The Horse Knows the Way...

...to carry the sleigh down the long and ROCKY ROAD!!

The Christmas season has officially begun...and here at the VegBergers household that means that the baking season has begun as well. OK, we admit...it's always baking season here! But since Santa is on his way, we think it's safe to bake at least double the amount of treats that we normally do. Hey, the big guy needs his fuel!

For our first batch of Christmas cookies, we decided to make Rocky Road cookies based off Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe (made famous in the book "Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar"). These rich, chocolatey cookies are texture heaven! Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, full of almonds and chocolate chips. For the third mix-in, we chopped up Dandies Vegan Marshmallows (instead of white chocolate chips), which made the finished product deliciously oo-ey and goo-ey!

If we manage to keep any of these cookies in the house until Christmas Eve (doubtful), Santa will be a very happy fellow! After all, it's a rocky road out there!

Peace, Love, and Dandies,

Pam and KT

Fifty Nifty United Pizza #1 - Alabama!

It's no secret that we love pizza. We have said many times that we could eat pizza anywhere, anytime. We could probably eat pizza in every state in the USA (and yes, we realize that means 50 meals of pizza). Thus, we have come to the conclusion that in order to TRULY show our love for the culinary masterpiece that IS pizza...we would do just that. I SMELL A NEW PROJECT!

Pam and KT Present...
The Fifty Nifty United Pizzas of America
1. ALABAMA

Alabama is known for its smoky BBQ, delicious southern greens, and...well...meat. A true Alabama native might scoff at our vegan ingredients at first, but after one taste, they'll be happily singing the Song of the South all night long.

Dough for one crust
1/2 cup pizza sauce (we used Muir Glen)
1/4 cup bbq sauce
Dash of hot sauce (we used Sriracha)
1/2 package Tempeh Fakin' Bacon
1/3 bundle curly Kale - chopped and tossed with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vegan Mozarella cheese
1/2 cup vegan Cheddar cheese
1/8 cup vegan Parmesean cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a pizza pan and sprinkle with cornmeal before working the dough onto the pan. Sprinkle dough with vegan parmesean cheese.
2. Mix the pizza sauce, bbq sauce, and hot sauce together and spread over pizza dough.

3. Scatter the Fakin' Bacon onto the pizza, then pile on the Kale. Sprinkle with vegan Mozzarella and Cheddar cheeses. Finish with the vegan Parmesean -- which gives the pie a nice crispiness on top.
4. Bake for 10 minutes on the center rack, then 8-10 minutes on the lower rack.
5. Slice, plate, kick back, relax, and enjoy a taste of Alabama...at least our interpretation :)

Peace, Love, and Chiffarobes,
Pam and KT

The Four March Sisters....FOREVER!

This fall, in her last semester at college, KT portrayed her favorite March sister (Beth March, that is!!) in "Little Women" the musical. Since the book has been one of Pam's favorite stories since she was a girl, she decided to bake a special tribute to each sister! IN CUPCAKE FORM!

And so we present: The Four March Cupcakes!

Meg March: Chocolate raspberry cake with a raspberry buttercream frosting. Elegant and sophisticated.

Jo March: Apple cider cake with a cinnamon spiced frosting. Bold and strong.

Beth March: Gingerbread cake with a lemon frosting. Comforting and warm.

(These were by far the best of the four...I'm not biased or anything though...)

Amy March: Pistachio rosewater cake with fluffy buttercream frosting. Pretty and pink.

"Sometimes when you dream, your dreams come true. In extraordinary ways, suddenly a day can seem so amazing..."

Peace, Love, and Snoods,

Pam and KT

(Marmee and Beth)

Pumpkin Party!

Yesterday was a very important day in the universe. On that day, twenty one years ago, the littlest VegBerger was born. So over the weekend, KT came home from school to celebrate with the family!
When asked what the baby VegBerger wanted for her family birthday feast, she responded, "Pumpkin, pumpkin, and MORE PUMPKIN."

Luckily, Mama VegBerger was happy to oblige.

You may remember our first Mac and Cheese recipe, and how utterly obsessed with it KT is. Therefore, it was only appropriate that the main course of the Pumpkin Party was a different take on an amazing idea.

Harvest Cheddar Mac and Cheese
(Adapted from this recipe)
1 lb. short cut pasta, such as rigatoni or penne
4 Tbsp vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
4 Tbsp flour
1 cup beer (it was her twenty first birthday, after all)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 cups soy milk
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper
A few grates nutmeg
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 14-ounce can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese (Daiya)
Sweet paprika, to garnish
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously, and cook pasta al dente. Drain and reserve. Preheat broiler.
2. Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook for 1 minute, then raise the heat slightly and add the beer. Allow to evaporate a bit.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, and whisk in maple syrup and milk. Season with allspice, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue whisking until thickened.
4. Stir in pumpkin, followed by the "cheese" until melted.
5. Combine the pasta with the sauce and arrange in a casserole dish. Garnish with paprika.
6. Broil until slightly browned and bubbly.



This macaroni was unreal! It tasted like everything we love about autumn! The birthday celebrations continued with presents...

...and the most important part of the night...DESSERT!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Blondies
For the blondie layer:
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling!)
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with aluminium foil and spray with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, brown sugar, soy milk, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Mix them just enough to moisten, then fold in nuts and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into pan.

