No-Rise Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve wanted to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast for like six months now. Every time I think to get out my mixing bowls, I get discouraged when I see all the rising time in different recipes. So, I came across a tasty pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction (after all, I love our pumpkin pizza dough -- I figured it’d be a similar thing).

And then I asked myself . . . what if I just didn’t wait?

Well, I first made the recipe vegan because I didn’t have eggs or butter or milk in my pantry. I also didn’t wait for anything to rise much at all. They turned out w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l.l.y and this recipe will be a staple in our house for the holiday season to come.

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

Adapted from this recipe -- made vegan + for the impatient among us.

What you’ll need . . . 

• 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• Pinch salt
• Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg*
• 2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2-1/2 cups bread flour

* It’s 1-1/2 teaspoon replacer + 2 tablespoons warm water. You might also try a flax egg.

For filling . . . 

• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease an 8 x 8 baking dish (I ended up using glass) and set aside.
2. Melt the 2 tablespoons of Earth Balance on your stovetop. Whisk together with the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and salt. Then take it off the heat (you don’t want it HOT, just warm), prepare your Ener-G egg, and whisk that in until smooth.
3. While this mixture is still warm, transfer to a large mixing bowl and add in the yeast. Wait a couple minutes to dissolve.
4. Then add in the flour. I started with just 2 cups and then kept adding until my mixture didn’t stick to my fingers. Don’t add TOO much flour. The dough should be somewhat loose.
5. Drizzle your dough with a bit of olive oil and cover while you prepare the filling.
6. Simply combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and Earth Balance in a small bowl. Set aside.
7. I think because I was occupied with cleaning that I let my dough rise a grand total of maybe 10 to 15 minutes. That’s all.
8. Then generously flour a work surface and roll your dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle that’s about 16 inches by 10 inches (yes -- I measured).
9. Spread the filling over the entire thing and then roll so it’s a long tube. Cut into 10 to 12 cinnamon rolls.
10. Arrange the rolls in your pan. Then bake for 15 minutes. That’s right! I didn’t let them rise at all before putting them in the oven.
11. Cover with foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll likely notice they’ve puffed quite a bit. Also: I found mine took a bit longer in the oven, and I think it’s because I used a glass pan, so keep and eye on the rolls to see when they’re golden. The foil is to keep them from burning, but I did remove it in the final couple minutes.
12. Let cool before devouring. You can also top them with icing or cream cheese, etc. But I found them sweet enough as is, especially because I increased the filling a bit from the original recipe.

ENJOY!

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Single-Serve Chocolate Banana Shake

We've been going crazy with ice cream and frozen yogurt places over the last several weeks. Or maybe months. I can’t remember. But once the weather got nice, the question we’ve found ourselves asking each night is: “Want to get ice cream!?”

The answer is always “YES!!!"

Well, I don’t know about you -- but for us, it gets expensive. It’s almost $10 for us to each get something small (WHAT!). And all that ice cream probably isn’t the best to eat on the daily. So, I’ve started making this simple banana “milk”shake at home to curb my cravings. It’s a great substitute for the real thing. Of course, you can always make Ultimate Banana Ice Cream or even Chocolate Covered Banana Bites if you’re in for a frozen treat.

They’re all delicious.

CHOCOLATE BANANA SHAKE (for 1)

Blend together until smooth:

• 1 heaping cup frozen banana slices
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 heaping tablespoonful cocoa powder
• Maple syrup to sweeten (optional)

Speaking of snacking, I’ve gotten back in the habit of doing most of my weekly shopping at Aldi. It leaves me questioning why I ever switched stores. Oh, that’s right -- I got completely sucked back to Wegmans. And really, Wegmans has some good prices on family pack stuff like eggs and bread. So, I’ve decided I’ll shop both stores.

Anyway, here’s my latest haul for $70. 

Including two cases of La Croix! I know it’s all the rage, but honestly -- my favorite is still Polar. It keeps its carbonation longer. But you can’t deny all the flavors of Croix are enticing. Overall, I got a bunch of stuff, but I didn’t make a list this week, so it was kind of crazy and meals have been annoying to put together. What I have always loved about Aldi is that when I fill my cart to just about full, I know it’ll still come in well under $100. Score.

One of my other new favorites is packaged popcorn. I feel like it’s the epitome of laziness to not even pop my popcorn, but I love having a handful to grab between meals versus other high-calorie stuff. This tastes just like Boom Chicka Pop.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with an outdoor craft project you can do with your kids!

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Tart Cherry Frozen Yogurt

This recipe needs little introduction.
I've been teasing you with photos for a week.
Sorry about that.

It all started with a generous offer from my friend Aynsley. She and her family were going away for the week and their backyard cherry tree was ripe for the picking. Of course, I couldn't turn up the awesome opportunity to grab my step-ladder and head over there straight away.

Free (super, 1-mile away) local + organic cherries? Yes, please!

But what to make?


I think we picked about 5 cups in all. I tooled with baking a pie or making muffins. I forgot my bag in the car and stepped outside for a few minutes. Quickly I realized I didn't want to bake at all. Nope, nope. It was hot, muggy, and gross.

Perfect weather to continue my frozen treat trend.

I pitted the cherries one by one, probably not in the most efficient way. Still, it went much faster than I had expected. I licked my drippy, sticky juice-covered fingers off. After some cooking, mixing, and chilling -- this happened:


TART CHERRY FROZEN YOGURT

What you'll need . . . 

• 3 cups fresh (preferably tart) cherries
• 3 tablespoons cane sugar
• 32 ounces low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk*

* I imagine if you want to stay with the low-fat theme, you could use reduced fat coconut milk. All we had was the real stuff. And I'm not talking the kind in the refrigerated section -- use the canned kind that's nice + thick.


Method . . .

1. Pit your cherries, then place them in a small saucepan -- along with the sugar -- over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil (stay nearby, as it might boil over if you're not careful!). Lower the heat to a strong simmer and continue stirring + mashing nearly constantly until mixture has reduced to a jam-like consistency. 15 minutes or so. 
2. Let cool until just warm, not hot. Then, in a large bowl, mix (I used a whisk) together all the ingredients. Chill for 3 hours -- covered, in the refrigerator. 
3. Then prepare according to your ice cream maker's instructions. Ours instructed us to pour in the mixture and let churn for 30 minutes. Then we let it freeze in an airtight shallow container for another 6 hours. 
4. Let sit out of the freezer for around 10 minutes before scooping. Sometimes, depending on the temperature of your freezer, the frozen yogurt is hard as a rock. Don't worry, it softens.

I could hardly wait for the entire settling process before I dipped my ice cream scoop into the dish. (Which, by the way, some of you were asking what we use to freeze our frozen yogurt. I've been using a 8 x 8 glass baking dish covered with tin foil.)

If you don't have an ice cream maker, there are a few kinds to choose from. You can get one that hooks right onto your KitchenAid mixer -- the Ice Cream Maker Attachment makes up to 2 quarts at a time. If you don't have a mixer, check out this economical Cuisinart Frozen Dessert Maker.

Again -- even if you don't have a fancy machine, you can enjoy frozen desserts of your own making. Try out our Frozen Banana Bites (and the new FAQs about them) or even my favorite Ultimate Vegan Banana Ice Cream recipe.

Have I convinced you to make your own ice cream yet?

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Chocolate Loaf

Not much talk of exercise on this blog lately, which is funny because I'm doing all sorts of things with cross-training and strength while getting in a steady 25-30 miles a week. I ran a frigid 10-miler with my friend Ariana on Sunday. Gusts of 30MPH blew against us for probably 3/4 of the way.

I'll have a running post for you tomorrow -- promise.

Today, we'll eat cake.

Technically I'm calling this recipe a chocolate loaf because I baked it in -- you guessed it -- a loaf pan. It's really just a nice, dense chocolate cake that you can slice and top with peanut butter or whatever else you like to spread on sweet breads.

CHOCOLATE LOAF
vegan recipe, don't skip the coconut milk

What you'll need . . .

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup organic sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan, 9" x 5", with Earth Balance and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients -- flours, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. On the stove, heat a small pot over medium-low heat and melt the Earth Balance and coconut milk together. Let cool until warm, not hot.
4. Pour the wet mixture -- including the vanilla extract -- into the dry and mix until incorporated fully.
5. Pour into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. Until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out mostly clean.
6. Let cool a while before removing from loaf pan and placing onto a drying rack.
7. Let cool entirely before slicing. Or not. It will just fall apart more if you don't wait.

I bet Elvis would have enjoyed this "bread" with some honey-glazed bacon on top.

I enjoyed mine straight out of the oven (no, I didn't wait for it to cool -- but do as I say, not as I do!) with peanut butter and sliced banana. I'm going to toast some later and spread some coconut butter on it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Prediction: Incredible.

You can read about why we switched Ada from hemp milk to organic whole milk on Writing Chapter Three. Even if you don't have kids, you might be surprised at the not-so-friendly ingredient that's hiding in your favorite organic products.

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Freezer Fudge

Things may be busy here, but there's no way I'm letting the holiday slip by without at least one dessert recipe. I have plans for this blog in the new year. Lots of plans. More recipes is one of them, of course. I can't wait to share my ideas with you. Watch out.

We went to a holiday party last night and had to come up with something sweet to share. In our favorite procrastination fashion, we had an hour to do it. So, baking was out of the question.

The great thing about this recipe is that it has few ingredients, is quick to mix together, and freeze/set time is only 20 minutes.

Then just slice, plate, and go.


FREEZER FUDGE (VEGAN)

What you'll need . . .

• 16 ounces semi-sweet chips
• 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Extra walnuts & toppings*

* We used a handful of those Stacy's cocoa chips. Crushed them up -- perfect!


Method . . .  

1. Line a 9" x 13" pan with wax paper. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the coconut milk and walnuts until smooth. Set aside (keep in food processor).
3. Put the chocolate chips in a pot over low heat on the stove. Stir continually until melted. Then add melted chocolate to food processor.
4. Pulse until smooth. Add in the vanilla extract. Pulse again.
5. Pour mixture into pan and smooth out.
6. Crush toppings and sprinkle over top. Then cover with plastic wrap or foil and freeze for 20 minutes.
7. Cut out fun shapes or just plain squares. Arrange on plate and keep frozen until ready to serve.

Prepare to be addicted to the fudge. We took one plate to the party and had enough left over for an entire plate here at the house. If you don't have all the ingredients, feel free to substitute your favorite milk substitute for the coconut milk. And cashews or another soft, raw nut for the walnuts. Dark chocolate would be divine. And maybe peppermint extract!

Oh, and can you tell we're having fun with our chalkboard walls in the kitchen? Thinking about the holidays, though, I should go. We need to get some last-minute shopping done. Hope you all have a great weekend and eat fudge!

Here are some other fun dessert recipes:

Boozy Fudge
Tahini Fudge Squares
Mexican Hot Chocolate Chippers
Salted Cornmeal Sugar Cookies
Clove Spiced Shortbread

What's your favorite festive dessert this year?

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Butternut Squash & Miso Soup

As you know well, my favorite cooking method is roasting. So, without really knowing where I was going with a gigantic butternut squash Halloween night, I cubed it and let it roast. At some point during that hour, I decided the best use for it was in soup.

Yes. A nice, peppery butternut squash soup. Problem: I didn't have any vegetable stock or broth. No soy sauce to speak of either (I use a splash or two to flavor water in a pinch). But I did have half a tub of miso left over from my Miso Stew last week.

And that's how this happened:

BUTTERNUT SQUASH & MISO SOUP

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed 
• 1 white onion, sliced 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1 to 2 tablespoons white miso paste (yellow would work, too)
• 1 can light coconut milk 
• 2 to 4 cans-worth of water 
• Salt, pepper to taste 

Method . . . 

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the cubed squash on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, and roast for an hour, stirring every 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Once that's done, in a stock pot over medium heat, saute your onion and garlic in a tablespoon or two of olive oil for a few minutes. Until the onions are glassy and fragrant.
3. Add in the cubed squash. Then the miso paste. Try to break it up so that it's coating the squash.
4. Then add the coconut milk and water (however much you add depends on how thick you'll want your soup -- we did 3 cans of water). Let cook until simmering. Then simmer for 10 minutes or so.
5. Let cool for 10 minutes and then blend on low until everything is well incorporated.
6. Return to stove over low heat and season with salt and pepper.

My kitchen is so dark these days. I attempted to use my iPad to bounce some light. It helped, but not enough . . .


I may need to dig my DIY Light Box out of the attic with the time change coming up. I'll probably be up there quite a bit this weekend, as I have grand plans to clean the house up and down before Ada's birthday party in 15 days. Not that I'm counting or anything.

Hope everyone is doing well as we head into the weekend. I don't know quite how I feel about the NYC Marathon being held despite the destruction. Well, yes I do. This Time article does a good job of expressing my thoughts.

My in-laws are still without power, so they are coming up tonight. I'm hoping they can get gas to make the trek without waiting in line for hours. Thankfully they had only minimal issues with the winds otherwise. So, we'll take this as a nice, unexpected visit!

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Chocolate Dream Pie with No Roll Crust

ATTENTION: We interrupt what we had originally scheduled for today's post to bring you this incredible vegan chocolate pie.

When I was in college, there was this insanely fantastic vegetarian restaurant called ABC Cafe near the Collegetown/Cornell area in Ithaca. On the dessert menu was a Chocolate Dream Pie and I'd always, always get it.

Sometimes I'd even go to ABC just for dessert. It was THAT good. (Random fact: We got engaged right outside the cafe in 2005 after eating dinner there!)


Sadly, the cafe closed shortly after we moved. Since, I've tried replicating the recipe. I first tried with our Nutella Pie and added strawberries. Using silken tofu didn't give me the right texture, however. The Chocolate Dream Pie was firmer, almost like cheesecake.

Good news! I have found the solution: Extra-firm tofu with some chill time in the fridge. Simple as that.


CHOCOLATE DREAM PIE WITH NO-ROLL CRUST

What you'll need for the crust . . . 

