a boy & a bomber

vegan & gluten-free kitchen experiments and beer drinking adventures from a 22-year-old vegan boy in chicago who enjoys a good brew and a nice pair of oxford shoes.

[veganboybakingadventures]

Tunes & Brews - Pitchfork Music Festival Edition

I spent this past weekend enjoying the fine weather and good tunes over at the Pitchfork Music Festival that is held every year in Chicago's Union Park.  This year wasn't quite as crazy as previous years but I was definitely not complaining.The vibe surrounding the fest this year was super laid back and made for a very chilled-out weekend in the fest.  

The musical line-up this year was pretty well balanced between a fair amount of hip-hop acts (Earl Sweatshirt, Pusha T, School boy Q, Danny Brown, Kendrick Lamar), some staple indie rock bands (Real Estate, Tune-Yards, Magical Clouds, Wild Beasts, Grimes, Cloud Nothings), the newcomers (Twin Peaks, Mutual Benefit, Speedy Ortiz, Perfect Pussy, DIIV, Empress Of, Hundred Waters), as well as the classic indie big names (Neutrall Milk Hotel, Slowdive, Dum Dumd Girls, Beck, Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent).  

One of the things I really enjoyed about the fest this year was the beer.  This year's Pitchfork Fest was the second of a three year contract they have with Goose Island.  There was thirteen unique Goose Island beers being poured throughout the weekend with a couple of stand-outs from the staples of 312, Green Line, and the IPA.

My faves were the mighty tasty Devon Ale (a limited-release pale ale brewed with classic Indian spices, such as amchoor, cardamom and ajowan, plus chai tea) and the Rasselbock (a limited-release dark rye-wheat hybrid).  

And similar to last year, Goose Island brewed up a couple of special collaboration beverages specifically for the fest.  The first of the Festival-only beers that I tried was their collaboration "Recommended" pilsner that was created alongside the fine folks at Pitchfork Media.  This dry-hopped pilsner is delightfully refreshing but just a little too sweet and malty for my liking.  You don't get a lot of complexity here but I don't really think that's what they were going for.  "Recommended" pilsner I believe is a lager catering to those who tend to lean towards lighter summer wheat ales but don't want quite as much of a hop flavor which you get more on the nose than on the palate.  

The next of the limited-batch Fest beers was the SVE Kölsch, which was a dry-hopped kölsch style beer brewed with the help of the artist Sharon Van Etten.  The "SVE" was definitely the better brew of the two collaboration beers.  The Kölsch was actually very tasty for a very light-bodied beer.  It was crisp, pleasantly dry, grain forward, and an overall super drinkable beer that finishes with an almost banana/grassy fruitiness.  I definitely had my fair share of this beer at the fest.  

Were you at the fest?  What was the stand-out beer and artist for you?

I enjoyed pairing my SVE while zoning out to the drones of Slowdive.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Pitchfork Cool

Hey, 

Got some love from Circus Magazine on my recent trip back to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival. 

Check out my outfit on the fifth slide of the photo-real!

http://www.circus-magazine.com/old-style/2014/7/22/fashion-at-pitchfork-2014

Shirt: Asos Patterned short sleeve button up

Pants:  American Apparel Slim Slack

Shoes:  Doc Martens polka dot low shoes

[veganboybakingadventures]

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

With money magically disappearing from my bank account I'm finding myself lacking in many of my staple baking ingredients.  Whats even worse is that I have no way to replenish my pantry until my next paycheck.  Why do gluten free flours have to be so goddamned expensive?!... Oh well, c'est la vie de le cuisine sans gluten.  

Enter the wonders of almond flour and DIY oat-flour.  I made two variations on the batch.  They both came out great but the first batch was the favorite in my house.  Batch #1 is shown in the photo here and batch #2 was a plumper cookie rolled in toasted coconut. 

This recipe is so fuckin simple.  If you're even a little bit health conscious you should be able to find all the necessities in your pantry.  It only uses a few simple ingredients that are pretty much staples in any vegan pantry (at least my pantry).  If you don't already have these ingredients you probably shouldn't even be reading this.  

I made my own flours for the dough out of some leftover almonds and oatmeal I had laying around; two items I consume on a daily basis so I always have them on hand for emergency snacking purposes.  All you gotta do is simply drop 'em in a high speed blender or food processor until a flour is formed... and wallah!

Told you!  Fuckin easy.  I even baked these in a convention oven (toaster....) since my oven is still broken.  

The recipe for these scrumptious morsels went a little something like this:

Dry Ingredients:

- 1 cup almond flour

- 1 cup gluten free oat flour

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp baking soda

Wet Ingredients:

- 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/2 tsp almond extract (no biggie if you don't have it, the cooks just won't be as almond-y)

- 1/2 cup organic white cane sugar

- 1 tbs maple syrup (way better than agave in my opinion... plus not nearly as processed)

- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar (again, no problemo if you don't have some balsam laying around, I'm just kinda into it right now)

Methodology:

- Preheat your oven to 375F

- Mix together all of the dry ingredients

- Incorporate all of the wet ingredients

- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet.  About half way through adding the dry stuff, fold in the chocolate chips then continue to add the rest of the dry shit.  

- Scoop out the cookie dough onto a greased sheet and bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes rotating the cookie sheet 180 degrees half-way through.  

- Quickly consume all of the cookies alone in your room with the lights turned out while listening to Morrissey...

[veganboybakingadventures]

Beers to Write Home About: Surly Brewing

So for this week, I've been into some of the fine canned goods from the Minnesota brewery, Surly. 

Surly Brewery previously had their beers in the Chicago market a few years back but due to their local demand they pulled distribution from outside of their immediate market (sigh).  But this past winter Chicago welcomed the resurrection of Surly and the high fives and drunken belly bumps still haven't stopped.  

The first of their beers that I had the pleasure of trying was their flagship IPA, Furious.  Furious has really become one of my go-to beers when I don't really want to spend an hour browsing the beer aisle.  It has such a pleasant balance of bitterness and sweetness that keeps you coming back for more.  Between all those American hops and the malty, biscuity goodness, this beer hits all the right notes.  Furious starts off with a bright floral aroma followed by some nice grapefruit-citrus hoppiness throughout the tongue that ride all the way through the finish.  Furious is definitely one of the smoothest and most enjoyable IPAs I've had.  

The next beer from Surly is their west coast style IPA called Overratted.  This beer is excellent.  Although I don't get quite as turned on by this one, it's still great IPA.  Similar to Furious, you get a lot of that citrus sweetness, some grapefruit and mango vibes but even more so.  Guess that's the west coast style to a T.  Overratted is basically like a tropical, less malty, more hop forward version of Furious.

The third Surly Cerveza that I had the pleasure of having for the first time this past week is their Saison, CynicAle.  Let me tell you, this shit is good.  I've been really into the Saison style since the warm weather finally stuck it's head out of it's ass and I can't really think of a better style for patio pounding.  

CynicAle is up in my top 3 for the style.  It's light, crisp, and refreshing.  Definitely something you're gonna want this summer.  It has such a nice combo between the belgian yeast and malt sweetness but then all of the sudden does a backflip and showcases a surprising burst of hops on the finish.  The aroma is phenolic, slightly grassy and sweet.  You get some wheat-y sweetness along with some lemon zest and banana bread.  Drinkable, complex, and keeps you coming back for another sip.  

Last but definitely not least, is my favorite from Surly which is their Double IPA, appropriately dubbed Abrasive.  In the aroma you get a smacked in the face with hops on hops on hops quickly followed by citrus, toffee, and caramel.  On the tongue there's even more pungent bitterness.  Abrasive is flavor blasted with tons of tart orange pith, fresh mango and a big bready malt backbone.  Sweet, astringent, vegetal in character and extra extra dank in all the best ways.  

The finish leaves you super dry... or should I say 'abrasively' dry.  You get even more hop notes on the back end with an almost lemon rindness that makes you pucker a bit after swallowing.

If you see Surly on shelves definitely give it a try.  Their Bender, as well as the Coffee Bender are both super tasty.  I also have to mention Darkness which is one of my favorite imperial stouts but you can read all about that guy in a previous post dedicated specifically to the devastating brew.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Beers to Write Home About: 5Rabbit Cerveceria

This post is going to be the first of a new weekly series on craft beer.  In it, I'll be sharing my tasting notes and some other random thoughts that come to mind as I sit down and interview some tasty bevs from a selected brewery.  I'm going to call this series "Beers to Write Home About." 

