This morning, my son was so excited that it was his turn to bring snack to his pre-school class that I wanted to make something special. With his help, I put this recipe together quickly. These tasty little muffins were ready in no time thanks to a little help from Hodgeson Mill.

Vegan Apple Cinnamon-Flax Crunch Mini Muffins

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Dry Ingredients

1 Cup  Hodgeson Mill Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancake mix
2 Tbsp almond meal
1 Tbsp milled flax seed
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp turbinado sugar
1/2 very ripe pear, minced

Wet Ingredients

4 oz. container organic apple cinnamon yogurt (I used the one for toddlers with fruit and cereal on bottom)
1 Tbsp flax oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp cool water
3/4 Cup (or enough to make a moist batter) soymilk

Topping

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp turbinado sugar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 -1 /2 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed

Grease or line mini muffin pan cups. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly with wisk. Combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Stir until just combined but don’t over-mix. Place one teaspoonful in each muffin tin cup. Sprinkle topping on each. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let rest/cool in pan 3 minutes.  Remove muffins from pan and cool completely.  Makes 24.

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Thanks to Jen McCann, author of Vegan Lunchbox, I welcomed my new neighbors with an unbelievably good batch of vegan white cupcakes with pineapple frosting. The cupcakes have a slight coconut flavor and they’re light and fluffy; the pineapple frosting is a perfect complement. Of course, the fact that they’re vegan shocked and amazed the crowd. It’s a good thing the recipe makes enough for seconds! Yum! (I made these also for my goddaughter’s recent first birthday. I was proud to see several guests opt for my cupcakes rather than the local bakery’s chocolate confection.)

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If during these dreary winter months you’re looking for a fresh addition to your table, homegrown sprouts may just fit the bill. Growing sprouts at home is an easy, inexpensive and fun project to do—especially with the kids. Not to mention, they’re the perfect locally grown (in your kitchen!) vegetables to otherwise dull winter produce selections. While the snow is falling, it’s just nice to be able to watch as stems and leaves unfold while the rest of the outdoor vegetation lie fallow.

It’s important to acknowledge that while sprouting is fun and easy, it’s also an economical way to add immediate nutritional boost to meals. Several sources, including this living foods site, assert that sprouting can greatly increase the nutritional content of seeds, beans and grains—sometimes by 30 to 50%. Your newly grown sprouted foods can be added to salads, sandwiches, wraps, batter (muffin, crepe or pancake), stir-fries, rice dishes, and, of course, they can be eaten as is.

It’s really true that sprouting is a simple, quick process that can be done in a few days without alot of gear or fuss. While there is quite a selection of wonderful sprouting apparatus available for purchase, you really only need a glass jar, cheesecloth, a rubber band, seeds to be sprouted, water and a few days.

What will sprout well? There are a wide variety of beans, seeds and grains that can be grown to produce delicate delicious sprouts. Some of the most common include clover, alfalfa, mung, radish, lentil and even pumpkin seeds. It’s important to be sure all seeds and beans are organic and originate from a source free of pesticides or herbicides just as you would when planting a garden in soil. Many health food stores sell ready-to-grow packs of individual or blends of seeds and beans. You can also find sprouting supplies online here and here.

OK. So, how do you sprout? Very Easily. I Promise. This is my method. I have great success with alfalfa, broccoli, mung and lentil…not so much with quinoa, but I’m working on it.

• Measure out 2 Tablespoons of whatever you want to sprout (seeds, beans, grains, etc.)
• Inspect and discard any stones, pebbles or debris. Rinse well.
• Place in a jar filled 3/4 full with cool water and soak over night.
• Drain and place in the basin of sprouter (or a glass jar fitted with a piece of cheesecloth attached with a rubber band)
• Once seeds are in sprouter/jar, rinse and drain well again. Let rest making sure there is no residual water left in sprouter/jar. Your sprouts will start sprouting in the nest few hours!
• Fill and drain sprouter/jar twice a day for 3-5 days. My kids and I like to watch the tiny stems grow.
• On the last day: Give them one last good rinse and your sprouts are ready to eat. Store any unused sprouts in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. (I always place a slightly damp paper towel under sprouts to absorb/provide moisture)

Check out this step-by-step sprouting instructional posted by the farm.org. They’re absolutely right: once you get the hang of it, the process is almost impossible to screw up. They’ve provided a nice illustration, too. Enjoy!