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour 
• 1 tablespoon flax meal
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (liquid) 
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Large pinch of salt 
• 1/4 cup cold water 

What you'll need for the filling . . . 

• 1 cake extra firm tofu, drained well 
• 1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut butter (we splurged on Justin's -- but peanut or almond butter would be great, too!) 
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or to taste, but I found it was sweet enough this way) 
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and oil with your fingers -- until it resembles coarse meal.
3. Then stir in the water until the dough pulls together. Press the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Prick the bottom a couple times with a fork.
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or so, until it is lightly golden. Let cool entirely before filling. 
5. In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients for the pie. Adjust to your tastes before pouring into cooled pie shell. 
6. Eat right away or place in refrigerator until firmer, usually an hour or two will do the trick.

The chocolate filling would be tasty enough on its own as a sort of vegan chocolate mousse. If you're skeptical about tofu and chocolate, don't be. I promise you that you'll love it -- and if it isn't chocolatey enough for you, the answer is simple: Add another 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Or more nut butter.

The pie crust would work well for fruit and other sweet pies. For quiche or savory pies, you can sub out the coconut oil and sugar for olive oil and no sugar. Alternatively for this recipe, you could make a graham cracker or chocolate no-bake crust.

MORE CHOCOLATE PIE LOVE:

Chocolate-Coconut Pie
Nutella Pie with Strawberries
Chocolate-Pumpkin Pie
Vegan Coconut-Carob Pie


Don't miss our weekend recaps today on Writing Chapter Three. We went to the zoo, went swimming, and did lots of other fun stuff. Here's part I and part II.

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HU-MOUSSE -- Dessert Hummus

U.n.-freakin'-r.e.a.l. I had been thinking of making a dessert hummus for weeks. (My friend Jesslynn can verify.) So, when I finally got an overwhelming urge to whip some up this morning, I went with it. If you've followed us for a while, this mix is 10,000 times better than our Avocado Chocolate Pudding.

OK. More like 100,000,000 times better.

Seriously! Chocolate-peanut butter hummus blended to light, airy perfection with coconut milk -- sweetened with maple syrup. And just like with our Sneaky, Garbanzo-Infused Banana Bread, you don't notice the beans.

Still, I can tell many of you will be skeptical.


CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER HU-MOUSSE

What you'll need . . .

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
• 4 tablespoons light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Method . . .

1. Put everything into a food processor and blend well.
2. If you'd like your humousse lighter, add a bit more coconut milk. But don't add more than a teaspoon or so at a time.
3. Top with chocolate chips or chocolate-covered almonds (though, I do admit they didn't photograph well -- they look a bit like mouse droppings -- go easy on me, please!).

I can't wait to get home from work tonight and eat more of it. I figured breakfast wasn't the best time for me to down an entire bowl. I'm just hoping there will be some left for Stephen to try!

Uhm . . . I'm apologizing in advance. I can't make any promises.


What's the strangest dessert you've ever fallen in love with? For me, this one is certainly a strong contender. Just leave a comment on email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Chill Out! Curried Coconut-Avocado Soup

When I think "soup," I don't exactly think "filling." Stew? Yes. Chili? Tremendously. But soup? Most definitely not. Cold soups, in my experience, have even less stick-to-your-ribs staying-power. And where is all this discussion leading us?

Well, I made something that challenged my preconceived notions.

First, note that this recipe is not my own. It comes from the Sundays at Moosewood cookbook (a read I highly recommend, along with these books that are on our kitchen shelf). However, it's a variation on their recipe that makes it vegan and even more delicious, if I do say so myself.

CURRIED COCONUT-AVOCADO SOUP

What you'll need . . .

• 1 large (medium-ripe) Haas avocado
• 1-1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon curry powder

Method . . .

1. Scoop the flesh from the avocado into a blender. Add the vegetable broth and blend until well incorporated. (It may help to chop the avocado a bit first.)
2. Add in the coconut milk and curry powder. Blend again until smooth.
3. If you'd like a slightly thinner soup, add some more coconut milk.
4. Serve with banana naan for dunking.

Like I said, this soup is as filling as it is satisfying in the flavor department. Even at 20 weeks pregnant, I found it difficult to finish my portion (the recipe above makes two bowls).

The texture is incredibly smooth. Not unlike an avocado green smoothie, but different in a savory way. If you'd like to stick with the more original recipe, you can use heavy cream.


And -- seriously -- don't forget to get some banana naan in there. Between dunking and slurping, I hardly used my spoon!


What's your favorite soup? With the temps in the mid-90s today, I can't really think about eating anything warm. So, I guess this question is strange. If you know of any other great, filling chilled varieties, we'd love to hear 'em! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Speaking of chilled. Stephen's most recent beer creation is on tap. Too bad I can't enjoy it! Oh, well. Being pregnant definitely has its perks, too . . .


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