So without further ado, here's the first of many posts to come. 

For the past couple of weeks I've been finding myself more often than not sipping on a beer from the local Chicago Brewery 5Rabbit Cerveceria.  This brewery offers a great variety of staple year-round brews as well as some seasonal beers that'll knock your socks off.  

When you look deep into the industry of craft beer there is a strong, tight nit culture within the threshold of each brewery's surrounding community.  More and more breweries are embodying the flavor of their local neighborhood. 5Rabbit Cerveceria is one such example.  With their innovation on creating an individual style and flavor that is modern in method yet antique in influence, this brewery is bringing the latin flair and passion to the market.  They are showcasing that massive Latin American demographic  nestled right in the heart of Chicago, IL.  Something definitely to be admired

Every single one of their craft beers exhibit very unique recipes.  For example, they are pairing classic Latin American ingredients to create an array of tasty choices for the drinker.  For example, in Huitzi they blend hops and malts with hibiscus flowers, ginger, thai palm sugar, and local Chicago honey to create a special bouquet of complexity that literally blossoms on the palate.  

The flavor profiles aren't the only unique take on their craft beers.  Behind each brew-concept is rich Indigenous Aztecan culture.  Almost every beer is fittingly named after an Aztec mythological deity (with the exception of their some of their seasonal offerings as well as their Gringolandia series which aims to impart a Latin presence in western style beers) such as in their winter seasonal Huitzi, "the Aztec hummingbird god Huitzilopoctli who smashed the winter to allow the sun to return, Huitzi looks forward to the brighter promise of spring", as described by their websites.  

Another riquísimo example of 5Rabbit is their seasonal Ki'Chun, which means "tasty start."  This bev is a Imperial Red Ale brewed with the addition of chanterelle mushrooms, Rakou hops, belgian yeast, and Thai Palm sugar.  

On the nose you get a nice bouquet of dried mangos and apricots with a little bit of banana bread-y-ness imparted by that belgian yeast.  The taste is similar to the aroma in that you get even more of belgian yeast along with some of the sweet and lightness that the Thai Palm sugar imparts.  On the back end you get some tropical fruit, toasted oat, and banana peel to round out the flavor.  The dryness from the oats gives a nice contrast to the sweeter aspects of the beer.

This is a tasty bev from a tasty brewery.  Give 'em a shot.  You won't be sorry...

[veganboybakingadventures]

Cinnamon Sugar Blondies

This latest creation finds me searching for the lighter flavors of summer to incorporate into a light, moist, and uber decadent summertime post-dinner muncheroo.  As soon as this came out of the oven I new it was going to be a hit.  The real inspiration for this recipe actually came from my craving for those snickerdoodle cookies they used to sell at the mall when I was a kid.  You know, those overly large sugar cookies that were garnished with cinnamon sugar and sometimes sprinkles.  I always preferred those over the similarly grand chocolate chip varietal.  

The addition of almond meal gives it a subtle nutty flavor that compliments the vanilla while the small amount of powdered sugar lends it a really nice light texture.  

Oh, and I can't forget about that hazelnut extract!  An ingredient that I've been playing around with lately.  It gives baked goods a really interesting complexity that I absolutely can't get enough of.  

Welp, here ya go:

Dry Ingredients: - 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

- 1/4 cup almond flour

- 1/4 cup oat flour

- 1 tsp xantham gum

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 cup diced almonds

Wet Ingredients:

- 1/3 cup Extra virgin coconut oil

- 1/3 cup brown sugar

- 1/3 cup Raw white cane sugar

- 2 tbs powder sugar

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp hazlenut extract

- 1 flax egg

- 3/4 C buttermilk (3/4 cup almond milk + 1 tbs ACV)

Methodology:

- Sift all dry ingredients except for the crushed almonds in a bowl. 

- Add 1 tbs ground flax seed with 3 tbs warm water and set aside for about 10 minutes

- add 3/4 cup of almond/soy milk with 1 tbs of ACV and set aside to curdle.  About 10 minutes. 

- In a separate bowl stir together all the wet ingredients. 

- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet then fold in the crushed almonds.  

