As you know, I’ve switched to a new blog host.  There’s some new stuff being posted and if you’re not following on my new site, you’re missing out!

http://tastykaitis.blogspot.com

Get on it!!

To all my followers and whoever else likes some of my stuff…  I have officially set up a new blog.

http://tastykaitis.blogspot.com/  Same idea as this one… Just a little more professional.  You can still follow me no matter what host you use.  Hope you’ll follow along!!!

I’ll be so sad to see you go. 

So long Tumblr, it was nice to use you for my whimsical blog attempt!

For the last time, I wish you Happy and Healthy Eating

(Shout out to @Earth_Balance … use their coconut spread for a little extra taste!)

Okay show of hands… Who misses being able to GORGE on cinnabon?  I mean there is no way their stuff is vegan… I’ve seen ‘em make it! they use A POUND OF BUTTER just to coat the dough for the FILLING!!  Silly Cinnabon… that’s not vegan! haha

But have I got a recipe for you… Now be warned this is NOT a quick recipe but I promise… it’s COMPLETELY WORTH IT!!!  (Ps.  I’m working on trying to convert this back to non vegan for some family/friends who want it but for now this is the VEGAN VERSION)

Wanna know the best part?  You can make it in even the least stocked kitchen… If you have a Large mixing bowl, a wooden/plastic spoon, plastic wrap and a 13x9” pan… You’re golden!

Ready…?

DOUGH
1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
1 ½ TBS instant yeast
1 ½ tsp salt
1 cup nondairy milk, warm, whisked with 2 TBS Ener-G
½ cup agave syrup
½ cup nondairy butter, melted
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour

FILLING
4 TBS nondairy butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ cup pecans, chopped

OOEY GOOEY CARAMEL TOPPING
6 TBS nondairy butter, softened
½ tsp salt
½ cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

In a large bowl, mix together the non-dairy milk/Ener-G mixture, water, syrup, melted EB, yeast and salt. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Add in the flour. STIR!!! Stir until you don’t see any more dry bits of flour. Cover (with plastic wrap) and stick it in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 4 days. The longer you let it fart (literally it produces gasses from the yeast) around in the refrigerator, the better tasting the dough will be. (After spending the night in the fridge)

The first thing you need to do is take that master dough out of the refrigerator, grab a small cantalope sized chunk of dough. Return the rest of it to the refrigerator to use another time.  (I need to find the book that this recipe is from to get more ideas on how to use the extra dough… borrowed the book from my grandfather before I moved to FL..)

Generously flour your hands and the dough. Shape the dough into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough and tucking it to the bottom all around, rotating hte ball a quarter-turn as you go. This creates a taut, smooth surface. Let the dough rest, covered with a towel to take the chill off while you prepare rest of ingredients.


Mix the topping and the filling.
FOR THE TOPPING: Cream together the EB, and sugar. Spread this topping evenly on the bottom of the 13x9” pan. Scatter with pecan halves.

FOR THE FILLING: Cream together all ingredients except the pecans. Set aside.

Dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to 1/8” thick rectangle. Try to get it 13” x 17” I had trouble with the rectangle shape, so I we just rolled it into a large oval. Spread the sweet filling evenly on the surface. Scatter chopped pecans all over. Roll it up, starting with the long side.

Flour your serrated knife and cut roll into 8 pieces.


Set it in the pan on top of the caramel, cover with towel and rest for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350F.  Make sure you put the pan on the middle rack of the oven or the caramel won’t melt like it should. (Live and Learn)  The book says to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown and well set in the center. (if it’s browning but not set, lightly cover with some aluminum foil) But take a peek at the rolls around the 35 minute mark.


While still hot, run a knife round the edge of pan and invert immediately onto a plate. If you wait until it cools, the caramel will harden and it will be difficult to turn out.

YUMMMMMMMM If you don’t absolutely love me for this… you’re mean.

Happy and HealthIER eating :-)

Saw this (From  in the freezer at one of my natural food stores and thought I should try it.  Made it for dinner last night and it was a HIT! 

It’s so easy to make and it was really good!  The texture of the “chick’n” was really amazing! It really had a good chew to it!  The best part is, you make it yours by adding in whatever veggies you want.  I used what I had on hand and it was great!

1 yellow squash, medium diced

4 scallions, cut 1/2 in long on the bias

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/2 cup carrot chips (the carrots cut into medallions with a crinkle cut like a chip)

1/4 cup mushrooms chopped

Stir fry the veggies for only a minute or two (they will keep cooking when they are in the sauce with the “chicken” you don’t want them too soggy).  Set aside.  Follow the directions on the box as to how you want to cook your kung pao.  Add in the veggies and make sure to coat them with the sauce.  Serve on top of rice

Side Note:  The box suggests adding peanuts to the mix.  I didn’t have any peanuts but I did have about 10 raw cashews.. I chopped em up and toasted them in a dry pan for a few min (till they are fragrant).  Stirred them into the stir-fry and yumm! I wish I’d had more cashews… but like I said… I used what I had!

I definitely recommend this if you’ve recently become vegan and miss eating kung pao chicken from your local Chinese Take out Place! 

Happy and Healthy Eating!

(PS.  This weekend, some changes coming to the menu calendar… Homemade veggie sushi, and some other Asian yummies!)

Recently I was introduced to a Caribbean restaurant in Florida called Pollo Tropical.  I scanned the web prior to dining to see what they had on the menu that was vegan.  They don’t have much, all I could find was the vegetarian “Tropi-Chop”  a bowl of rice (or lettuce or 1/2 and 1/2) topped with peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots, and black beans. (PETA’s website lists the corn as vegan but Pollo Tropical’s website says the corn contains dairy… make my version and you can keep the dairy out!)

Well, I needed a side for the tacos and I’m kinda in love with the Tropi-Chop so thought I’d recreate it!

You need…

Brown Rice

Black Beans (DON’T DRAIN THEM!! IF YOU DO.. I’M GONNA HAVE TO HUNT YOU DOWN!)

1 of each, Red and Green Bell Peppers, sliced

1 Med White Onion, sliced

Broccoli Florets, steamed

Frozen Corn, cooked and drained

Carrots (I buy the pre-cut carrots that are wave cut), steamed

Tabasco sauce

Saute the peppers and onion.  Warm the black beans and add Tabasco sauce to you’re desired degree of heat. 

In a bowl, put rice on the bottom followed by the beans (adding some of their liquid) then top with peppers and onions, steamed broccoli and carrots, then the corn!

Yumm-o! So good! Try it for a side or for a lunch or light dinner!

Happy and Healthy Eating!

Saw this idea of chickpea tacos so I thought I would try it out.  It was good but I will need to do it again to tweek the recipes… I’ll keep you posted!

Chickpea Tacos

15 oz garbanzo beans rinsed and PEELED!!!

3 TBS hummus

½ TBS lime Juice

2 TBS garlic gold

chili powder

Combine chickpeas, hummus, lime juice, and garlic. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with chili powder.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Serve in hard taco shells with your favorite toppings, we did avocado, salsa and my homemade vegan sour cream!

It’s really important to use the hummus and peel the garbanzo beans otherwise they will get tooo dry!

Looking through my posts… I thought I had a lot more recipes posted than I actually do… Hmmmmm

I’m slightly disappointed… Guess that means I have to get to work… Change of plans on dinner tonight, was going to make szechaun noodles and green beans but instead, we’re going out for dinner :-) awww he’s taking me out for a date night! (two nights in a row!! Tomorrow’s sushi)  Tonight, we’re headed to Pollo Tropical (a chain found throughout Florida, with some locations in Georgia and NJ)  I get the Vegetarian Tropi-Chop either with 1/2 rice & 1/2 lettuce or just brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, peppers & onions, and broccoli and carrots.  Then I head to the salsa bar and top it off with some extra diced onions, jalapenos (if I’m feelin spicy) and their salsa fuego! YUMMMM

*side note: every website that I’ve seen that shows Pollo Tropical’s vegan friendly food list notes that the corn is vegan.  HOWEVER according to Pollo Tropical’s allergen menu, the corn contains dairy and is therefore not vegan.

You know the scene in Matilda where The Trunchbull forces Little Brucey Bogtrotter to eat that huge chunk of chocolate cake?

Okay well this cake recipe might just match, if not trump, that cake!  I made this cake a few times when I was younger because we had a choco-holic in the family and after we made this cake once for her birthday… we had to make it again :-)

Well sadly, that cake is in no means vegan but… With Justin’s dad’s birthday tomorrow, and me making the cake… I got the chance to veganize the recipe!  Side story: I offered to make the birthday cake so that everyone could eat it… “Oh… Okay… Just tell her NO TOFU!” was Mr. B’s reply.  Haha why does everyone think that vegans only eat plain salads and tofu?  I actually don’t eat a lot if any tofu! Okay I’m done rambling about something other than the cake.. well and the cake too.  I’m going to let it talk for itself!

“CHOCOLATE MOCHA CAKE”

2 cups sifted cake flour

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

2 tsp INSTANT COFFEE (the “granules”)

1/2 cup vegan butter/margarine (earth balance)

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, mixed with 2 1/4 tsp white vinegar (allow this to sit for about 5 min before you use it)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with 3 TBS vegetable oil

3 egg replacer (I used Ener-G… But I only use the powder so 4 1/2 tsp, otherwise the batter is too wet)

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift together the dry ingredients (cake flour, salt, baking soda, sugar, and instant coffee).  Lightly incorporate softened butter.  Add water, milk/vinegar mix, and cocoa/oil mix.  Beat for 2 min on low speed mixer, or 300 strokes by hand.  Add Ener-G powder and vanilla, and beat for 2 more minutes or 300 more strokes.

Pour batter into two 9” round cake pans, greased and lightly floured.** Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cake begins to draw away from the sides of the pan.  Cool for approx 10 minutes in pan before turning out and allowing cakes to cool completely on a wire rack.  Frost with the BEST ICING EVER (See Below).  You could also make this into cupcakes… but be forewarned… they won’t last long!

**Side Note.  RE: lightly flouring your cake pans… If you are making a vanilla flavored cake, use regular white flour.  If you are making this cake, “flour” your pans with sifted cocoa powder!  It works just the same but won’t leave white stuff around the edges of your cake!**

AMAZING CHOCOLATE “CREAM” FROSTING

1 (12-oz) pkg vegan chocolate chips

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups (12-oz) vegan sour cream  (as happy as I am you read my vegan sour cream post… I would suggest using a store bought sour cream for this recipe)

Melt the chocolate chips and blend with the sour cream.  Add a pinch of salt.  Use to fill and frost the chocolate mocha cake!!

Why are you still reading this??  Run, do not walk, to the store.  Get what you need, and get to baking!!!

Did you make it?  How long did it last in your house?

Happy and …okay this might not be “healthy” but it’s healthier than the regular version! so :-P  HEALTHY Eating!

Ps.  Pictures to come.. I’m at work and the cake is cooling so it’s not finished yet!