Vegan Summer! Traditional Plum Cake

By Pam Hadder

The arrival of prune plums from British Columbia is a luscious reminder of late summer's bounty.  For me it conjures memories of riding my bike down dusty gravel country roads and feasting on pflaumenkuchen (German plum cake) at a family friend's farm house.

I'm told that kuchen is the official state dessert of North Dakota, but the sugar-and-baking powder-laden recipes I've seen to support that claim are unlike the yeast-dough based version I knew and loved as a kid.  Although my Mom is of German heritage, her Russian mother never made kuchen in the home.  But Mom recalls that many of her relatives made it, using fruits in season.  

My favourite is the plum kuchen, pflaumenkuchen - like much European baking, it is not overly sweet, and this allows the fruit to shine, and you can enjoy it's natural sweetness.  Of course, I searched numerous online resources and "veganized" my recipe to eliminate eggs and dairy.  The result was absolutely delightful, and dear Mom is still talking about it over a week later!  Hoping you will try this recipe and enjoy it in the very best of health. xo

VEGAN SUMMER-TRADITIONAL PLUM CAKE
(Pflaumenkuchen)

Ingredients - Dough
1 pkg active dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water, with 1 tsp sugar
2 flax eggs or other vegan substitute (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup soy or almond milk
1/2 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance baking sticks)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 ground mace, or nutmeg
Zest of one lemon
Few drops canola oil

Ingredients - Streusel Topping
1-1/2 to 2 lb pitted, halved fresh prune plums
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or soft vegan margarine (I use Becel, vegan)

Method:
Add pkg yeast to 1/4 cup warm water with 1 tsp. sugar added; let stand 10 minutes. Prepare egg subs and gradually beat in the 1/4 cup of white sugar, beating until well combined and frothy (1 minute, with hand whisk). Place 1/2 cup vegan butter and soy/almond milk into a medium microwave-proof bowl and heat 4-5 minutes on med-high power to melt the butter into the milk - remove from microwave and allow to cool 15-20 minutes at room temp. Once milk mixture is lukewarm, combine 1 cup of the flour along with the vegan egg subs and yeast in a large bowl.  Add in the milk mixture along with the lemon, mace, salt and the remaining flour.  Stir briefly with a sturdy spoon to combine the dough ingredients.  When a ball starts to form, gently knead and combine the ingredients with your hands.  Turn the dough out onto a smooth surface and knead for 4-5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.  Place dough in a lightly oiled large bowl. Wet a clean cotton tea towel and wring it out thoroughly, cover the dough in the bowl with the damp towel - towel should not touch the rising dough. Set dough aside and allow to rise - about 45 minutes. During this time, halve and pit the prune plums; set aside. Prepare the streusel topping also, combining sugar, flour, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and cutting the margarine in with a fork or pastry blender to resemble coarse bread crumbs; set aside.

Portion the dough in half and press into two 9" round cake pans - dough will be about 2" thick, just pat it into place as evenly as possible, creating a slight ridge on the perimeter of each to form a crust ring around the fruit. Arrange fruit by pressing the cut side down into the dough - dough will make squishy sounds as you push the fruit in, be sure to push them in quite firmly :) Using your hands, spread the streusel over the fruit.  Cover your cakes very loosely with plastic wrap (you don't want to lose that delicious streusel to the clingy plastic!). Allow to rise 45 minutes, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake cakes for 30 minutes.  Delicious right out of the oven with a dab of vegan ice cream or as-is - good cold and also freezes well.  Any leftover plums (pitted and halved) can be frozen for later use also.  Try substituting other fruit in season - apples, berries, peaches; etc.

Yield: two nine-inch round cakes - recipe is easily halved :)

Vegan Chocolate-Walnut Biscotti

By Pam Hadder

Italy and I have this “thing” going on – well, at least I am certainly smitten, but she may care less, lol!  The cooler temps today are reminding me of my visit to Toscana in March 2010 with my son, Kelsen, and FC.  Kelsen was only nine years old, and it was such a treat to stop by a friend’s Firenze café and enjoy  espresso and a glorious assortment of fresh-baked biscotti.  Kelsen had frothed milk and honey.

Fortified from a long day of travel and instantly converted to all tastes Italiano, we faced the raw March air with renewed energy. I have been delighted to find many vegan biscotti recipes over the past years (I have been vegan since March 2012), and thankfully many vegan cooks and bakers share their tips and methods online. This recipe has been a favourite, and has been adapted from a number of online recipes - bake these one restful afternoon and please enjoy in the best of health xo

Ingredients:
Makes about 50 biscotti
1 cup walnut halves (or pecans, hazelnuts)
2-1/2 cups spelt flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup baking cocoa
3 Tbsp. espresso coffee (extra fine ground, dark roast coffee)
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
4 flax eggs or other egg substitutes*
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cold water as needed

For Chocolate Drizzle:
4 ounces vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
1-1/2 tsp. canola oil

Method:

Make the flax eggs first thing unless you are using ready-made egg subs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift together spelt flour, cocoa, espresso grounds, salt, baking powder, baking soda and set aside. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the flax eggs, beating in the brown sugar gradually until well-blended and fluffy – stir in the vanilla extract. Stir flour mixture gradually into the wet mixture. If the dough seems dry, add some cold water a tablespoon at a time until it binds properly. I used 4 tablespoons of water the last time I made these – the variation depends on the quality of flour, cocoa, and other factors like humidity and the accuracy of measurement.  

Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a lightly floured surface – with lightly floured hands, pat the dough into a 6” square. Scatter half of the walnuts on the dough, pressing them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2” in diameter and 12 – 15” in length.  Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat process with the second portion of dough.  Brush tops of both rolls with water, using a pastry brush.  Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a large cutting board, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and cut with a sharp, non-serrated blade into ¾” slices. Replace cut slices on the prepared baking sheet with cut interior surface facing up, and return to oven. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, flipping the biscotti midway. Finished biscotti will be crisp and dry on the exterior. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before drizzling with chocolate. 

To prepare the drizzle, measure chocolate and oil into a small microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium power for 2-3 minutes, checking and stirring at one minute intervals for the first two minutes, and every 15 seconds thereafter – you want to avoid scorching the chocolate. All pieces may not liquify, but if you remove the chocolate, and stir, it will become smooth in a few seconds. The drizzle can be spooned over the biscotti, or it can be brushed onto the flat sides.  Allow chocolate to set before storing in a loosely covered glass jar.

Note: I like my biscotti on the softer side – I’ve tasted some that are like a rock! If you find your finished biscotti are too dry, pop them into a plastic storage container with a tight sealing lid; they will soften in a day or two – until then, dunk them in some tasty espresso or cappuccino or…

*Pureed prunes, mashed bananas and apple sauce all work as egg subs for this recipe – they are all great vegan binders, but I find the flax eggs work best and enjoy the flavour the most.

"Jacked" Vegan Bean Pot

By  Pam Hadder

I recently was gifted two vintage ceramic bean pots – my dear friend, Sharmila, is an avid aficionado of vintage and unusual cookware (search Facebook, Kitchenware – Traditional and Unusual).  I had no familiarity with bean pots, but Sharmila’s enthusiasm sparked my interest.  Searching online I found a number of “recipes” for microwave cakes and such, not the slow-cooked, from scratch options I was interested in.
 

I also found a wide variety of opinions on how to soak and prepare beans!  One seemingly reputable government site suggested adding oil to the cooking water, while others suggested a adding a pinch of baking soda.  One home economist suggested cold water pre-soaking for up to 48 hours!  Initially I tried the most common cold water soak, soaking overnight – using the covered bean pot as my soaking vessel, and with the addition of one teaspoon of salt.  This morning, I par-cooked the soaked beans as directed by a few online resources – adding two tablespoons of olive oil and simmering 45 minutes. The aroma was lovely, but the resulting beans were so soft, they were ready for white bean hummus or puree, not bean pot baked beans!  I cooled and bagged them to freeze for later use.

Very glad that I had a second bag of dried navy beans, I started fresh – seeking online information for cooking without overnight soaking. The following is my result – a culmination of conflicting online information, with the added zip of some Jack Daniels whiskey, chilies, bell peppers and fried, smoked tofu to make these vegan bean pot beans really special.  I hope you will try and enjoy, trusting that I have taken care of the leg work for you :)

Ingredients:

450 g/1 lb dry navy beans (no need to presoak)
210g/8 ounces smoked tofu, finely chopped, and seasoned
¼ cup olive oil, divided use
1 large yellow onion, chopped finely
1 large red bell pepper, chopped finely
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. crushed red chilies
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup black strap molasses
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
½ cup Jack Daniels whiskey
2 cups tomato juice (or orange juice)

Method:

Place beans in large soup pot, cover with four inches of water and bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Boil for 3 minutes, remove from heat (I set on back burner, no heat on), cover and let stand 40 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the chopped onion with bell pepper in 2 tablespoons of the oil until onion is soft and translucent.  In another skillet, brown the chopped tofu in the remaining oil, stirring often.  Season the tofu to your taste with a little salt and pepper – this becomes the “bacon” for your beans.  Drain the beans, rinsing thoroughly with cold water. 

Measure four cups of the beans back into the soup pot. Add the crispy tofu, sautéed onion, and the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine with a wooden spoon. Ladle the mixture into a 6-cup bean pot. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, making sure you have adequate clearance for your bean pot, and adjusting the racks if necessary.  Place the bean pot into the oven and bake for 4-6 hours, checking for doneness at four hours.

You may also wish to add more tomato or orange juice if the beans are still too firm, and extend the baking time accordingly until the desired texture is achieved. I reduced the temperature to 280 Fahrenheit and baked for a total of 7 hours. The baking time can be extended from the onset by reducing the heat to 275-280 degrees and planning for  an 8-10 hour baking time – so by cooking at a slightly lower temperature, beans could go in just before bedtime, and could be warm and ready in the oven for an amazing breakfast or brunch!