Garnish:

- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

- 1/4 cup Brown sugar

- enough cinnamon sugar to lightly coat the top of the Blondies

- Pour balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a sall bowl.  Slice about six strawberries, add them to the mixture and leave in the fridge for about thirty minutes.  Garnish the Blondies with the strawberries and sprinkle cinnamon sugar over top before setting it in the oven.  

Give it a go.  Customer satisfaction guaranteed.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Maple Chocolate Cupcakes with PB, Banana, and Date Ganache

Woah, were these good.  Probably the most decadent creation I've made in the past couple of weeks.  I don't usually use this amount of sugar in my recipes but when you're making cupcakes (or anything cakey, really) you kind of need it.  I mean, why go out of your way to bake a cake that is bland.  Isn't the point of "sweets" to be, well, sweet?  My thought exactly. And that is one of the things I love about baking.  Experimenting with all different types of "natural" sweeteners.  

*And to be honest, there actually is less than half of the amount of sugar in my cupcakes than what goes into traditional cupcakes.  Oh, and I did already say this but I use much healthier natural versions of the sweet stuff, the frosting doesn't even have any sugar besides the sweetness of the bananas and it is amazing (I totally wasn't eating spoonfuls of it from the bowl...). 

So don't be shy.  Have a lil nibble.  You won't regret it.  

Dry Ingredients:

- 1 cup gluten free flour (Bob's Red Mill)

- 1/4 cup oat flour

- 1/4 cup almond flour

- 1 tbs corn starch

- 3/4 tsp xantham gum

- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

- 1/3 cup cacao powder

Wet ingredients

- 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil

- 1/2 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 maple syrup

- 2 tbs agave nectar

- 2 tbs raw peanut butter

- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract

- 1/4 tsp almond extract

- 1 cup buttermilk (for this one 1 C Almond Milk + 1 tbs ACV + 2 tsp flax)

- 1 flax egg

Methodology:

- Set oven to 350 F

- Make your flax egg and combine almond milk, apple cider vinegar, and flax and set aside for about ten minutes.

- In a bowl combine all of the dry ingredients.  

- In a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients and mix well.

- Once the wet and dry ingredients mixed in separate bowls add the “milk” and “egg” to the wet bowl and stir. 

- Slowly combine the dry ingredients to the wet bowl. 

- Lightly grease a cupcake sheet or line it with cupcake dresses and bake for approximately 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out all clean-like. 

Peanut Butter, Banana, Date Ganache

Ingredients:

- 5 frozen bananas

- 1/2 cup of peanut butter

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

- Thaw bananas for about two hours prior to blending so that they are soft but still frozen at the core. 

- Add everything to a high speed blender and process till very smooth

- Pour ganache in a bowl and place the freezer for about 30 minutes or until it is set and spreadable

- Ice the shit outta those cupcakes

*Pro tip: If you have the technology, stuff the center of the cupcakes in addition to frosting them, you'll thank me later.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

A Tasty Note "Founders KBS 2014"

The 'ol Kentucky Bourbon Stout.  The brew that is true.  

Here's what I took from this drinkie:

Empties into the chalice with the palace pitch black with a half a finger of foam and tons of sticky legs.  Big aroma of vanilla and coffee come to the front with some elegant bourbon heat and dark chocolate kindling to keep the fire ablaze.  The stout has a big fat body and chewy, almost pudding like feel as it cloyingly coats the tongue with sweet vanilla and molasses.  

With the taste you get an even bigger, tender embrace of vanilla and sweet chocolate with a butt of cherry-like fruitiness.  Sweet but not over abrasive on the tongue.  Reminds me of drinking a mocha or chocolate chip latte.  

(Or a subtle little frenchie on the mouth)

The bourbon is not very active in the taste but you can definitely tell it's there making this one very smooth all the way down.  

(Again, like a tender little smakaroo...  but maybe a bit wet) 

Chocolate dipped cherries, coffee and a bit of oaky smoothness balanced by some dipped black cherries on the back-end gives this stout a dry finish leaving your mouth coated...

making me think now of a wet smooch after she just ate a double dark chocolate, vanilla/bourbon ganache filled donut (that I had one time from the Cinnamon Snail Food truck in NYC).  She then proceeded to then brake into the food truck, lick the icing bowl clean, come back out to me and spit in my mouth...

but in a good way...  

