Vegan Cinnamon Rolls, from scratch!!

This is inspired by this recipe from Vegan Cowboy Food. But the recipe is nearly the same. We didn't have some of the items, so it was improvised.

Makes 14-20+ rolls (depending on how patient you are with letting dough rise!)


2 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup corn oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 packet active dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp Melted earth balance
Cinnamon/Sugar mixture


Combine milk, oil, and sugars in a pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring often, and immediately remove from heat. Pour into a large mixing bowl and place on ice, stirring. When it has cooled to luke warm, take off the ice and add yeast. Stir and let sit to activate the yeast--it will start to froth/get bubbly (10 minutes). Slowly add in the flour. Knead and then roll into a ball.  Grease a large bowl using the olive oil, place the dough in the center and roll briefly to coat the dough and then let sit covered to rise for 1-2 hours. 


Combine 1/2 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a measuring cup, stir to combine evenly. Punch down the risen dough and add the flour mixture, kneading to combine. 


Dust a counter top with flour and prep the earth balance and cinnamon/sugar mixture. It is easier if the cinnamon/sugar is in a spice jar with a sprinkle top. Taking 3 in balls of dough, roll out into 3/4 in thick strips. Use a spoon to brush melted margarine onto the strip and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Rolle from one end, and pinch end to secure. Extra dough can be stored in the fridge covered for 3 days, apparently. Place into a greased baking dish. Repeat, to fill dish. Then, sprinkle top again with cinnamon sugar and drizzle melted margarine onto the tops of rolls.

Let rise 20-30 minutes, then bake 18 minutes at 400°. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, or drizzle with a vegan frosting (see original recipe for ideas). 

Vegetable Lo Mein

Hi, my name is David, and I am Bailey's boyfriend. Since I'm trying to learn how to cook vegan, I thought I should start sharing some of the meals I have made so far. We were in the mood for something comforting and quick and my first thought was to make some Chinese food. We choose Vegetable Lo Mein because you can add a great mix of veggies that you have left over in your fridge and still come out great. I've made this dish a bunch of times, but I used a new ingredient in the form of shallots. We received a bundle from our local CSA share, and I used them in substitute of onions. Plus, I get to use one of my favorite ingredients:
hoisin sauce. Hoisin sauce is a asian type dipping sauce that is great for cooking or just for dipping things like spring rolls.

Vegetable Lo Mein
Makes 4 servings

8 ounces cooked (al dente) linguini or spaghetti noodles
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 head of broccoli (chopped)
1 carrot (peeled and chopped)
1 green pepper (sliced)
2-3 shallots (sliced)
2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
2 teaspoons ginger (minced)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup vegetable broth
¼ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper




Step 1: In a small bowl mix together vegetable broth and cornstarch. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the red pepper flakes and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add shallots, carrots, broccoli, green pepper, garlic and ginger. Stir fry until tender. I tend to like my vegetables soft so I also add a bit of water and cover the wok and steam for a couple of minutes, but this is optional.

Step 2: Add in the vegetable broth/ cornstarch mixture along with the hoisin sauce, honey, soy sauce, and curry powder. Stirring until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3: Mix sauce with cooked noodles tossing to coat and serve.

And, of course, this meal is Getty approved! Maybe...

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bread Loaf

The flavor and consistency of this bread is awesome. It is a little bit sweet, but can be used as a good sandwich or breakfast bread.

Oatmeal Flaxseed Bread Loaf
Makes 1 Loaf

1 1/2 cups Water (warm in temp)
1 pkg Active Dry Yeast
1 tbsp Sugar
1/3 cup Honey (room temp)
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tsp Salt
2 Cups Whole wheat, unbleached flour
3 cups Bread Flour
1/4 cup Oatmeal
1/4 cup Flaxseeds

Combine water, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl and briefly stir using a whisk. Let sit 10 minutes, or until it begins to froth. Pre-heat over to lowest setting (ours was set at 170°).

Add honey, olive oil, salt, and flour. After about 2 cups flour, you wont be able to whisk anymore, so use your hands to knead in remaining flour, flaxseeds, and oats. On a clean, oiled (olive oil) countertop, briefly knead dough and then set into large oiled mixing bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and set in oven. Turn off the oven and leave door slightly ajar. The warm oven allows the bread to rise quicker, but if it is too hot the bread will cook to the sides of the bowl. Let rise about 1-2 hours, or more if desired.

Punch down the risen dough and shape to fit into a oiled loaf pan. Again turn the oven on, and let cool with the door slightly ajar once it reaches the lowest temp setting. Allow the dough to rise to just above the rim of the loaf pan.

 Bake at 375° for ~35-40 minutes. You will know bread is done when you can tap the top with the side of a knife and it sounds hollow.

Spaghetti Squash Pomodoro

This was inspired by this recipe. But, some of the recipe was near impossible when we tried. So here is our version.

Serves 4-6--

1 Large Spaghetti Squash
1 Can Diced Tomatoes
Dried basil, parsley, oregano, ginger, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
2 T. nutritional yeast flakes or soy parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup bread crumbs.

