Easy 'Homemade' Chinese Food

My boyfriend and I were craving Chinese food late the other night. One of the downsides of [temporarily] living in the suburbs is that everything closes early. Something we have had to adjust to since our city lives have come to a [momentary] halt. We headed to the super-market (fortunately they are open later) with hopes of finding something...even if it was a frozen Chinese meal.

We found refrigerated soft noodles (Marucan brand) and vegetable egg rolls (Chang brand) in our freezer section. We also grabbed some stir-fry veggies.

I stir-fried the noodles, veggies, and some tofu I had on hand. I added soy sauce and the package of seasoning that came with the noodles (probably the same used for cheap ramen noodles).

Then the egg rolls went into the oven for fourteen minutes, while we steamed edamame (on hand) and brewed some Chinese green tea.

The meal was an overwhelming success. The eggrolls were a huge surprise in and of themselves.

Maybe not the best pictures ever, we were hungry.

All we needed were chopsticks. 

Also very reasonable. A whole meal for two for probably less than $15 (depending on what you already have).

Super Easy Hair Accesory

Sometimes I want something new to wear. I usually end up knitting a new scarf to throw over whatever t-shirt I'm sick of looking at. Same goes for hair accessories, however, I'm often at a loss of what to do. Here is the easiest solution that I have come up with. Best part: you probably own everything you need to make 'em! Hip-hip hooray!

Glittery bobby pins! I used the larger size, but small would work just as well. 

Here is how you make them (are you ready for this?)

Step #1 Clip bobby pins on a piece of paper.

Step #2 Glitter glue the heck outta them.

Step #3 Let them dry.

Step #4 (optional) Glitter glue more and let dry again, if you see fit.

Bam--you're done.

I Died, then Came Back to Life & Simple Paper Flowers

Thats why I've been missing.

Happy April Fools and hello again dear friends. I've been gone partly because I've been a lazy bum and partly because I have been busy as heck (sounds contradictory, but I can assure you that they are not).

For Easter I made these super simple paper flowers. Made them quickly and they turned out great. I did not get around to giving them stems, but other than that...they were pretty awesome.

Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcake

These cupcakes are awesome! I have made them several times since I first discovered the recipe. I think you could get away without mentioning the 'sugar-free part' and no one would know.

Vegan Triple Chocolate Cupcakes

Filling:

5.5 ounces silken tofu, drained

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup agave

1. Melt the chocolate and agave over a double boiler until perfectly smooth. Set aside.

2. Puree the tofu in a food processor, until perfectly smooth. You will need to scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. 

3. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the tofu and process until smooth and thick. 

4. Set aside while you bake the cake.

Cake:

1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1/4 cup cocoa, sifted

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup agave

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 12 muffin tins with papers.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

3. Melt the chocolate and oil in a medium sized bowl over a double boiler until smooth. 

4. Whisk the agave into the chocolate mixture. 

5. In a third bowl whisk together the soy milk, vanilla, and vinegar, then stir it into the chocolate mixture. Whisk the wet mixture into the dry. 

6. Divide the batter into the muffin cups and bake for about 18 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.

7. Using a paring knife cut out a portion of the cupcake, to make a space for the filling. Don’t cut too much away or the cupcake may not have enough structure and fall apart.

8. Use a pastry bag with a round tip to fill the cupcakes with the filling and spread it smooth.

Ganache:

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons coconut milk

1. Melt the chocolate and milk over a double boiler until smooth.

2. Spoon the ganache over the top of the cupcakes.

3. In the pictures, I put crumbled candy-canes on top (so there was sugar there..) they proceeded to melt into the ganache and made them pepperminty. Good - oops.

If I don't get around to posting my cake from this evening before Christmas have a beautiful and peaceful holiday.

I originally found the recipe here.

Steeping Tea

All of my general kitchen equipment is locked away in storage many, many miles away. I have two tea steeping objects with me in the meantime. One of which is fairly good and the other (see picture) is not. This one sinks into all of my mugs leaving tea leaves floating in my water. I came up with this concoction and it really works (in my seasonal mug of course).

At this time I do not have anything else to say or report. Refined Sugar Cupcakes to come. Yum!

Advent Calendar of Inspirations

Why yes I am posting about my Advent Calendar 13 days before Christmas. I wanted to make an advent calendar this season, however, I did not feel that I needed to be eating a piece of chocolate everyday for 25 days or something equally as traditional as sweets (I eat enough sweets between December 24th through New Years to make up for 'lost time'). After some long hard thinking about what I would like to see each day for 25 days I came up with the idea of an positive quote a day.

Also, thinking on a budget I went for making it out of items that I already have. Card-stock, festive string, glitter glue, a Sharpie, and printable address labels.

Instructions Simply Are: 

1. Pick out 25 quotes for the calendar

2. Print those quotes onto address labels (or write them if you feel so inclined)

3. Attach to number card-stock

4. Glitter glue wherever you see fit (or use stickers, drawings, you name it)

5. Hang and turn over each day for a new day of inspiration

If you would like a list of the quotes I used, let me know and I'll make them available to you. However, I encourage you to pick ones that speak to you personally.

 I will leave you with one: "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." - Audrey Hepburn 

Vegan Thanksgiving: Little Additions & Dessert

As you have probably figured out by now I am pretty simple when it comes to Thanksgiving. I really enjoy cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, but the past few years I have been moving around and haven't had a lot of time to do so around my Thanksgiving meal. Someday, for sure. 

Little Additions:
Nutritional yeast is a nice addition to any vegan table (Thanksgiving or otherwise). The name makes it sound very unappealing and truth be told the first time I had it I was not in love, but the taste has grown on me immensely. Basically it is a vegan cheese substitute. They are little flakes that have a cheesy-type flavor. I would argue that it is a better cheese alternative than some of the 'made to taste and melt like' cheese alternatives on the market today. You will notice that it is in my gravy recipe from yesterday, but it also tastes good just sprinkled on say a baked yam or mashed potatoes. You can pick it up in most health store bulk bins. 

Earth Balance is a staple on the vegan table (sandwich, potato, toast....). It is a vegan margarine that is available almost anywhere here in California (and I would assume elsewhere). Now, sometimes the word 'margarine' is off-putting, however I would take Earth Balance over real butter any day. The ingredient list is short and understandable and the flavor is outta this world good. I know non-vegans who choose Earth Balance to anything else. They sell sticks for baking and tubs for those of us who just cannot get enough! Here is the website, so you can see how much there really is available.

Desserts:
I love, love, love pumpkin pie. I have made many vegan pumpkin pies over the years all from different recipes (usually not vegan to start with) and been able to add in soymilk, Earth Balance, or egg substitues. If you are looking for a vegan pumpkin pie recipe though, Post Punk Kitchen is a good place to go. I cannot vouch for this recipe myself, but Isa Chandra Moskowitz (the creator) has never steered me wrong. Ever. Voluptuous Pumpkin Pie.

Apple Pie:  Here is a post I did about Apple Pie in 2011. Really the same rules apply for apple pie as they do for pumpkin: take a recipe you love and change as needed. As far as the Pillsbury (pre-made) crusts that I referenced--they are vegan and quick. 

The Best Pumpkin Muffins: It would be a sin if I wrote a post about vegan Thanksgiving and did not talk about these. I have been making these for years. Originally from the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance, also by Issa Chandra Moskowitz (creator of Post Punk Kitchen). 

The Best Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 c. pureed pumpkin (Fresh or from a can; do not use pumpkin pie mix)

1/2 c. soy milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 T. molasses

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a twelve-muffin tin.

2. Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, soy milk, oil, and molasses. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

3. Fill the muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

That being said, have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving.