All Aboard! The Flavor Roller Coaster is Now Leaving The Station! (Original Post Date: Jan. 8, 2013)

Hello! Tis I, your food loving, vegan eating, slightly over-the-top at times friend. I'm here again to serve up some lip-smacking recipes that will have you pinching yourself wondering if you're dreaming. Yup. Strap yourselves in and get ready for a ride on the roller coaster of intense, mouth-watering flavors! All aboard!

First off, I have for you a delectable breakfast fave; the cinnamon roll. When I first made my vegan transition, one of my first objectives was to find a vegan recipe for this, one of my all time favorites. Now, this recipe requires multiple steps, but bear with me. The final results could rival anything you'd buy at Cinnabon, with only a fraction of the calories. So let's get to it!! Serves 15.

Vegan Harvest Cinnamon Rolls Recipe 

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup rice milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave) 
• 1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened (I like the Pure Soya brand best)
• 2 eggs worth of prepared egg replacer, (I like Orgran Egg Replacer, room temperature and beaten) 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar 
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tsp instant or quick active dry yeast

Cinnamon Filling: 

• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1 cup soft brown sugar 
• 4 to 5 tbsp ground cinnamon

Either soften or melt the vegan margarine. In a bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon well.

NOTE: I like to sift the brown sugar and cinnamon together to remove any lumps.

Icing: 

• 1/2 tub vegan cream cheese (like Tofutti), room temperature
• 1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
• 1 cup icing sugar 
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and vegan margarine until creamy. Add icing sugar and vanilla extract until well mixed and creamy. Refrigerate icing until ready to use and then bring to room temperature before spreading.

Directions:

1. Butter a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. After dough has risen, roll and stretch the dough into approximately a 15 x 24-inch rectangle.
3. Brush the softened butter (listed below in the Cinnamon Filling) over the top of the dough with a rubber spatula or a pastry brush. Sprinkle Cinnamon Filling over the butter on the prepared dough. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal. NOTE: Rolling the log too tightly will result in cinnamon rolls whose centers pop up above the rest of them as they bake.
4. With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2-inch section. Use a sharp knife (I like to use a serrated knife and saw very gently) or slide a 12-inch piece of dental floss or heavy thread underneath. By bringing the ends of the floss up and criss-crossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place cut side up in prepared pan, flattening them only slightly. The unbaked cinnamon rolls should not touch each other before rising and baking. Do not pack the unbaked cinnamon rolls together.
5. Cover and let rise in a warm place for approximately 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size (after rising, rolls should be touching each other and the sides of the pan).
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. for regular oven or 325 degrees F. for a convection oven. 
7. Bake in a convection oven approximately 15 to 20 minutes until they are a light golden brown.
8. Baked in a regular oven approximately 20 to 25; minutes in a regular oven until they are a light golden brown.Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Spread Icing over the cinnamon rolls while still warm. Best served warm, but room temperature is also great!

Storage options:

1. Cinnamon rolls can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight (I've actually made them two days in advance) or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm place if frozen.  I have found that I have to take the unbaked frozen cinnamon rolls out of the freezer 10 to 12 hours before planning to bake. I just put the frozen cinnamon rolls (container and rolls) on my counter (not in the refrigerator) overnight for 10 to 12 hours.
2. If refrigerated, they can be either baked upon removing from the refrigerator or let come to a room temperature (I've done both ways). They do a slow rise overnight and it is not necessary to let them come to room temperature before baking.  NOTE: If you rolls are not rising enough after being refrigerated, your yeast may need to be tested. To overcome this, let them rise, while sitting on the counter, until you achieve the desired rising before baking.

Cals: 426 Carbs: 59 Fat: 18 Protein: 7

This next recipe is ridiculously simple, yet explosive with flavor. I found this happyHawaiian BBQ recipe on the Happy Herbivore website.  Without further ado; let's meet this joyous little dish! Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 15 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 tbsp szechuan sauce
• 1 tbsp raw sugar (optional)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup salsa (I prefer the Santa Barbara/Sabra Mango and Peach salsa) 

Directions:

1. Combine chickpeas, teriyaki, szechuan and sugar in a large frying pan. 
2. Allow everything to sit and 'marinate' at least 5 minutes (the longer the better). 
3. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring regulary or until most of the liquid has absorbed, about 10 minutes. 
4. Spoon chickpeas over rice and top with fresh pineapple or mango salsa.

Chef's Note: If you want to create your own pineapple and mango salsa, mix equal parts chopped pineapple and mango with minced red onion, fresh cilantro, and lime juice to taste.

Cals: 505 Carbs: 99 Fat: 3 Protein: 19

For our next stop on the flavor train, we'll get real intimate with this titillating Vegetable Red Thai Curry. I'm not sure where this recipe originally came from. If you recognize it,please let me know so that I can give proper credit! Anyway, this  dish was so amazing that I wanted to be alone with it...in a naughty way. No joke. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil 
• 3 tbsp red Thai curry paste 
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal 
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced 
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
• 1 14-oz can coconut milk 
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar 
• 1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1" cubes 
• 2 tsp soy sauce 
• 1 cup loosely packed Thai basil (or regular basil), torn into small pieces 
• 4 tsp fresh lime juice 

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. 
2. In a separate small saute' pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until hot. 
3. In the large pan, add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Take the pan off the heat and stir in snap peas, shallots, bell pepper, coconut milk, sugar, and 1 cup water. Stir to combine.
4. In the smaller saute pan, add the tofu cubes. I had seasoned mine with a Patak's Biryani Curry Paste.  
5. Add the tofu to the large skillet with the vegetables and bring to a simmer over medium heat. 
6. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes. 
7. Stir in soy sauce, basil, and lime juice. Let rest off heat for 5 minutes. 
8. Taste and adjust salt/pepper. 
9. Serve over hot cooked rice.

(Calorie calculations do not account for rice.)

Cals: 416 Carbs: 23 Fat: 29 Protein: 15

So there you have it folks, another succulent offering for you to take to your vegan kitchen. I hope--rather I know that you will enjoy every yummy bite!

To your health and wellness,

Charlotte 

Fun Vegan Fact of the Week:

Chinese people (living mainly on a vegetarian diet) consume 20% more calories than Americans, but Americans are 20% fatter! Things that make you go hmmmmm...