Guess that's not so much a kiss anymore,

and I'm kinda starting to think she's an asshole.  

I have a few of these so it'll be fun to see how it tastes in a year.. or two or three.  I'm hoping it tastes like a hotdog.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Austin Cool

Hey look. 

Got spotted for my stylez

http://www.collegefashionista.com/style-advice-of-the-week-the-perennial-jacket/

I'll go ahead and fill you in on what I'm wearin:

Jacket: Blue Island Leather Biker Jacket (I wasn't vegan when I made the purchase... Didn't see a reason to just throw it out)

Shirt: J-Crew Slim Plaid Button Down

Pants:  American Apparel Slim Slack

Socks: Etiquette Clothiers Patterned Socks

Shoes:  John Varvatos Dessert Boots

*Blush* "Besides his adorable looks, our subject today stood from the crowd with his special attention to detail. From his cuffed jeans, to the printed socks and his suede shoes, one can’t help but swoon at his modern take of greaser inspiration."

[veganboybakingadventures]

Savory Garlic Rosemary Corn Bread Scones

Lately I've been on a huge corn meal kick.  I've been experimenting with a few different baking concepts using the grainy substance.  From making savory baked goods with Corn to even using it in sweet baked goods, such as my latest creation of corn meal brownies, I can't get enough of the stuff right now.  No idea why this affinity sprouted up but the possibilities seem endless using this ingredient.  

For this post, I selected my favorite of the corn creations that I've made so far.  I've actually made this recipe a few times now in the past couple of weeks because of how much I love it!  It pairs well by itself, toasted with some jam, or even as a vehicle for dips (I made some spicy red lentil hummus the first time I made the scones and they were absofruitly amazing together.  

This will surely become a staple in my arsenal of go-to recipes this summer.  

Recipe here, get:

Dry Ingredients:

- 1 cup gluten free flour

- 1 cup organic corn meal

- 1 tsp xantham gum

- 1/2 tsp sea salt

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tbs nutritional yeast

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 1 tsp oregano

- tsp paprika

- Enough fresh rosemary for garnishing the top

Wet Ingredients:

- 1 flax egg

- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar 

- 1/3 cup organic extra virgin olive oil

- 1 tbs organic agave nectar

Methodology:

- Make your flax egg and combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar and set aside for about ten minutes

- In a bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and spices and in a separate bowl combine the wet ingredients

- Once the wet and dry are together add the "milk" and "egg" to the wet bowl and stir. 

- Slowly combine the dry ingredients to the wet bowl. 

Once everything is incorporated divide the dough into two balls then spread each ball one-at-a-time to a lightly greased cooking sheet and top with the fresh rosemary.  

- With a wet sharp knife cut in diagonals, almost creating a "peace sign" into the dough and bake at 375 F for 12-15 minutes.  

*Warning to reader*  whole consumption of bread is 95% likely within first ten minutes of completion

[veganboybakingadventures]

Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Bread: OhMmmn

One of the few perks of working at Whole Foods is getting some free vegan food every now and then.  The other night the produce department came over to my side of the store with a few cases of bananas and let us take home the ones that were too ripe to sell the next day.  Of coarse I took full advantage and ended up taking about 10 dozen with me on my way out of the door (I biked home with two full bags of bananas.. in the snow.. butt naked..)...

Anyways, I now have a freezer full of bananas just waiting for me to take their peels off.  

And what better a way to undress a few bananas then to make some Banana Bread outta them!

I have a deep seeded love for banana bread.  It's one of those treats that is very nostalgic for me.  Everytime I make/eat banana bread I'm always transported back to the days of being a child, basking in the beautiful aroma that filled the kitchen whenever my mom baked it.  I would wait impatiently next to the oven for the loaves of banana bread to finish baking then slice into it and lather it in butter way before it even finished cooling.  

This latest recipe for Banana Bread came out so fuckin delicious that I scarfed down multiple slices in just a few minutes!  The texture was absolutely amazing: fluffy, super moist, with a nice outer crust that it held together perfectly unlike other attempts I've had in the past.

