Vegan Vanilla Yogurt Cake
Making a great tasting moist vanilla cake without butter and eggs has never been easier. The secret lies with using unsweetened cashew yogurt, and cake flour which has a lower protein content than all purpose flour and is lighter (finer), and softer than other flours. However, with the knowledge that white cake flour doesn’t have a lot of nutritional attributes, there are two ways to make this cake:
- Use only white cake flour for a lighter, higher rising cake; or
- Use a combination of white cake flour and whole grain spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour for a slightly denser but more nutritious cake.
In addition, using unsweetened plain cashew yogurt (I use Forager’s) gives this cake a moist, tangy flavor that is greatly enhanced with the added zest of a lemon. Read more 
Blueberry Crumble Coffeecake (Vegan)
If you think a cake can’t taste great without white flour, butter, oil,, eggs, and refined sugar, think again because it’s all about finding alternative nutritious ingredients to replace the undesirables. Instead of white flour, consider oats and almond flour.; instead of butter, oil, and refined sugar, choose date paste (dates and water); instead of eggs, select ground flaxseed meal. Using these alternative ingredients not only produces a nutritious cake but also a delicious one…promise! Read more
Vegan Dining Options in Asheville, NC (Part 5)
Asheville has an abundance of dining options including speciality places where plant-based devotees can enjoy a melt-in-your-mouth doughnut or a creamy, rich chocolate truffle, a piece of moist dark chocolate cake, cold-pressed juices, smoothies, chocolate chip cookies, homemade pies, freshly made soft pretzels, and more. Scroll through these culinary destination hot spots and then make some plans to taste the flavors of Asheville. Read more
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Years ago, I used to make a Pineapple Upside Down Cake that was to die for – literally, as the recipe called for two sticks of butter, a few eggs, and a cup of sugar. So, the challenge was to figure out a way to make a Pineapple Upside Down Cake without the butter (or substituting 2 sticks of vegan butter), eggs, and an overload of sugar. Not an easy task but with all the beautiful fresh pineapples in the grocery stores, I thought it was high time to learn how to make a healthier version so I went through all my cookbooks and came up with a variation of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cake. Read more
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie (Vegan)
The one question that most people ask when they find out I follow a plant-based diet is: Do you miss any of the foods you used to eat? Yes, I do, but not many.
I used to miss doughnuts but then I tasted a Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut made by the talented folks at Vortex Doughnuts in Asheville, North Carolina and the experience was pure bliss so I know where to go to get a doughnut fix. Turtles – those caramel, nut, and chocolate treats – were also a favorite treat but then I tasted Lagusta’s Luscious (available on-line or at their “Confectionary” store in the East Village in NYC) “Salted Galapagos Turtles” – vegan caramel, pecan, and chocolate turtles that taste just like the non-vegan version, only better! Read more
Blueberry Pie
Ever since I saw the musical “Waitress,” I can’t stop thinking about pie. I find myself singing the lyrics (pie, pie, pie, me o my, I love pie..) and then, of course, I start thinking about making a fresh pie but one that doesn’t have a lot of added fat or sugar. There are those who claim it’s nearly impossible to make a good pie without butter, shortening, sugar, eggs, and cream but I’m here to tell you, a delicious fruit pie with a flaky crust is totally doable if you follow some advice. Read more
California Suncakes
Sometimes the most delicious products are found in the most unlikely places.
Iowa City is known for a lot of things – a huge university (University of Iowa – home of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop), local breweries, the Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Airliner Bar (where Ashton Kutcher was discovered by a modeling scout), and the New Pioneer Food Co-op (think of a small-scale Whole Foods Market but better) which is where I found California Suncakes: 4-ounce oatcakes that come in 6 varieties: Read more
“More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally”
Eat your fruits and vegetables but make sure you leave room for dessert, as long as the dessert tastes excellent and is made with healthful, honest ingredients…
Imagine a cake without butter, sour cream, milk, or eggs that actually tastes rich and delicious with a light crumb and moist texture. Hard to do? Not if you’re making one of the cakes made from a recipe in More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan, a professionally trained pastry chef who has shown the world that desserts – and especially cakes – don’t need dairy products to be truly great and absolutely scrumptious. Read more
Twelve Superstars
Today is Election Day. Many of us will flock to the polls and cast our votes for the candidates we want to represent us. Although the really big election day is a year away, the essence of leadership is heavy on many people’s minds with all the presidential debates. As we make our choices today and in the future, let us not forget about the people who are making a difference by making this world a better, healthier, and more compassionate place. Read more
Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake
Coffee Cake is generally meant to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or tea but this Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake is delicious with any drink any time of the day. Inspired by Thug Kitchen’s recipe for Blackberry Lemon Buckle, the recipe for Blueberry Coffee Crumb Cake is a simple variation that calls for less fruit (which makes a cake instead of a buckle), blueberries instead of blackberries, omits the ginger, and calls for the use of unsweetened cashew milk instead of any non-dairy milk. Read more
Paddock Post 