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This is one for the green-loving detectives out there. Though I vividly recall my days of organic and nutritional/food-based chemistries of college days, I must admit I was stumped. Could it really be a chemical reaction? My vegan cookies turned green a few hours after baking (and feeding them to my two year old as well as my two nieces.

Due to emerging food allergies, I have been searching for allergen-free food items that my toddler will actually eat—rather than turning up her nose. I found SunButter, a nut butter style spread made with sunflower seeds. Thankfully, it tastes great and is very similar to peanut butter. While at my parent’s house recently, I decided to whip up my own version of a vegan SunButter and jam thumbprint cookie. I was excited—albeit a little nervous—to concoct my own vegan recipe.

I was delighted with the results. And, the kids ate them up, too. They’re moist and chewy without being cake-like. They’re also not heavy, crispy or flat—qualities in vegan baked goods that really turn me off.

And, then, they turned green, Bright green. Yes, after cooling for an hour or two, they seemed to evolve from-the-inside-out into an alarming kelly green. I quickly became mortified. Oh, my! I fed them to the kids! Great, I’ve just poisoned my only taste-testers!

Then, after I had gone home to put the kiddos to bed, my mom and dad called the SunButter Co. on my behalf. As the story was told, the conversation went something like this:

SB: Hello, the SunButter Co., may I help you?

Dad: Yes, I have a question for you…

SB: Your cookies turned green, right?

Dad: Ha, ha! How did you know?

SB: I get that alot.

My dad, being quite a skilled conversationalist went on to discuss the cookies, my daughter’s food allergies and even plugged this site for me. The woman graciously explained the chemical reaction of baking soda and baking powder to sunflower seeds and advised my dad to have me cut the quantity of both baking aids in half. She was cool, patient and helpful. And, reassured him that no one would get a tummy ache. You just don’t get that kind of service now-a-days.

Later, when I visited the SunButter site, I read their disclaimer discussing a slight discoloration after cooking. Slight! The cookies were bright green! Well, I guess I won’t have to bother with food dye this Christmas. My SunButter with strawberry jam thumbprint cookies will be right at home on the holiday platter.

Want to watch your cookies turn green? Here’s the recipe.

Vegan SunButter and Strawberry All-Fruit Jam Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or Silpat.

The Wet Stuff

1/2 C margarine

1 C SunButter

1 tsp molasses

1 T vanilla

The Dry Stuff

1/4 C Turbanado Sugar

3/4 C Brown Sugar

1 T milled flax seed

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 C all-purpose flour

3/4 C whole wheat flour

Strawberry All-Fruit Jam

(cut B powder and B soda in half to prevent greening)

Whisk dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Blend wet ingredients on medium speed until well combined. Fold wet into dry until combined but don’t overmix.

Measure 1 Tbsp of batter, roll into ball and press flat onto cookie sheet. Make indentation with thumb and place 1/2 tsp jam inside. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove cookies from sheet and cool on racks. Yum! A chlorogenic delight!

Special thanks to SunButter for producing such a fabulous product. We’ll be enjoying it for years to come!

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Eggs. They’re useful if your making an omelet or a soufflé. But, often, they’re not necessary to the batter or baked goods in which they’ve become a staple ingredient. Really, eggs are just a binder and there are plenty of items that can be effectively used to do the job—some of which can deliver a welcome additional depth of flavor.

Recently, there had begun a debate between my husband and I regarding whether or not eggs were required for a batch of fluffy pancakes. I had been trying to develop a formula for light and fluffy vegan pancakes without much success. The taste was always there in recipes for classic blueberry, rich chocolate, chocolate chip or the more extravagant orange pineapple ginger. But, admittedly, they all fell a bit flat or worse they would lie like an anvil at the bottom of our stomachs…for hours. Because of this experience, he concluded that while eggs may not be needed to combine dry ingredients they certainly did assist in digestion. He insisted on adding an egg whenever it was his turn to make Saturday morning breakfast. Defiantly, I was determined to prove him wrong.

