Chickpea Sloppy Joes

A sandwich packed with meaty texture and great flavor.

As we all try to calm down from Sunday's terrible series finale of an otherwise bad Game of Thrones season (cheer up with my Missandei and Grey Worm appreciation post), let's get back to the kitchen and soothe our wounds with food, primarily with the amazing versality of chickpeas.
I think a lot of other vegans will agree-- chickpeas are endless recipe foundations. They can become anything even sloppy joes, a childhood favorite. I seasoned fork mashed chickpeas the same way as my Walnut Almond "Meatballs" and the results were absolutely delicious. Something about Liquid Aminos, cumin, and coriander screams "meaty" flavor. I'll likely mix this together and put it in the refrigerator with that name.
If you don't have any chickpeas, lentils would be a perfect substitute.

Chickpea Sloppy Joes Ingredients and Preparation

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and smashed
1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon garlic
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 cup vegan mozzarella

Heat up skillet and layer with olive oil.
In a bowl, mix mashed chickpeas with Liquid Aminos, cumin, coriander, and garlic.
Pour chickpea mixture into skillet and stir until evenly browned. Add tomato sauce.

Melt in the vegan cheese and remove from heat.

Spread on bread and sprinkle with extra basil.

Chocolate Pound Cake With Icing and Almonds

A moist, chocolaty goodness cake.

I made my first chocolate pound cake weeks ago. Unfortunately, the ingredients weren't cohesive-- meaning every other bite contained a fleck of flour or so. That's an absolute nightmare for a baker. Thankfully, last night's effort came out perfect. I used Alison's Poundcake With Almond Icing recipe as a basis for my version, melting in pieces of Theo Chocolate's Baking Bar into the vegan butter and sugar. The is an exceptional chocolate flavored treat, a must have for chocolate lovers. I might have another slice with Nada Moo's Gotta Do Chocolate as a nod to my mom.

Chocolate Pound Cake With Icing and Almonds Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup vegan butter (used Miyoko's Kitchen)
1 cup cane sugar
4-5 squares Theo Chocolate Baking Bar
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon soy milk (or any other dairy free alternative)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup slivered almonds
pinch of cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix soy milk and lemon juice together. Set aside and allow to curdle.
In a double boiler, melt butter. Add in sugar and chocolate, stirring until evenly blended.
Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt.
Blend chocolate butter mixture with dry ingredients. Add the milk. Stir well, but do not over mix.
Pour into a parchment paper inserted baking pan.
After 40 minutes, remove cake out of the oven and place a tented foil over the top, careful not to touch the cake. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Let cake cool for a bit. Whip powdered sugar, soy milk, and vanilla. Pour over the cake and top with slivered almonds and extra cocoa.

Before the baking.

Plated and iced.

The first slice was divine.

Nada Moo's Gotta Do Chocolate

I have told this story a thousand times, but it is the purest truth. My mom always made or bought me a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream on my birthdays. Occasionally, I got to choose chocolate chip or chocolate swirl ice cream to cut down on the overload. Thus, I never had the full courage to disclose to her that I didn't like chocolate ice cream.
Yet Nada Moo has definitely changed my mind.

Nada Moo has been a favorite ice cream brand for a while now. Their mint chocolate chip is pure heaven. I found Gotta Do Chocolate pint at the neighborhood grocery store (which is slowly churning out vegan products). At $7.59, it would be a rare treat, considering that at Whole Foods Market the ice creams are frequently on sale for $4.99. Still, Nada Moo is a great company, being one of several ice cream manufacturers on the Food Empowerment Project list.

From the first incredible bite, Gotta Do Chocolate embodies wonderful bliss. The delivery of sweetened chocolate and coconut cohesively mixed together creates tantalizing moments on the tongue. Nothing at all like the bland chocolate ice creams of past birthdays and other random special occasions. Maybe it is the organic cocoa or maybe it is the coconut milk base-- either way this perfectly nuanced chocolate ice cream brings pleasant thoughts wrapped in newfound happiness.

Flatbread Pizza With Mushrooms and Onions

Flatbread pizza is easy to prep at home. 

May the Fourth be with you all today! Perhaps, like me, you too went to the comic book shop to snatch up great things to celebrate Free Comic Book Day. Unfortunately, while I managed to get the coveted Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel/Serenity freebie, they didn't have delicious vegan baked goods for sale at Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse.

I bought only an Angel comic and received three freebies.

This beautiful book was a treat. It's a shame who wrote the forward-- hence the intentional cropping.

Last Saturday, my former grad school classmates and friends treated me to lunch in my neighborhood at Pizza Brain-- the first and only pizza museum in the country. The spot is very hilarious-- action figures, old TV/film posters featuring pizza. It was the perfect backdrop to rehashing school memories whilst laughing at some random object on display. I had a wonderful time.

We split this gorgeous pizza pie.

Vegan pizza with Daiya mozzarella and mushrooms.

The pizza craving hit me again. Yet pizza dough is tedious work if you're not in the mood, especially waiting for hours. Flatbread is the perfect solution-- that is after the whole soft tortilla idea. For easy flatbread, Veganosity's recipe is a must! My flatbread is twice prepared-- pan seared and baked (just to melt the vegan cheese).

Flatbread Pizza With Mushrooms and Onions Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoon olive oil

olive oil
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped and diced
salt and black pepper to taste

tomato or pizza sauce
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegan cheese (used Trader Joe's Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds)

Sift flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, garlic, and salt together.
Gradually add water and olive oil.
Knead with hands, adding more flour to all sticky parts.
Once a large cohesive ball is achieved, flatten and cut into six parts.
Flatten these six parts until desired thickness.
Heat up a skillet and add oil.
Lay in three at a time, browning both sides.
Preheat oven to 400 and then prepare the mushrooms and onions, pan searing them with salt and pepper until browned and shrunken.

On a baking sheet, lay down the flatbread and top each with tomato sauce, mushrooms and onions, nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, and Italian seasonings. Bake for 10 minutes.

Serve and eat accordingly.