Torticas de Morón

I finally got to make my torticas!!

Torticas de Morón are a Cuban speciality and are very popular in Cuban bakeries. Cuban cooking is a fusion of African, Carribean and Spanish cuisines, and so has a variety of immensely flavorful elements to draw from!

The predominant flavors of these cookies are lime, rum, and cinnamon. The non-vegan recipe calls for eggs and butter/lard, which I replaced with vegan-margarine and applesauce (to keep the cookies moist). They came out light and fluffy and aromatic... the perfect compliment to a bright sunny day and the red chilie & tomatillo tacos I made. Mmmmm...

Torticas de Morón

(small cakes from Morón)

3 cups flour

pinch salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cups vegan sugar

1 4oz package of unsweetened applesauce

1 cup vegan margarine
3 tbsp lime zest
3 tsp rum extract (or regular rum if you have it around)
guava paste (a common Latin ingredient, it can usually be found in the Goya aisle)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Mix the flour, salt, baking power, and cinnamon together. Add the sugar, lime zest, lime juice, rum extract, softened butter, applesauce. Mix by hand once the dough starts to form.

3. Separate the dough into 3 sections, refridgerating the ones you aren't using.

4. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface. Cut into 2 1/2-inch rounds (they should be about 1/3 of an inch thick). Line them up on parchment paper over the baking sheet. Parchment paper is AWESOME and requires little-to-no clean up. (Which is obviously why I use it).

5. Cut the guava paste into small pieces and press them into the tops of the cookies. Bake for 14 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned.

6. Lastly, let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy! I topped mine with powered sugar because Cuban desserts are supposed to be muyyyyy muyyyyyyyy dulce!

An important message

I would like to point out a comment made on my blog:

This is precisely the kind of attitude about veganism I am always trying to shirk off with my book & blog. For some, you can never be "vegan enough." I have no ill-will against this poster, but I'm using the comment as an important example. It is perfectly fine, if you have an interest in veganism or alternative cooking, that you do what you can when you can and not feel bad about not being able to conform to the impossible standards of the so-called "pure tier", the criterion of which is inevitably determined by unforgiving adherents to a certain dogma.

These people usually have the extraordinary means of supporting their lifestyle that many may not have the privilege of enjoying. It is perfectly fine to be fundamentalist about your beliefs (eating or otherwise!), so long as one does not assume all people have the same ability/financial means/goals as oneself. Not only is this criticism unfair to those trying do what they can, but it is also petty and does nothing to serve anyone's purpose- it alienates.

So, please! Keep the message of healthy eating alive and well. Be vegan because you WANT to be, and encorporate what elements of the lifestyle you can into your own life with positivity.

Peace,

Vegan Zombie :)

Super Easy Banana Smoothie & Black Bean Puree

I had leftover cilantro salsa from yesterday's tacos, so I threw it in the frying pan with 1/2 can of black beans and veggies.

To accompany the tacos, I turned the other 1/2 can of black beans into a puree by processing them with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp paprika, dash cayenne, dash cracked black pepper, dash garlic powder, dash cumin.

Then, I made the easiest and creamiest banana smoothie ever. I remember when I was younger and my friends and I would go to this smoothie place on the outskirts of town and the servers would look at me like I was insane when I requested "just bananas". They fools, homie.

Easy Banana Smoothie

1 large banana

1 1/2 cup of ice

1 cup unsweetened Almond Milk (mine is only 35 calories per cup)

1/2 cup orange juice

Extras:

You could toss in a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter (for protein), some strawberries, or 6 oz of soy yogurt. I find that the simple combo of almond milk and bananas makes for the best smoothie/milkshake. The unsweetened milk is the best because it has a simple smooth flavor, much like mellow bananas themselves.

Okay, now off to dinner to try a new restaurant & some Jameson.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Cilantro-Lime Tofu Tacos! (quick dinners)

I just got back from my latin dance class... and of course I had to come home immediately after and have tacos and beer! This is a quick dish you can cook up in less than twenty minutes.

Cilantro-Lime Tofu Tacos

Taco filling:
(1) I used pre-cut supermarket veggies (onions and peppers), sauteed them in an 1 tbsp of sesame oil (sesame oil doesn't change its molecular structure when heated to high temperatures, thus it stays safe for your heart!). Sautee for about 7 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
(2) Add one 12oz package of firm cubed tofu into the pan, smash with a fork

(3) Top with 8 oz of cilantro-lime salsa. I used Frontera brand, they're great. It's got roasted tomatillo & green pepper. This flavoring will give the tofu a more "chickeny" taste, there's also a great cumin & tomato variety that will give the tofu the "ground beef" flavor we all love in tacos!

(4) Cook for 7 minutes, remove from heat.

Guacamole:

I also whipped up a quick guacamole with an avocado, 1/2 white onion, 1/2 tsp garlic, pinch salt, pinch cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice. Throw in the food processor and you're done.

Other toppings:

store-bought fresh salsa

1/2 can of corn, seasoned with a bit of cracked pepper and lime juice

Tortillas:

2 low-carb whole wheat tortillas, burnt over the grill (you could just use your stove too!)