1.) Cut the squash in half. Nearly impossible-- Grab an extra pair of hands, or apparently you can microwave it whole 2 minutes and it is easier to cut in half. Remove the seeds and strings. Scrap the insides with a fork briefly.
2.) In a small bowl mix tomatoes and spices together, and taste- should be similar to pasta sauce. Divide the tomato mixture between the two halves and sprinkle with bread crumbs and nutritional yeast.

3.) Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10. the sides of the squash should lose their rigidity, and be easy to bend.
Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Use a fork to scrap the edges, revealing the spaghetti like aspect of spaghetti squash. Mix together and sprinkle again with nutritional yeast if desired!

We made toast with the flaxseed bread, together they tasted awesome. Coming from someone who is not the biggest fan of squash, I enjoyed the meal. But, I would say smaller servings, as a side dish would be ideal.... The stringy-ness of the squash can get exhausting! :-)

Potato Leek Soup

Awesome soup recipe! David and I both had seconds. The corn adds a nice texture and the cilantro adds an interesting dimension to the flavor combination.


Potato Leek Soup
1 Leek (julienne, 2 inches)
1 Yellow onion (medium sized, diced)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil
Potatoes (We used 4 small red potatoes and 1 large russet potato--peeled and cut into small pieces)

4-6 cups vegetable broth (Ours was fennel based, as we had a ton of frozen fennel left over from a couple months ago. Less broth will make a thicker soup.)

1 cup soy milk

Fresh cilantro

Thyme, rosemary, parsley, and ginger to taste

Optional: Was added 1.5 cups corn to add some texture to the puree.

In a deep sauteing pan (with a lid), saute garlic, onions, and sea salt in olive oil until onions appear translucent (5 minutes). Add leeks and saute until softened.

Pour broth over the vegetables and add potatoes. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat and cover.

Let simmer covered until potatoes are softened. Strain soup into a large pot, collecting solids in a colindar.  Puree solids (we used a food processor, but I am sure there are many ways to puree the soup).  Add the puree back to the soup, and stir until well blended. Add the soy milk, and adjust spices to taste. Add corn, if desired. Serve with a cilantro garnish!

Strawberry Popping Corn

We recently received some strawberry popping corn and decided to give it a go!

1 Ear strawberry popping corn
Olive oil
Salt to taste.
Sauce pan with lid

Remove seeds from the ear of corn into a small bowl. The seeds have a slightly sharp ends, so be careful.

Add enough oil to just cover the bottom of the sauce pan. Set stove to medium heat. Add ONE kernel to pan. Cover and occasionally shake (just to move the seed around the pan a bit).

As soon as the seed pops, add the rest of the kernels (the pan should hold only enough to cover the bottom of the pan...don't add too many/use a bigger pan if you have lots of seeds).

Cover and gently agitate to avoid burning popcorn, keeping the pan on or close to the burner. Once the popping slows, pour into a large bowl and toss with salt to taste!

My boyfriend and I wanted to see the difference between regular popping corn so we popped a handful of normal popping corn, too! Strawberry popping corn is smaller, bright white, and has a darker outer covering comparatively. 

I also found this site, which tells you all about popcorn anatomy! Very helpful.  :-P

Barley Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers

I was invited to a friendly potluck in October, where there was to be a mix of meat and vegetarian eaters. My CSA gave us some cute baby bell peppers which I thought would  make an elegant and colorful dish for the party. I added a few things I wouldn't normally, to try and appeal to some of the other eaters, like soy cheese and faux meat.

1/2 Cup Pearl Barley
1.5 cups Vegetable stock
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1-2 carrots, or ~15 baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
15 baby sweet peppers or 1-2 regular sized bell peppers
Basil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro to taste
Optional: Faux meat like vegan sausage or chicken-less strips

Combine the pearl barley and vegetable broth in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let cook until tender (about 45 minutes).

While barley is cooking, wash the bell peppers. Cut around the top and remove the seeds. Since some of my peppers were so tiny I made a small incision down one side so that I could add more stuffing to each pepper.

Preheat oven to 325.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil) to a frying pan over medium heat. Chop onion, mince garlic, and if using, chop the chicken/sausage pieces. Add the garlic and onion to the frying pan and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally (5 minutes). Add the faux meat, and cook until browned or heated through (check the package instructions).

Chop carrots and combine with onions/garlic/meat mixture and now cooked barley into a large mixing bowl. I warmed frozen peas by adding water to the measuring cup containing the half cup peas and microwaved for about 45 seconds. Drain and add to the bowl. Add spices to taste, typically about 1/2 tsp of basil, thyme, and cumin. A couple shakes of oregano and cilantro. Depending on the vegetable broth used with the barley, the amount of salt and pepper will vary. Mix well.

Stuff the peppers with filling. And place in a baking pan.

Bake for ~30 minutes. The peppers should just start to wrinkle around the top. If you want, add a little bit of daiya vegan mozzarella cheese.