Happy National Cheesecake Day!

July 30th is a very important day.
It's National Dance Day...
It's Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling's birthday...
It's the feast day of St. Peter Chrysologus...Ok, that's a stretch.

But most importantly, it's national cheesecake day. So what did we do? We made the most delicious vegan cheesecake to ever grace this planet.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Vanilla Swirl Cheesecake
(cue the angel chorus)

This work of art is from a recipe in the February 2011 issue of VegNews and features a chocolate cookie crumb crust, and swirls of vanilla, peanut butter, and chocolate cheesecake. Silken tofu and Tofutti cream cheese combine forces to make the most delicious thing that I have ever eaten. We topped this marbled mecca with some sensible chopped peanuts.

If you're worried about eating too much of this, either go for it and dance it off with Tabitha and Napolean, OR just give the rest to us. Either is a totally viable option.

Peace, Love, and Cheesecake,

Pam and KT

Hurry, I need Curry!

These past few days have been SCORCHERS! It seems like we can't even go outside without disappearing into a puddle of sweat. Conveniently, that's exactly how we like our Indian food -- hot enough to induce streaming eyes and burning tongues! Ok, that's entirely KT speaking. For the rest of us, who actually like to enjoy our curry without pain, here is a fusion recipe which will instantly transport you to India.

This pizza is loaded with Indian flavors - curried vegetables, vegan chicken, coriander, turmeric, and mutard seeds, all topped with some mozarella style Daiya Cheese!

Curry Up and Eat this Pizza!

Pizza Dough for 1 crust
Indian pizza sauce -- 1 cup pizza sauce, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
1 broccoli crown, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/2 cup water
2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp curry powder
Vegan "chicken"
Red onion, thinly sliced
Daiya mozzarella "cheese"
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Prepare pizza dough.
3. Mix 1 cup pizza sauce with curry powder and red pepper flakes. Spread on pizza crust.
4. Heat vegetable oil in skillet over med-hi heat. Add mustard seeds. As soon as they start to pop, stir in the turmeric and salt. Add cauliflower and broccoli, mixing well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in peas, water, coriander, and curry. Decrease heat to low and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove veggies from skillet and scatter on pizza.
7. Wipe out skillet, add an additional tablespoon of vegetable oil, and heat to med-hi. Add vegan "chicken" and brown.
8. Scatter "chicken", thinly sliced red onion, and "cheese" on pizza.
9. Bake 10 minutes on lowest rack of oven. Move to medium rack and continue baking 5 to 10 minutes until "cheese" is melted and slightly browned.
Don't worry, this pizza's spice level won't force you to throw yourself into the Ganges, yet it is still flavorful enough to send you to the hustle and bustle of an Indian marketplace.

A special shout out to Kara , who made (and loved!!) our All American Pizza!

Peace, love, and Chaturangas,

Pam and KT

The End of an Era

"Yer a Wizard, Harry..."

"I'm a what?!"

Last night (this morning) marked the end of an era. We of the Harry Potter generation grew up with this series; waiting patiently for our lost Hogwarts letters, dressing up for midnight book releases, and trying to convince our parents that owls would make sensible pets. We are HUGE fans of HP here at the VegBergers house, and there was only one thing to do with the looming conclusion of the saga.

Make cupcakes.

And not just any cupcakes. BUTTERBEER CUPCAKES.

Butterbeer Cupcakes

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegan margarine

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp butterscotch flavor

1/2 cup vanilla cream soda

1. Preheat oven to 35o degrees and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk soy milk and vinegar together and set aside to curdle.

3. Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

4. In a separate bowl, with a mixer at medium speed, cream margarine and sugars together for 1-2 minutes. Add vanilla and butterscotch flavors.

5. Alternate beating in soy milk mixture, dry ingredients, and cream soda.

6. Fill Cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

KT and Matt getting ready to go to the midnight premiere!!

Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting

1/4 cup vegan shortening

1/4 cup vegan margarine

1 and 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp butterscotch flavor

1/8 cup soy milk

1. Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined. Add sugar, flavorings, and soy milk. Beat until fluffy.

Butterscotch Drizzle (For magical swirls and lightning bolt garnishes!)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp water

3 Tbsp vegan margarine

2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp corn syrup

Pinch of salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a pot over medium high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and mixture starts to bubble. Allow mixture to continue to bubble until it reaches 225 degrees on a candy thermometer. Cool slightly and drizzle away!

KT (Hermione) with Kaytee (Dolores Umbridge), Alex (A super cool Ravenclaw), and Emily (Tonks) at the midnight showing!

There was laughter, there were tears, there were cupcakes. A perfect ending to a perfect story. Thank you, Harry.

"Of course it is happening in your head, Harry. But why on earth should that mean it is not real?" - Albus Dumbledore

Peace, Love, and Hippogriffs,

Pam and KT

Summertime Sammies!

We love strange combinations ("I'll have the peanut butter and pickle sandwich, please!"), and what better way to combine unusual ingredients than in a super summer sammie! These sandwiches are inspired by the summertime bounty, using seasonal produce such as strawberries, cucumbers, lettuces, and beets. The first one is for the sweet toothed populace, and the second has a more savory flare. Both are perfect for these hot summer days!

Strawberry and Cucumber Sandwich

Adapted from this recipe .

Changes we made:

-Instead of watercress, we used fresh red leaf lettuce from our CSA box.

-To make this a super vegan delight, we used Follow your Heart Vegan Cream Cheese

Next up, we made these delicious paninis to celebrate the Summer Solstice. They sound a bit strange, but trust us...they are DELICIOUS! They are adapted from the July/August issue of the Vegetarian Times magazine.

Summer Solstice Sammie

Hearty, Seedy bread (We used Dakota from our local Great Harvest)

Olive spread
Hummus (Mixed with a bit of lemon juice and freshly chopped Tarragon)

1 medium red beet, sliced thin

1 apple, sliced thin

Alfalfa sprouts

The recipe was not initially vegan, and called for mixing chickpeas with mayonnaise in a food processor. Using hummus made it easier and entirely vegan!! Not to mention, hummus is one of our major food groups. The red beets came from our CSA box and were delicious, but very messy! When handling them, be careful...unless you want red stains everywhere.

Peace, Love, and Seasonal Eating!

Pam and KT

Out of the Box: Week 4 and 5

We are proud believers that the seasonal produce we're getting this summer is one of the very best things about The season!! Just look at that delicious bounty!

Week 4:

Collard Greens

Kale

Kohlrabi

Swiss Chard

Cucumbers

Fennel

Basil

Oregano

Day Lilies

One thing is for sure. We will NEVER run out of salad fixin's with this loot!

LOOK AT ALL THOSE RADISHES!! YUMMM!

Week 5:

Turnip Greens

Red Leaf Lettuce

Raddishes

Collard Greens
Swiss Chard

Cucumbers

Cilantro

Tarragon

Chives

Basil

Day Lilies

See those little yellow guys? Those are Lemon Cucumbers! They are just as refreshing and delicious as a traditional cucumber, and make a great addition to salads and sandwiches!

You can almost taste the summer sunshine when you bite into these delicious veggies and greens. We can't get enough!

Peace, Love, and Cucumbers
Pam and KT