The Little Vegan Kitchen

I make vegan food that does't taste like dirt and won't burn down your house. Click the recipes tab to see my original recipes! https://thelittleveganlife.com

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Petite Vegan Earl Grey Scones

Lately, I’ve been living and breathing Earl Grey tea. I’ve been drinking London Fogs all day every day, I’m pretty sure I’m starting to speak with an English accent too..

Needless to say, today I woke up with the strongest craving for something kissed by bergamot, and nothing else would do but these scones. Like my Earl Grey cupcakes, we are putting tea leaves directly into these scones so don’t mistake me for some fool who is going to call this an Earl Grey scone if it doesn’t actually taste like a cup of tea.

Heres what you’ll need to make 18 mini scones:

2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/3 cup sugar 3 bags of Earl Grey tea 1/4 cup cold vegan butter 1/4 cup cold coconut oil 3/4 cup soy milk

In a mixing bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and the tea. Then cut the coconut oil and butter into the flour. I do this with a whisk, but if you have a pastry cutter, use that. Once the chunks of oil and butter are pea sized, moisten the dough with the milk. You should be able to form it into a ball, so use less or more as needed. At this point, separate the dough into 3 even sized balls. Flatten each of them into a disk 1″ in height, and cut into 6 triangles. You will have 18 scones. Bake on a parchment lined sheet at 400 F for ~15 minutes. They should be just slightly golden.

To make the glaze, just pour icing sugar into a bowl and add some soy milk until its the right consistency. Dip them, add any toppings, and they’ll be set within a few minutes.

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts

I’m sorry for being so inactive on here recently. But, boy, have I got a treat for you today. I work at a bakery (not vegan unfortunately) and we’ve been creating pop tarts, but not like the rock hard crumbly ones you find in boxes. The pastry on these is flaky and buttery, while the filling is sweet and rich and pretty much irresistible. I just had to come up with my own vegan recipe. 

The weather around Vancouver has been a little gloomy so I was inspired to bake something autumnal. These pop tarts have a sweet maple pumpkin pie filling, encased in a flaky cinnamon pastry topped with a maple glaze.

If your mind isn’t already blown, wait ’til you see how easy they are to make. Here’s what you’ll need: (makes ~10)

Pastry:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 tbsp cinnamon 3 tbsp coconut sugar 3/4 cold vegan butter 6-7 tbsp ice cold water

Filling:

1 cup pure pumpkin puree 1 tsp pumpkin spice (or equivalent of ginger, cloves, nutmeg) 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup coconut sugar maple syrup to adjust sweetness

Glaze:

1/2 cup icing sugar 2-4 tbsp maple syrup

To start making the pastry, combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then add your cold butter, and begin to cut it into the flour. I used a whisk to do this, but you could use a pastry cutter if you have one, or even a fork. Cut until the chunks of butter are pea sized. It should look something like this:

Next, add in the cold water a couple tablespoons at a time using a spatula. You just want to moisten the dough enough so it can be kneaded into a ball.

Once you managed to do that, flatten it into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. The dough will be easier to work with. Once chilled, dust your work surface with flour and roll out the dough. It should be a couple of millimetres thick. Then cut the dough evenly into 3×4” rectangles. Re-knead the excess dough to cut another sheet.

To make the filling, just combine everything in a bowl and adjust the spices and sweetness to your liking. Then place a tablespoon of the filling onto half of the rectangles.

Moisten the edge of the rectangles with some water and add the second half on top. You’ll then need to pinch the edges together with a fork, and poke holes in the top to let any air escape. I brushed the tops of my tarts with maple syrup to give them more color, but this is optional.

Bake in the oven at 375 F for 25-30 mins and you have heaven in the shape of a rectangle. All you need to do is add maple syrup to the icing sugar to make the glaze, enough until it can be drizzled.

Just check out the texture on these, you can see the layers of the pastry and how airy and crisp it is. This is the perfect texture for pop tarts.

The bottom should be just golden, and you can see the layers of flour and butter. Pastry is just an amazing thing. Give these a try and you’ll have the perfect sweet snack or on-the-go breakfast!

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Easy Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies

This is my kind of adaption of hot for food's double chocolate cookies. I was in the mood for a chocolate fix, but adjusted the ingredients to make them slightly cleaner and also made the recipe smaller since the cookies would just be eaten by me!

What you'll need:

1 1/8 cups unbleached flour 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 + 1/8 cup coconut sugar 1/2 cup coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tblsp molasses 1/8 cup soy milk 1/2 vegan chocolate chips

All you have to do is mix all the wet, then add all the dry! Roll into balls and bake for 10 mins at 350 C. Super easy and delicious.

[asknourishnotpunish]

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Hahaha

[veryhappyvegan]

of course i’m allergic to ingredients in all of them, but it’s always great to see more vegan options hitting the shelves.

