monkey see, monkey do

Two weeks ago the Urban Vegan, Dynise Balcavage, posted a mouth-watering recipe for monkey bread that I knew I had to make the moment I saw it. The timing of the recipe couldn't have been better - I was looking for something sweet to make for the week, and I came thisclose to making my cinnamon rolls for lack of inspiration (not that my cinnamon rolls aren't delicious, but I was hoping for something new to pique my baking interest). This monkey bread was exactly what I was looking for - something I've never made (but something I've seen non-vegan versions of throughout the midwest); the promise of cinnamon & sugar (one of the best combos ever); and, I have to admit, since getting over my fear of baking with yeast about two years ago, I crave yeast-based treats.

I ended up making these on a Sunday, and few days are as perfect for baking with yeast as Sundays. Dynise's recipe is very straightforward. I used apple cider in place of the orange juice because it's what I had on hand. Also, after the first hour my dough hadn't risen enough, so I let it rise for an additional 50 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.

These. Are. So. Good. I intended to get more photos of these in smaller dishes, but as soon as they were dished out they were consumed. The monkey bread is a good idea for holiday brunches with family - make it the day before and then heat it up in the oven right before serving to get it all warm and gooey. I'm pretty excited to have a new dessert/brunch staple, and anyone hanging out with me in the next few months will definitely get to enjoy some yummy monkey bread.

be still my heart

From the Terry Hope Cookbook recipe testing: bahn mi tofu scramble sandwich with pickled daikon slaw. Holy moly. This was AMAZING.

My favorite dessert I've made this season

Pumpkin chocolate chip bundt cake. Looking at these pics makes me want to make this again Right. Now. Recipe was veganized from here (the recipe calls for 4 eggs; I did a combo of 1/2 cup applesauce and 2 Ener-G replacers), and the chocolate sauce was melted chocolate chips, Earth Balance and vanilla. Super yum.

food foto

From the Terry Hope Cookbook recipe testing: Pistachio Date Quinoa with Chickpeas.

DEE-lish!

Mind = Blown

I'm a lucky, lucky vegan gal: I get to be one of the tester's for Terry Hope's next cookbook project!

I had emailed my interest regarding testing for Terry's book back in summer, and had promptly forgotten all about it until two days ago, when I got the email announcing testing would begin and I was one of the lucky testers! And you, lucky blog readers, will get to see some of the fruits of this delicious, delicious labor. I can't post info on any of the recipes (obviously) but I can post pictures, so get ready to be tempted by Terry's amazing international vegan cuisine. I. Can't. Wait.

I'm readying my first grocery list to start cooking tomorrow, and I'll post pics of the first round of dishes later this week. Seriously, this is the coolest vegan-related thing since seeing some behind-the-scenes pie photo sessions in Omaha this past spring. Speaking of vegan pie, you all have this by now, right? If not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Your belly will thank you.

About those updates...

Clearly I'm a liar. A terrible, no-good-nick who lies about re-starting her blog.

But stick with me here.

Come October you'll start seeing those regular posts I mentioned back in early September. I might have jumped the gun a lil' bit and promised regular updates when I knew I didn't have the time to properly follow thru. But trust me when I say I've been cooking up lots of yummies, and I can't wait to share them all with you. In October.

In the meantime please accept this cat pile as my humble apology.

Oh hai...

It's been almost a year since my last post - gasp! Shame! Guilt!

Life has a funny way of unfolding. I'll probably - eventually - fill in some details of what I've been up to over these past few months, but suffice it to say my life has been bursting with good friends, tasty eats, relaxing yoga, inspiring creative environs, bike rides, and yummy cocktails. I've been cooking and baking up numerous storms, and I'm sure I'll mention some of those noms, too.

For anyone who's stuck around this here dusty blog, you're crazy, and I love you for it. Hopefully your patience will be rewarded with my dazzling wit and yummy creations. But really, this little interweb space is more for me than anyone else, so I'm aiming to dazzle myself. Hmm... that doesn't sound right... but you know what I mean.