For the cheesecake layer:
8 ounces plain vegan cream cheese (Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
1 Tbsp flour
1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1. Using an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the arrowroot powder, flour, and vanilla. Beat again until smooth.
3. Stir in walnuts.
4. Using a rubber spatula or spoonula, smooth the topping over unbaked blondie batter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. If the topping is browning too much in the last 10 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees. Check for doneness with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out mostly clean, the blondies should be done!
6. Watch your skin slowly turn orange as you eat the entire batch. Proceed to not care.
I mean...just LOOK at these babies! No explanation necessary.

And because we just couldn't decide which would be better...we made a cupcake version as well. Pumpkin spice chocolate chip cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting to be exact. Sorry we're not sorry!

Needless to say, KT got her birthday meal wish and then some.

Happy Fall!

Peace, Love, and (what else?) PUMPKIN!
Pam and KT

Meet me at the VegBergers Drive-In!

Nothing beats driving up to a huge menu, pushing a magic button, and being hand delivered a piping hot breakfast burrito from a rollerskating car-hop. Whether you're eating this concoction as fuel for your morning or fuel for your hangover is your decision (hey, we're not judging!). All we know is that Sonic's Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito was screaming to be veganized.
Sonic's version of this savory breakfast creation includes "a medley of scrambled eggs, melty cheese, tater tots, diced onions, ripe tomatoes, and spicy jalapeno peppers all wrapped up in a warm flour tortilla." Sounds easy enough, right?

Super Vegan Breakfast Burrito
Rollerskates not included

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Onion
2 Cubanelle Peppers (but any pepper will do!)
1 Package Extra Firm Tofu, well drained
2 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp ground Black Pepper
1/4 cup grated Vegan Cheddar Cheese (Daiya works best!)
Salsa of your choice
Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
Baked Tater Tots
Burrito sized Flour Tortillas

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over Medium-High heat. Add sliced onions and peppers and sautee for 2-3 minutes.
2. Mix cumin, thyme, turmeric, and salt together in a small dish. Add water and blend.
3. Crumble tofu into skillet with onions and peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly until tofu begins to brown.
4. Mix in spice blend and stir. Add nutritional yeast and black pepper. Continue to cook for about 1 minute.
5. Stir in vegan cheddar cheese until melted. Remove skillet from heat.
6. Assemble Burrito -- Layer tofu scramble on a warmed tortilla with baked tater tots, salsa, and jalapeno peppers. Roll it on up!
7. Tip your car-hop and enjoy!

It's not just good...It's VegBergers good!

Peace, Love, and Tots,

Pam and KT

Pam's Special-Thai Pie!

It's hard to believe that the Summer of Pizza is over. Would you believe us that there are even more pizza recipes we made that we didn't even put on the blog?! We are slightly addicted. For KT's last night at home before beginning her senior year of college, Pam decided to make her a very special pie (because apparently we haven't had enough all summer long. Hey, we weren't joking when we said pizza was one of our specialties)!
The recipe was inspired by a similar one by Rachael Ray. As soon as Pam saw a Thai Pizza, she knew she had to veganize it!! And veganize it she did.

Thai Pizza
Pizza Dough for one crust
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups Daiya mozarella "cheese"
1/4 cup vegan parmesean "cheese"
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 rounded Tbsp. peanut butter
2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
2 tsp. grilling seasoning
1/2 lb. vegan "chicken", cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp. agave
2 Tbsp. red wine or apple cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, diced small
4 scallions, chopped small
1 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and prepare pizza dough.
2. Combine vegetable oil, tamari/soy sauce, and peanut butter with Sriracha and grill seasoning. Mix well. Add vegan "chicken" pieces and toss to coat.
3. Heat skillet to medium-high. Add "chicken" and sautee until slightly browned and crusted. Remove to platter.
4. Spread plum sauce over pizza dough. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
5. Top with prepared "chicken", red bell pepper, and "cheeses."
6. Bake 15 - 17 minutes.
7. While baking, mix agave and vinegar and add cucumber. Toss and set aside.
8. Upon removing pizza from oven, top with scallions, bean sprouts, and drained cucumber. Garnish with chopped cilantro and peanuts.
9. Slice, pile pieces on to your plate, and celebrate the end of summer!!

Peace, Love, and Bean Sprouts,

Pam and KT

Scenes of Summer...

Summer 2011 is drawing to a close. KT moved back to school a week ago and Pam is back in the full swing of things at work, and in all the pandemonium, this blog kind of fell under the radar. So to catch everyone up, we are bringing you a re-cap post of all the things we did this summer. We hope you enjoy, and more delicious recipes will be posted soon. We promise!!

KT performed in "The Rocky Horror Show" at the Arboretum.

We ate a lot of cupcakes....
...and a LOT of pizza.

KT crossed "become a Starbucks Legendary Barista" off of her bucket list.

We journeyed to foodie heaven...Jungle Jims!!

We witnessed many beautiful sunsets (or sunrises, if KT was opening at Starbucks).

We were visited by fantastic friends!

And we fed them cupcakes.

We feasted on the summer's bounty...

...and feasted...

...and feasted some more...

...and had an amazing time!

Thanks for coming along with us on the journey so far! We hope you keep checking back for fabulous eats and adventures!

Peace, Love, and Happy School Year

Pam and KT