Here's the ish I used for this Banana Bread adventure

Dry Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour

- 1/2 oat flour

- 1/2 tsp xantham gum

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/2 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp ground cloves

- 1/4 tsp anise

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg

- 3/4 cup ground/crushed almonds plus a little extra for garnish

Wet Ingredients:

- 1/3 cups organic virgin coconut oil

- 4 over ripe bananas

- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/3 cup organic brown sugar

- 2 tbs organic maple syrup

- 1/2 cup un-sweetened almond milk

- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 1 flax "egg"

Method:

- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

- Add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk and set aside to curdle

- Make your flax egg (1tbs ground flax + 3 tbs warm water).

- Mash the bananas or process them in a blender till everything is gooey

- Incorporate all of the wet ingredients and mix well

- Sift together dry ingredients then add slowly to the wet ingredients

- Half way through mixing the dry and wet ingredients fold in the ground almonds.  

- Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan, sprinkle some of the left over almonds on top, and place in the oven four 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry.  

*Pro tip:  Toast a slice of the banana bread and smother it in some raw peanut butter for a decadent Elvis-style treat.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Deschutes The Abyss

It's black as night as it resonates it's dark frothy head out of the shadows and into the room.  Not a single particle of light is able to break through the clutches of the thick body.  It's tangibility is only present in the glass that contains it.  As it tries to break through it's infinite prison of glass, Abyss releases robust fumes of dark chocolate, even darker malts, and dare I say black strap molasses extracted from a forest that no man nor woman can name.  As I gain courage to greet this creature I am becoming aware of it's thick, sticky, and abrasively cloying nature.  As it sits up I am in full view of a huge body covered in threads of bitter licorice soaked in heated bourbon.  As I look further, the monster's limbs seem to be made out of pairs of burly oak tree trunks that could smash through concrete.  As it stands up it's heavy oak limbs are only balance by the presence of a dark roasted malt body masked in callouses of chocolate that are concealed in bourbon soaked garments that blend with it's bodily perspiration that resonates vanilla and molasses.  

As it exhales a massive breath, I am left covered in fumes of dark, dank fruits with a strong presence of bourbon hitting me straight in the face.  This creature is more bitter than most other entities that I have encountered on past journeys through the dark corridors of Russian Imperial Stouts.  But don't get me wrong, I am glad to have made it's acquaintance.  

Cheers, Chicago.  A toast to this infinite winter. 

[veganboybakingadventures]

Vegan/Gluten Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Espresso Cookies

Man oh man, were these cookies good.  I ate pretty much all of them throughout the day that I made these.  Excellent texture, not too peanut-ey with just the right amount of sweetness...  These might become a staple for me in my go-to cookie arsenal.  

I haven't been baking as much as usual lately because my oven is still broke... Which has been a real knock to me on my days off work. It's revealed how much I really rely on baking to calm the nerves and relax.  It's my kind of meditation or something along those lines.  I've been finding myself lost in what to do when I have free time on my hands!  I decided this weekend to give my oven a big middle finger and chose to experiment with my small convention oven/toaster contraption.  I had been skeptical of whether or not this machine could pull off some baking and needless to say my doubts were quickly vanquished after biting into one of these tasty little guys.

I was so impressed with how these cookies turned out that I made them again the next day!  The coffee really gives this recipe a nice smoothness and complexity in the flavor profile that I couldn't stop eating them.  But I mean, they're healthy, right?  Who am I kidding, I don't give a fuck, these are just so damn tasty and super easy to make.  

Here's the low-down ->

Dry:

- 2 cups gluten free flour

- 1/2 tsp xantham gum

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

Wet:

- 1/3 cup melted virgin coconut oil

- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

- 1 ground flax egg

- 2 tbs organic cane sugar

- 2 tbs organic brown sugar

- 1 tbs organic agave nectar

- 3 tbs organic raw peanut butter

- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

- 2 tbs black coffee

- 3/4 cup organic dark chocolate chips (I like a lot of chips)

Method:

- Preheat oven to 400 F

- Make that flax egg and let it goo-up! (1tbs ground flax + 3 tbs warm watah)

- Dump the dry stuff in a bowl and sift it down and up

- Drop the wet stuff in a mixing bowl and mix till everything has become one (make sure the coconut oil is in it's liquid form)

- Slowly add the dry guy to the wet and stir slowly while simultaneously folding in the chocolate chippies (where's my chippie...?).  Feel free to add more liquid if needed, (i.e. more coffee or more milk, choose your own destiny..)

