled liberally on everything, (even sushi), where seitan hot wings and vegan ranch adorn the menu of most pubs and bars, and where vegan doughnuts can be found 24-hours a day, and melt in your mouth like some magical spell.

It is here we set the stage for the second annual Vida Vegan Con, Vegan Lifestyle and Blogger conference.  A place where vegans from around the globe come to meet, greet, and devour all the fabulous vegan food the city of Portland has to offer.  Oh, and attend some pretty kick @$$ classes and seminars, too!  When the announcement was made that the 2013 conference was going to be held in May, rather than the end of August, I jumped at the change to purchase my ticket. I would be traveling alone, and I had never met a single person going to the event (not in real life, anyway), but I was so thrilled to see the conference being held at a time that wasn't my black-out time at work, that I jumped at the chance to go this year.  So, if the powers that be read this, here is one enthusiastic blogger's vote to NOT have the next conference during the last week of August!

Now, because it takes almost an entire day to fly to Portland from the East Coast, I decided to give myself an extra day on either end of the conference. I flew in to LAX on Wednesday, and got to Portland late Wednesday night.  I wanted to have the better part of Thursday free to go explore the sites of the city. I was sad to see it was pouring rain when I landed, but that did not get me down. Armed with my trusty iPhone app, PDX Bus, I went from train, to bus, to motel in about 50 minutes, where I promptly crashed after a long day of travel.

PDX Bus iPhone App

Day 1.

Thursday morning, I awoke with doughnuts on my mind.  It was still raining, so I hopped on the bus, which brought me about a block away from Voodoo Doughnuts!

Now it's been a while since I've even had a doughnut, so I was eagerly anticipating this monumentus occasion! There was a minimal line (which I hear, is RARE). The lines at Voodoo Doughnut have been known the snake right out the door, and there were ropes where customers should form a line just to prove it. 

I entered and was blown away by the atmosphere and decor, and eclectic explosion of crazy pink fun!

So, if a vegan gal is to choose only ONE of all the fabulous vegan doughnuts on the "This Level is All Vegan" display, I would go head-first, balls to the walls with this glorious item below.

Behold, The Dirty Old Bastard:

This is a raised yeast doughnut with chocolate frosting, Oreos, and peanut butter. (Whoa!)  I must say, I have never in my LIFE tasted any sort of vegan baked good that even compared the this. The doughnut itself was light and airy, yet rich and decadent.  It literally melted in my mouth.  And the toppings... chocolate, OREO, drizzled with peanut butter... I can't even...  It honestly took me about an hour to get through half of this monster, and I enjoyed every, over-the-top, delicious bite.

Rewind a bit:  There was no indoor seating in Voodoo Doughnuts, so I quickly paid for my treat, (cash only, please), carefully slipped my doughnut into my bag, and went out in search for a warm dry place to sit and partake of my breakfast.

A few doors down was Stumptown Coffee Roasters, which, I had never heard of, despite being an avid coffee drinker (go figure?!?)

This is my poor excuse of a panoramic shot of this cool, sleek and modern coffee shop.

I really loved the exposed brick as well as the super long service counter.  And, here is the perfect accompaniment to my Voodoo Doughnut.  A perfectly topped soy double latte:

I'm already enjoying every moment of this trip, and it's only Day 1! ^_^

Cherry Almond Cookies

From Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar!

I just have to say, I have not made a bad recipe YET from this cookbook. (I haven't even made a so-so recipe yet, they have all turned out fabulous!)

I have made this particular cookie recipe twice now, once with dried cranberries (yum), and once with the cherries (thank you, Trader Joe)!  Both times, the cookies have turned out delicately crisp on the edges, and soft and chewy in the center.  I must say, the combination of the slighly tart, cherries with the delicately sweet flavor of the almond cookie is just wonderful! I think I might try toasting the almonds next time, and I might add just a touch of cinnamon to the cookie as well...

Either way, this recipe is definitely in the running for my holiday cookies this year! I think I might try and drizzle them with a bit of powdered sugar icing, just for an extra touch. ^_^

Halloween Cupcakes! (Vegan Style)

Trick or Treat!  A few fun sprinkles plus some white and black vegan buttercream make these delicious sweet little treats!

For the cupcakes, I used my go-to recipe from the cookbook: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the most wonderfully, perfect vanilla cupcake recipe (vegan or NON).  Recipe can be found here, reprinted with permission. Vegan buttercream frosting is a must as well.  My hints for the frosting: Use Earth Balance brand shortning and buttery sticks, and beat in a Kitchen Aid mixer for the full 3 mintues and then 7 minutes!  It's like a cloud :)  Then, go to town with sprinkles!!

The only one of its kind! White buttercream and shiny orange glitter sprinkles!

Frankenstien Style! (black and green ^_^)

All purpose Halloween-y Colors!

And... my FAVORITE:  Black frosting with BONES!!

I made the full batch of buttercream, left half of it white and then added BLACK food coloring paste to the remaining half until it went from a purple-y grey to a nice dark black.  I think I added about three tiny "scoops" of the black gel until it was dark enough.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT check to see what this food coloring gel "TASTES" like.  A small miscommunication in the kitchen made L's tongue (and saliva) black for a good three hours!! (no pics, sorry)

And... the inspiration for all the fun:

On sale at A.C. Moore!! (thanks Mom!)

Vegan Cookies are Invading...

A friend of mine was kind enough to lend me her copy of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and I went to town baking!

Oatmeal Raisin



Amazing recipe from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! I think I like this oatmeal cookie recipe even better than the one from Joy of Vegan Baking (which I really, REALLY love). There is actually less sugar in this one, but it is all BROWN sugar so the flavor is really amazing! Original recipe in VCIYCJ called for soy milk, but I always use unsweetened almond milk. Baking time: 10 minutes = chewy, 12 mintues = crunchy. I like CHEWY :)



I actually used half raisin and half dried cranberries, since I only had a half cup of each...



Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles!



Do yourself a favor: Make these NOW!!  You can actually find the recipe on the PPK blog here.  These cookies had the perfect blend of soft, crunch and chewy... I was a wimp, and cut the cayenne a bit, but I think next time I will make as written. 

I actually bought a bottle of chocoate extract for the express purpose of making these cookies, and it really, REALLY makes a difference in the intensity of the chocolate flavor.

AND... last but not least in any way... 

THE chocolate chip cookie!!



Again, these are the perfect blend of crispy and chewy!

Please, do NOT be tempted to over cook your cookies.  If they look done, they're OVER-done.  Just be patient and let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then carefully move them to a rack to finish.

^_^

Peanut Butter Cookies

Simple and yummy and vegan! (and totally "old skool") These cookies are chewy and delicious, and full of peanuty flavor. Enjoy these with a big glass of almond milk, or dip half in dark chocolate and let dry, for an extra decadent dessert.

The recipe below calls for ground flax seeds and water. Flax seeds are a excellent substitute for eggs in baking, and add fiber and omega 3s.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

3 tablespoons water

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

3/4 cup natural-style peanut butter

1/2 cup margarine, non-hydrongenated (I use Earth Balance)

3 tablespoons almond milk, unsweetened

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 375 dgrees.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Whip the ground flax seeds and water until thick and creamy.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, milk and vanilla.

Beat at medium speed with a hand mixer until well blended.

Add flax seed mixture and beat until just combined.

Add flour mixture (and ground peanuts or chocolate chips if using) and mix until just blended.

Drop 1 tbsp of the batter onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.

Flatten slightly in a criss-cross pattern with the tines of a fork

(I use a pasty cutter, and roll it across the cookies, works better than a fork I think).

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet for 3-5 mintues before tranferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.