PS. Bud and Bud-Light are vegan-friendly beers!

Brazilian Orange & Blackberry Cheesecake

Yay, the cheesecake returns! I just finished a massive piece of this and eff, if I do say so myself, it's effing good. The awesomeness makes my brain hurt and also makes me want to samba. But I promise, there's no "goodnight Cinderella" inside of this cake. If you don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky. (Also be careful in Rio).

Brazilian Orange & Blackberry Cheesecake

Crust:

2 cups of Brazil nuts
juice of 1/2 an orange
rind of 2 oranges
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

3 1/2 cups cashews (soaked for 1-4 hours)

juice of 1 1/2 orange

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 cup coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup honey

Topping:
1 1/2 pint blackberries, mashed with fork

1) Simple food process all of the ingredients for the crust and then press them into a 9-inch pie plate.

pretty grated orange rind!

2) Next food process all filling ingredients. Make sure to melt down the coconut oil in a small bag (it's easy to do this in a bowl of hot water) to liquify it. Pour the filling mixture over the crust. Let this sit in the freezer for 4 hours, yo.

It was so sunny and wonderful today!



3. Take cake out of the freezer. Mash up the 1 1/2 pint of blackberries with a fork in a small bowl and spread over the top of the cheesecake. Serve!

You can store this in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or until the blackberries start to get moldy. Yeeeah.



Vegan Vatapá

Your Vegan Zombie is going Brazilian. I've been soooo intensely interested in South American cuisine lately, especially since almost every dish consists some type of meat or lard. My goal is to rework these fabulous and colorful plates so we vegans can enjoy them too! Blasphemy, you say? Hopefully Our Lady of Guadalupe can forgive us, mi amor.

BRAZIL is the best place on the planet.

They have incredible food, art, music, history, people, the Christ the Redeemer Statue (just beautiful, though!), cities, an up and coming economy, sun, the World Cup in 2014 (I am totally going to GO MAN)  ...and uh, did I mention food?

Brazilian cuisine has a wide array of influences including African, Portuguese, and Italian. The food utilizes the country's rich and abundant tropical fruits, the bounty of the gorgeous coastline, and native nuts.

This dish, called vatapá, is typically made as a "seafood stew" and has West African influences. Of course, we couldn't include shrimp like the locals do (or sometimes white fish), so I veganized this puppy with a grain that has a similar rubbery quality to it--- barley. If left a little al dente, you can get the same feeling. For added "seafood" flavor I could have added a little nori, but no one in my family would have eaten it that way... and I'm a slave to feedback and compliments, what can I say?

The brilliant yellow coloring comes from the Brazilian dendê oil, a palm oil frequently used in Brazilian cooking. The texture of this dish is extremely unique... too thick to be a stew. I don't know. It owns.

Vegan Vatapá

2 chopped onions
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 malagueta or jalapeño chile peppers, chopped (use 1 or a gentler pepper if you aren't into spicy!)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (or just put two slices of whole wheat bread in a food processor)
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup barley, cooked and drained
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 cup Dendê oil


1) Chop up the onions, peppers, and garlic. Toss it into the food processor.

2) Add this mixture along with 1/2 cup of your cooked barley onto the stovetop. Cook in 2 tbsps of olive oil for about 7 minutes to meld flavors.

3) Next, add the vegetable stock and peanut butter. Whisk until everything is smooth. Add breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper. Let the mixture boil, then lower the temp to a simmer for another 8 minutes.

4) Add the coconut milk and cook for another 5 minutes on a low temperature.

5) Lastly, stir in the dende oil, remaining barley, and serve! I topped the dish with tomatoes and paprika.

The Part-Time Vegan!

Dear Readers,

I give you... The Part-Time Vegan: 201 Yummy Recipes That Put the Fun in Flexitarian

It's my precious baby! It's all grown up and savin' China! (to quote Mushu from Mulan, which was frankly, an excellent movie).

I've been hard at work on this book for the past seven months, striving to bring you the tastiest, most-satsifying, and easy-to-make vegan dishes known to Wo/Man. I can finally take a break, and I'm looking forward to blogging more steadily!



My new cookbook provides delicious recipes aimed at helping you flexitarians, er, flex your vegan muscles! Getting cooking with:

Purely Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
Lean, Mean, Black Bean Guacamole
Vegan Potato Pesto Salad
Spicy Roasted Tomato Soup
Roasted-Garlic Mashed Taters
Spinach Artichoke and Zucchini Paella
Barley Pilaf with Edemame and Roasted Red Pepper

What's not to love? I'm serious! As with the blog, I promise you the book is guilt-free, fun, and fearless. A perfect fit for all my lovely readers :)

Regardless of why you want to try veganism,--- whether it's for health, the planet, or some other worthy reason (maybe you're just damn hungry!), The Part-Time Vegan will be good to you. 'Cross my heart. Check it out in Barnes and Noble, Borders, Amazon, and any other bookstore!

high-five!