I searched high and low for a beacon of light that would lead me into the promised land of an airy pancake. (As a rule, I’m not a fan of egg replacer powders that are mixed with water because of the metallic after taste that seems to follow me around for hours afterward.) And so, my inquiry continued until I unexpectedly hit an epiphany through a few sources who offered an odd element to the formula: carbonated water. Eureka. It made perfect sense. The carbonation would add the lift I had been seeking. Or, at least in theory. I crossed my fingers and—with the help of one of the recipes I found—added it to my existing recipe. I smugly served the newly improved vegan pancakes to my family. I suspected they would be well received though I couldn’t imagine just how much that little bit of sparkle would shine on my breakfast table. The seltzer had made them every bit as good—better, even—than those cherished pancakes of my youth. And, according to my husband, there are the best pancakes I have ever made, bar none.

With thanks to Katherine at the ppk, I post my own version of eggless pancake batter to which I have happily replaced some of my original measurement of “still” water with seltzer.

Vegan Pancakes
The Dry goods
scant 2 Cup all-purpose unbleached flour*
2 tsp ground flax seeds**
1 tsp wheat germ
2 tsp baking powder
1 or 2 dashes of salt
2 tsp raw sugar

The Wet stuff
1 ¼ Cup soy milk
½ C seltzer water
1Tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp flax oil
1 or 2 tsp water to thin out batter as needed (I like it on the thin side. Makes ‘em lighter.)

Coat cast iron skillet or griddle with a tsp of margarine and heat at Medium temperature. Dissolve sugar in lemon juice. Add remaining wet ingredients. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Pour in wet ingredients and stir to blend without over mixing. Let rest 5 minutes. Stir again once or twice. Measure out batter in ¼ C each onto heated griddle. When taking off of griddle spread a little bit of margarine on top. Serve with maple syrup, all-fruit jam, peanut butter, honey or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

*Since the first try, sometimes I have measured out 1 1/2 C flour; ½ C whole wheat pastry flour
**Flax seeds are often used to sub out eggs and so I originally added these during my quest for a vegan pancake. They add omega 3’s, a little protein, fiber and antioxidants. Be sure not to add any more than 1Tbsp, however, as it will elicit an odd aftertaste.

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I feel like the luckiest person in the world right now. My best pal who lives in NYC came to town for Thanksgiving to share the holiday with family and friends. She came bearing a simple lovely gift: the ooey gooey self-described “sweet goodness” of Sweet and Sara vegan marshmallows. A palate-altering, mind-blowing experience. Soft sugary pillows of ecstasy. Really. I’m not exaggerating. They’re that good.

I’ve never had the pleasure of eating homemade marshmallows before that first bite of Sara’s. She calls them meltaways with good reason. They really do melt in your mouth. They’re soft and moist; puffy and chewy. It’s a confectionery triumph. She sells them in several varieties including the two well-chosen by my pal: vanilla—which is most like a standard marshmallow—and toasted coconut. Though they can be used in s’mores, in hot chocolate or roasted on a stick around a campfire, I am quite at home just eating as is right out of the container. MMMmmm.

As marshmallows go they’re not cheap. But they are worth every penny. The 8.5 oz containers my friend bought for me set her back $6.99 each. But, honestly I consider them a distant well-bred cousin of the dear old low rent bag of white puffs we ate as kids. And, as such, they really can’t be compared in price or otherwise. Sweet and Sara’s are in a class of their own.

I’ve been loosely following the soon-to-be infamous saga of the vegan marshmallow. Not long ago, there were a handful of small U.S. businesses that developed the very difficult to produce vegan marshmallow. Because there had never been such a product on the market, all emerging brands were received by an ecstatic vegan consumer base. Most of the formulas were developed in home kitchens and grew into bonafide businesses in a very American Dream sort of way. In a dramatic twist, word broke that the main ingredient they were all using in good faith—Emes kosher vegan gelatin—was not, in fact, vegan. As the story goes, Emes was discovered to have mis-labelled and mis-marketed their animal derived gelatin, and the company up and vanished without a trace. The vegan marshmallow businesses were then in the position to start from scratch and develop a subsequent product using a truly vegetable gelatin. Easier said than done. All the confectioners decided to cut their loses and fold up shop. That is, all but one: Sweet and Sara’s Sara Sohn. Some sources report she spent close to a year perfecting a new product that had a puff, texture and taste that she deemed worthy. And, find the formula she did. Thank Goodness! I can only imagine the growing number of taste buds she will delight as word of her culinary coup continues to spread.

To find out more about the torrid vegan marshmallow story and how to get your hands on some of Sara’s sweets go to sweet and sara dot com.

Thanks to Alisa for being the best friend a girl could ask for. You rock!

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