- Bake 'em for about 12 minutes then eat one and burn your tongue

Welp... Try it out, munch 'em down, not much else to say about this recipe.  But don't be an asshole like me and eat them all...  Share them with yo friends.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Surly Darkness

This is one of those beers that has gained somewhat of a cult following similar to that of the mythical Russian Imperial Stout Dark Lord by Three Floyds.  And like Dark Lord, this RIS is released once a year on what has become known as Darkness Day.  I've been wanting to try this stout for quite some time and luckily for us in Chicago, Surly set aside a small amount of Darkness to be distributed specifically for us Chicagoans.  I finally had my chance to try it on draft this past January at the Judas Feast beer event at Bangers and Lace that boasted one of the most impressive draft list I've ever seen in one place at the same time.  The line-up for this event was comprised of five exclusive beers from craft brewers Three Floyds, Solemn Oath, Half Acre, Off Color, Revolution, and Surly.  Needless to say, it was incredibly difficult to make a decision on what to order.  Throughout the night I had some amazing beers... cough SOB Big Pern, Surly Misanthrope..cough... that I would love to write about but this post goes out specifically to #SurlyDarkness.  Oh, and I also managed to pick up a couple of bombers for my cellar a few days earlier.  

This one pours a sexy midnight-black with a seductive finger-length head that is dark brown, thick and carmel-like in color.  A bouquet of rich, luscious sweet chocolate and roasted malts immediately fills your nostrils to the brim.  The body is robust and chewy, almost velvety smooth like a tootsie roll as it coats your mouth in a massive wave of sweet chocolate and coffee with caramel and vanilla following closely.  Super rich and cloying on the palate.  Almost like drinking dark chocolate ganache or icing straight from the pipette.  Hmmm.  Theres some scrumptiously engaging notes of dark fruits such as figs and plums that start to come in on the nose as it warms.  A complexity of even more chocolate but this time accompanied by some sticky molasses and black cherries enters in on the end to give a sweet yet bitter-sweet, extremely smooth finish.  

Surly Darkness is viscous and creamy, velvety and sweet.  The alcohol presence really is only noticeable in the aroma and isn't detected almost at all on the palate.  As the beer gets warmer you start to get even more notes of vanilla and black cherries along with more of those heavily roasted malts on the tongue.  

4.5/5 noms is the rating I give this drank.  Can't wait to see how it noms, uh, I mean tastes after aging for a couple years. 

[veganboybakingadventures]

Cashew Cheese Dipping Sauce

So this’ll be a quick post but a very important one if, like me, you love sauce.  The other week I went down to my parents house in good ol’ TN before my adventure to Austin, TX for SXSW to get some work done on my teeth, not the funnest reason to go home but I made the most of it.  Whenever I’m at home I love to take advantage of my parent’s hospitality and experiment in the kitchen as much as possible because my little brother makes for a very good Guinea Pig to test my creations on (also, my parents will gladly purchase the ingredients for me hehehe…).  

Anyways, one of my fondest memories of growing up was making homemade pizza with all of my siblings.  My mom would make the dough a few hours ahead of time and when it was ready we would all make weirdly shaped breadsticks and roll out individual sized personal pizzas adding whatever ingredients we wanted from the myriad of toppings that momma had prepared for us.  Ah, good times growin up with a momma like mine.  

Needless to say, pizza night had been a long time in the making since I rarely get to go home now days…  I’m an adult!

Eventually I’ll dedicate a segment or update this post to include the pizza dough recipe but unfortunately I haven’t quite perfected it yet.  I mean, the dough we made this time was super close to how I wanted it to be but it was just a tad bit dry for my liking… Ce la vie for vegan gluten free baking.  At least I can give you a recipe for some cashew cheese pizza sauce that was incredible and can be used for pretty much any and all of your dipping/spreading/bathing desires.  

