Long overdue

Happy New Year!
(we're still in January so I'm not that late, really).
I hope you had a wonderful Holiday Season and that 2009 will bring you all the best of everything good.

You might have noticed that I have not been around here in a while and I have no other excuse than I didn't feel like blogging although I have quietly been visiting most of you.
Today though, I'm finally posting a bunch of photos to make myself want to cook.

I'll start by saying that I'm still very much into Breakfast Ice Cream.



But I finally tried it in a cone (I'm a big baby that way).



Believe me, an ice cream cone for breakfast makes you very popular with your own kids and they will gladly clean off their bedrooms after this if you play your cards right.



This was a fresh garden salad (it was fresh, back in September) with Goddess dresssing. I just can't wait for the snow to melt and start gardening again. OR, I want to move someplace where I can garden all year long. I would actually REALLY prefer the second option. Feel free to make location suggestions.



Could not resist :p



Veganomicon's White Bean and Leek Cassoulet. So good and satisfying! And there is never enough.



Rice Crispy Chocolate Swirls Squares made with Sweet & Sara Vegan Marshmallows! Again, my boys loved me :)



Vegan Bubble and Squeak with Gravy. This was an experiment and we totally loved it. I need to make some soon.



Thai Curried Chickpeas OR Curried Thai Chickpeas. I'm not sure. But it is one of those meals that is simple and done in 10 minutes (or so) and that makes you go mmmmmm! with every bite.



Vegan Swedish Neatballs (a variation of Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe). Another successful experiment. Now when we go to IKEA, we can bring a thermos of that stuff ... and shop, of course.



Vegan Maple Pecan Buns that are oooh, so good! Quick base recipe below. Have fun with it :)



One of the best things in the world: Jo Stepaniak's Vegan Gyros, from Vegan Vittles.



Same basic bun recipe but with date spread filling. Amazing, too!

I really recommend you try the following recipe if you like Cinnamon buns. Very quick to make and all my attempts were hugely successful. It was originally posted on the internet by Oneness, so thank you, whoever and wherever she is!

So here it is for today. Keep cooking, keep baking and Happy Vegan Eats!

Gooey Vegan Cinnamon Rolls


Rolls:
3/4 C unsweetend soy milk
1/4 C Earth Balance, softened
3 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 C white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C plus 2 TBS water

Filling:
1 C brown sugar, packed
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1/2 C Earth Balance, softened (I use about 1/3 cup or a bit less)

Glaze: (I half the glaze recipe)
2 tsp corn syrup (I use brown rice syrup)
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C icing sugar
4 TBS unsweetened soy milk

Instructions:
Heat the soy milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove
from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until
lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt;
mix well. Add water and the soy milk/margarine mixture; beat well. Add
the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each
addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a
lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon,
softened margarine.

Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with
margarine/sugar mixture (if you want you can add in some raisins or
nuts).

Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 2 lightly
greased rounds pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30
minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Combine
all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and mix until
smooth. Let rolls cool a few minutes then drizzle with glaze.