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Ugh why don't they have these in Canada yet 😩

[veganlivesveganvibes]

Easy Vegan Strawberry Cheesecake

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Vegan Cauliflower Roast

When I first heard about substituting a freaking cauliflower in place of chicken or beef as a roast, I thought okay as a vegan, I can actually say vegans have gone too far…

Until now. Roasting cauliflower is pretty simple really. Stick it in the oven then eat it, but it’s really about getting the right texture and flavour. When done right, cauliflower is tender and meaty, and you can eat the whole head without feeling sick. This is a beginners guide on how to make the perfect Cauliflower roast.

You’re going to start with a head of cauliflower, washed with the leaves removed. I baked mine in a cast iron skillet, but you can use any baking dish. Be sure to cut the leaves carefully and not too much of the stall or else the head will fall apart.

You’re then going to rub the cauliflower with a garlic dressing. To make it, blend or mash with a mortor and pestal:

5 cloves of garlic 2 tblsp olive oil 1/2 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp sage Salt and pepper to taste I used a pastry brush to ensure all the flavour encasef the cauliflower, but you can use your hands too.

Next, cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350 C. After then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until golden brown and crispy on top. I served mine with sauteed Brussels sprouts, but this would go well with anything you’d serve with a roast, even just on its own.

Give this a try and get creative with using your vegetables! Try this with teriyaki glaze, or curry flavour, or barbecue, it’s super versatile. Who knew vegetables could be so appealing?

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Healthy Vegan Pesto

This is probably the tastiest healthy pesto you’ll ever make.

I love basil; and this pesto tastes just like a traditional pesto but we cut out the cheese and add some extra greens. You can stir it into pasta or spread over a pizza, it will really taste good on anything. To make this you’ll need:

Bunch of basil Bunch of kale 1/2 cup almonds 5 cloves garlic 1 avocado 2 tblsp nutritional yeast 2 tblsp olive oil 1 tblsp lemon juice Salt & pepper to taste

All you’ll need to do is blend everything up in a food processor and you’re good to go. If your pesto renders thick and you want it thinner to mix into pasta, I would as a tablespoon of non dairy milk and reblend until you reach the desired consistency.

This pesto is loaded with nutritional greens, has b12 from the nutritional yeast, healthy fat from the olive oil and avocado, and is super fresh and creamy. Give this a go when you’re too lazy to cook up a pasta sauce and don’t want to use anything out of a can!

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Vegan Birthday-Cake Cupcakes

This is your new go-to, foolproof vanilla cupcake recipe for when birthdays swing around the corner.

These cupcakes are light, sweet, moist, and heap of vanilla give them the most iconic birthday cake taste. Top with pink frosting and colourful sprinkles and you’re set with a classic that won’t displease anyone.

To make these cupcakes you will need: (Makes 12)

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 cup cane sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk 1/4 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup vegan butter 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Start by beating the butter, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add in the milk and slowly mix until combined. Add in the flour, baking soda and powder and stop mixing as soon as there are no lumps on a medium speed, if using a mixer. Finally, add in the vinegar and immediately fill your cupcake liners. Evenly distribute between 12 liners, you can also make up to 15 if you fill them just halfway, they rise quite a bit. Bake at 350 C for 18-22 minutes.

The cupcakes should be golden, not browned. The surface should be springy to the touch, if it doesn’t spring back and leaves an indent they are not ready. You can also insert a toothpick in the centre and ensure it comes out clean.

As you can see, these cupcakes are light sweet clouds. They are very fluffy and not heavy, so they make a perfect individual serving. A more fun, and personal treat as opposed to a slice of cake.

To make the frosting, you’ll need:

1 cup vegan butter 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4-5 cups icing sugar 2-3 tablespoons almond or soy milk pink food coloring

Whip the butter and shortening until fluffy and glossy. You want to incorporate as much air as possible to ensure a fluffy frosting. Add in the icing sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness and texture. If your frosting becomes too stiff, loosen it with a couple tablespoons of milk. This makes more icing than needed, but can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. You’re bound to have a birthday within that time! You can also half it.

Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before icing. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge and pull put 1 hour before serving to come to room temperature. Don’t forget the sprinkles, otherwise you’ve basically wasted all your time making these cupcakes and you’re an awful friend.

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Crinkle cookies. What's the deal. Are these the new macarons? Why do they do the thing?  

I'm taking these cookies to a vegan potluck and the weather is extremely gloomy here in Raincouver, so I figured these sunny cookies should set the mood right! These cookies are chewy and light, and just the perfect amount of sweet. What gives them the texture on top is the slight caramelization of the sugar that you roll them in before baking. The sugar forms a layer on top of the cookie as it bakes, which breaks up as the cookie spreads in the oven. The crinkle effect didn't turn out as much on these as I wanted, so I found some tips to make them work out better which will be listed at the bottom of this blog. On to the recipe. To make these you'll need:

1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla Zest and juice of 1 lemon 1 flax egg (1 tblsp flax, 3 tblsp water) 1.5 cups flour 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder Non dairy milk Pinch of salt Icing sugar 

Start by creaming the sugar and coconut oil. Then add the vanilla and lemon zest and juice. Once combined, mix in the flax egg. Then add all your dry ingredients. If the mixture is crumbly, add in some non dairy milk to help it mix together into pliable dough. Roll cookie dough into balls and coat in icing sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 C for 12-15 minutes.