Ingredients:

- 2 cups cashews soaked over night

- 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste

- 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper or to taste

- 2 tbs nutritional yeast

- 1/4 cup silken tofu

- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

- 2 garlic cloves

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 tsp ground mustard seed

- 2 tbs lemon juice

Method:

- Just put everything in your Vitamix or slowly incorporate the ingredients into a Cuisinart and blend till its extra smooth and creamy then quickly devour, you will grow a tail.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

A Revolution to the Vegan

There are some things that I like and that I don't like about Revolution Brewpub.  First off, I'm not the biggest fan of their beers, although there are a couple that I have enjoyed in the past.  Secondly, their food menu doesn't really cater to a vegan demographic but I ironically find myself there for dinner more often than you'd think.  That being said, the other weekend I had a surprisingly great experience at Revolution.  It was a lazy Sunday and I was going out for a late brunch with a couple of people but unfortunately we missed the deadline for brunch over at Fritz Pastry (like we always do...).  

The others and I made the decision to try our luck at Revolution since we were starving and thought that it wouldn't be a super long wait that late in the day.  And what a good decision it turned out to be.  

I'll start by saying that our waiter was excellent.  He gladly catered to pretty much everything we asked of him and also suggested some pretty awesome substitutions to a few dishes for the vegans at the table.  

I ordered the Burrata Salad sans fromage et pan and added some grilled tofu.  The tofu was grilled and seasoned to perfection and complemented the earthiness of the arugula along with the sweetness of the candied almonds very well.  I also ordered their Gravedigger Billy to pair along side the meal and let me say that it is an exceptional scotch ale.  It's a Wee Heavy Ale that has been aged in Woodford Reserve Barrels for 11 months and you definitely get a lot of the bourbon up front in the nose and on the palate, which I love.  Even though it's fairly bourbon forward, the beer leaves plenty of room for a lot of vanilla, roasted malts and caramel in the mouth along with some really smooth marshmallow-like notes that leads to a super smooth finish, complemented the smokiness of the grilled tofu very well.  Great beer for a cold, gloomy Chicago day.  

If you're vegan and find yourself at Rev give this dish a chance and feel free to explore the more exclusive tap-room only beers while you're at it.  They also have a Tempeh Rueben that's not bad but no where near as good as the one being served next door at The Chicago Diner.  

[veganboybakingadventures]

Solemn Oath Combat Marshmellow

Mmmn and yum are the first words that run through my head a couple times as I enjoy this tasty bev.  It's one of Solemn Oath Breweries first bottled beers along with their IPA Ravaged By Vikings.  This one is described as an American Double Stout that is "full bodied, black in color.  Big roasted malt presence with notes of dark chocolate and coffee balanced by resinous, piney hop girth" and I'd say that's a pretty solid, short and sweet description of the stuff.  

This guy pours black with just a creamy, baby pillow of light lacing.  You pick up those roasty malts along with a couple tender kisses of vanilla and coffee.  Although it's said to be a double stout it actually has a lighter body than the appearance lets off.  I'm getting tobacco and leather up front on my taster radar.  Sensors are surprisingly indicating a fair amount of piney hop presence nestled underfoot along with a bitter-sweet chococo slap to the wrist as if your grandmama caught you reaching into the cookie jar.  Dark fruits proceed on the back end as if 'ol Granny forced you to eat some "healthy" figs and prunes instead of those chocolate cookies.  Hmm, now she's brewing Mr. Grandpap some coffee while he smokes a fat stogey.  Those a dark roasty presence rides in along with the butteriness/ frothiness of that buttercrème he has boiling on the stove.  It introduces itself with the aroma of the café as they are joined into one being.  More dark fruits are forced down your throat along with a bite of some hidden sweet caramel you stowed away in you shirt pocket (don't tell Grammy!).  Ohh, now that they've both gone to the study the cookie jar is in sight and unguarded.   You get some sweet chocolate coming in now, as you rapidly stuff chocolate cookies down your face crevice as fast as you can.  But there is still that lingering bitterness of the hops hanging in their the whole time.  Perhaps it's the flavor that comes from the gilt you feel of committing cookie theft, who knows. The finnish is bitter/sweet, dark and roasty as you lay in bed coughing from second hand smoke and having forgot to brush your teeth after wolfing down chocolate cookies immediately after choking down all those prunes.  You'll probably be constipated for a couple days..

Shame on you, but I know it was worth it ;)

Drink this now.