Breakfast Burritos

I love going to Greenstar in Ithaca, NY and getting their vegan breakfast burritos before doing a big grocery shopping excursion. The only problem is that Ithaca is an hour and a half away, so this morning I have come up with my own take on the breakfast burrito.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small yellow onion, sliced
1 block, firm tofu
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
6 burrito size tortillas
cooking spray

METHOD:
1. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat setting. Add the olive oil after a minute and cook the garlic, onions, and tofu. Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes or until the onions get nice and soft.

2. Add the turmeric and chili powder to the pan, cooking for about a minute.

3. Add in the cilantro, cheese, and salsa. Cook for a couple of minutes or until the cheese is melted.

4. Heat a clean frying pan on a stove top, using a medium heat setting. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

5. Now it is time to assemble. Take about 3 heaping spoonfuls of tofu mixture and place on the tortilla. Roll up burrito style by rolling tight, pulling in the sides, and rolling tight again.

6. Place the burrito seam side down onto the heat. Let it cook for 3 minutes or so (until it is nice and brown). Flip and do the same for the next side. I used a spatula to lightly press down onto the burrito so it would be nice and flat.

7. Slice diagonally, pair with your favorite condiments (Tofutti Sour Cream, Sriracha, etc) and enjoy!

Baseball Birthday Cake

It's my husband's birthday today! Happy 27th, my love!

Even though Chris turned 27, he is still a little kid at heart. For example, every time he sees a bounce house (and I really mean every time) he always says he wants to go jump around in it. He also loves baseball, and we just went to the Baseball Hall Of Fame last weekend which is where I got the inspiration for this cake!

The cake recipe comes from Isa's book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I used the "Golden Vanilla Cupcake" and then doubled the recipe. For the frosting, I used "Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting".

I used whatever I had lying around my baking drawer for decorating. The grass around the baseball was Wilton Tip #233, and for the writing and stitching on the baseball I used Wilton Tip #4. Nothing fancy really...

I hope everyone at the public radio station loves cake, because the two of us will not be able to eat all of it!

Doggie Peanut Butter Nuggets

My buddy, Elizabeth wanted to make dog treats for her puppies and my dog, Elsa. Here is the recipe that we came up with this morning. Elsa gives it 2 paws up!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup soymilk
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbsp. baking powder

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the peanut butter and milk by mixing on low with a hand mixer.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the pastry flour and baking powder.

4. Combine the peanut butter mixture with the flour by using a wooden spoon. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.

5. By using the palms of your hands, flatten the dough until it is about a 1/4 inch thick. You can cut out shapes by using your favorite cookie cutter or by using a shot glass (which is perfect to make bite-sized circles).

6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Make sure you check them around 10 minutes, because they will burn easily.

7. Let your treats cool down to room temperature, and let your pooch enjoy.

Eggplant Parmesan

Eggplant parmesan was never a favorite of mine because I always had it smothered in sauce and cheese which made the eggplant turn soggy. This recipe uses Daiya mozzarella cheese and the eggplant ends up turning nice and crisp!

INGREDIENTS
2 eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds
sea salt
1 cup soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3/4 cup flour
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups (or more depending how much you like) italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
1/2 a bag of Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut for garnish

METHOD
1. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with sea salt and let sit in a colander for 30-45 minutes allowing the excess water to drain.

2. Transfer the eggplant to a clean kitchen towel and lay flat. Using another clean kitchen towel, lay on top of the eggplant slices and press down to release anymore excess liquid from the vegetable.

3. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

4. Using 3 pie pans (or big bowls) start putting together your flour mixture, "egg" mixture, and breadcrumbs. In the first plate, combine the flour and black pepper to taste. In the second combine the soymilk, cornstarch, and chickpea flour by mixing with a whisk. Put the breadcrumbs in the third plate.

5. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Next, coat each eggplant slice in the flour, then the "egg" mixture, and then in the breadcrumbs. Transfer to the baking pan and lay each slice flat so that they are not on top of each other.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, and flip the slices 15 minutes into baking.

7. In the meantime, coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with a 1/4 inch of pasta sauce. When eggplants are done baking, transfer them to the glass dish by layering and overlapping the slices to fit.

8. Cover with desired amount of sauce and sprinkle on the Daiya cheese. Cover with tin foil and let it bake for 30 minutes.

9. When the dish is done baking, take out of the oven and let it cool for about 7-10 minutes. While the eggplant is cooling, chiffonade your basil by taking the leaves and then rolling them away from you as tight as you can. Keep rolling until you reach the opposite end of the leaves and you have a tight little package. With one hand holding the rolled leaves tightly, start slicing as finely as you can until you have nice little ribbons. Sprinkle the basil on top of your dish.