I initially chilled the dough when making these, which prevented them from spreading to their fullest, and causing that nice crackled effect on top. I also found that the icing sugar melted pretty quickly, so you can roll the cookie balls in granulated sugar first, then in the icing sugar.

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Banana “Nice” Cream

New year, new you, huh? Did you promise yourself that 2017 is going to be the year where you finally take care of your health, stop eating sugar, and get in shape, yet all you crave is ice cream? Well this has you covered.

This shit is bananas. I'm not kidding. The only ingredient in this soft serve is literally bananas. But pay attention on how to properly make it as I've seen many do it wrong and not have trust in this amazing thing.

You have to use food processor. You can not use a blender to make nice cream. You might get away with making this in a vitamix or other high power blender, but I make this in my $40 food processor and it comes out perfect every time. The blades on a food processor are a lot bigger and the surface area is more shallow which allows for more aeration. This means a fluffier and creamier ice cream because it whips air into the product.

Chop your bananas before processing. After you have frozen your bananas, cut them up into coins and throw into the food processor. When blending. You want to pulse for around 10 seconds at a time and constantly scrape down the bowl. The banana coins will break up into little bits, so keep pushing them down and pulsing until you get a creamier result. This is the stage in which you will let your food processor go on high speed and you'll notice the ice cream will turn a bright white color and when you run a spatula through it, it will render as soft serve. Use non dairy milk a couple of tablespoons at a time to loosen it up if your bananas are super hard.

Add your favourite toppings. The flavour of this ice cream is so nice and has a slight sweetness. The banana is not overpowering since a lot of air has been mixed into it, but the flavour is still there so you want to think smart if what you mix in. I love mine rather simple. I usually scoop some peanut butter on top, or I will drizzle with maple syrup and dust with cinnamon. You can add cocoa powder to make it chocolatey, other fruits, nuts, seeds, coconut. It works well with pretty much anything so go freaking bananas with it.

[thelittlevegankitchen]

Squish Candy: The best new vegan candy?

A bunch of my coworkers were talking about this candy and urging me to try it. They talked about it several days in a row and my first thought was “What’s the big deal? It’s just candy I doubt it’s that good”…. Until I tried it. I am convinced. I am not a big candy eater, it’s very rare you’ll find me spending money on candy. But these were gifted to me and I figured it was worth a try. These candies are worth the price point, and now my New Years resolution to give up sugar is going to be a lot more difficult! Let me tell you why.

If you look at the label of any candy that is accidentally vegan, you will see a whole list of ingredients that is rather frightening and sounds like a list of gases found on Jupiter. Not with these candies. They are not a vegan based maker of candies, but they have a selecti on of vegan candies to fit everyone’s needs. On the ingredients list, you’ll find real words that are derived from real foods. Even the colouring is natural and plant based. Even better, they are naturally flavoured. And you can tell. When you bite into a lemon flavour, you taste real tart Meyer lemon. When you bite into an orange flavour, you taste a juicy orange, not a fake artificial flavour you’ll find in most candies that lingers around your gums for several hours after. I usually hate green apple flavoured things, however I found that with these candies, the apple was my favourite. It was juicy and tart and really tasted like apple. The candies are also coated in organic cane sugar, so if you can manage to not eat nearly two packs in one sitting, you won’t get a candy hangover.

The other pack holds one of the most amazing tasting gummies I’ve ever set my tongue on. It was a strawberry rhubarb flavour which was rather sophisticated for a candy, but boy was it good. I wouldn’t get sick of them. Every 15 seconds my hand was reaching back into the bag for another without me even noticing and I told myself “ok just one more” about a dozen times. It tastes like real strawberry with the tart earthiness of rhubarb. If you can find Squish in your area, I will be one of those people who urge you to try it too.

Nevertheless, candy is still candy and packed with sugar, but these ones you can feel okay about eating because the ingredients are natural and not packed with chemicals that sound like alien talk. I will warn you that it will be hard to stop eating these and you don’t want to consume that much sugar, so eat these with caution! I’ve warned you.

[veganhopes]

Sesame Tofu Buddha Bowl (Tofu, whole grain Rice, red Lentils, Chickpeas, grated Carrots, Broccoli + Soy sauce, tahini, agave syrup & sesame seeds)

[Inspired by Taylor & Sharla]

[namaste-nia]

i’m not really sure what i want to see happen in 2017 but hopefully there are lots of yummy vegan doughnuts like these 🍩🍩🍩😜

[zoeatery]

My sushi bowl from lunch today- sushi rice topped with greens, cucumber, broccoli, tofu, baked sesame seeds, sushi nori and avocado with some small cucumber and avocado sushi! Happy New Year everyone! Bring on 2017 ✨✨ 

I hope you all have an incredible year ahead of you

instagram: @veganzoejessica

[veganlivesveganvibes]

FUDGY VEGAN BROWNIES

[myboyfriendruinedmyusername]

-breathe-