Recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars

These. Are. AMAZING. And EASY! And involve chocolate and peanut butter. So this is obviously a perfect recipe for a Veg Club meeting! :D

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups graham cracker or animal cracker crumbs
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup vegan butter, melted
• 2.75 cups powdered sugar
•  2 cups semisweet vegan chocolate chips, melted

Instructions

1.  In a bowl, stir together cracker crumbs (very finely ground in a food processor), powdered sugar, peanut butter, and melted butter.
2.  Press the mix into a 9x13 pan (we used a 9" pie pan instead).
3.  Melt chocolate and spread it on top of the peanut butter in the pan. (If you want less chocolate, use 1 cup instead.)
4. Chill for 5 minutes in the refrigerator so chocolate can set. (Chocolate can get a little hard being cold, so allow enough time for chocolate to soften a little before serving.)

Vegan Donuts

These mini-donuts are super easy and fun to make... but be careful not to set the smoke alarm off heating the oil like the person who created this recipe did! Makes 10 donuts and a lot of leftover frosting.

Ingredients
Donuts:
1 roll Pillsbury French Loaf
2.5ish cups vegetable oil
Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp vegan butter, melted
2 tbsp vegan milk
Topping (very approximate):
.5 tbsp brown sugar
.5 tbsp cinnamon
.5 tbsp vegan sprinkles

Instructions
     1. Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan (use enough for donuts to be able to float in) over medium-low heat; it is ready when it makes small bubbles around something you stick in it.
     2. In the mean time, tear the dough into 10 equal pieces. Form them into balls, flatten them a bit, and use your fingers to create a hole in the center. Set aside on a tray.
     3. Mix frosting ingredients in a bowl. Mix topping ingredients in another bowl. Feel free to experiment with other toppings or adding flavoring to the frosting!
     4. When the oil is ready, simply toss one or two donuts in at a time and flip over with a spatula, counting about 20 seconds on each side or until slightly golden brown. Set finished donuts on a tray lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
     5. Hand dip one (or both if you wish) side of each donut in the frosting. Use a spoon to sprinkle topping on the donuts (or dip in the topping if you wish).
     6. Eat within a day and enjoy! :)

Autumn Stew

This autumn-inspired dish was prepared by one of our members for our vegan potluck on Sunday.

Ingredients
For the stew:
1 cup onions/bell peppers (frozen mixed bag)
1 cup celery, chopped
5 large carrots
2 large red potatoes
1 butternut squash
1 zucchini
1 apple, peeled
1 cup lentils
3 vegan 'chicken' stock cubes
Oil (olive or vegetable)
Spices to taste (salt, garlic salt, paprika, several tablespoons cumin & cinnamon)
Optional accents served on the side:
2 large avocados, cubed
1 bunch kale, chopped finely
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions
1. In a large pot, put 8 cups of water and the stock cubes on high heat (boiling). Prepare ingredients, cutting them into chunks.
2. Stir-fry vegetables in a pan with oil over medium-high heat to brown them a bit and then add them to the pot. This will take several batches. Do it in the following order: onions/peppers/celery, lentils, carrots, potatoes, squash, zucchini/apple.
3. Add spices, taste and test the stew, and potentially add more water if needed along the way. Lower the temperature a bit and allow the stew to cook until you feel it has reached perfection!
4. On the side, offer guests (or whoever's eating this) avocado, kale, and brown sugar as potential (and super yummy) additions to the soup. Enjoy!

Apple Yam Yums

This was one of the sweet dishes prepared by one of our members for our vegan potluck on Sunday! It is traditionally called Apple Mallow Yam Yums but we could not find vegan marshmallows in time for the potluck so a homemade frosting was drizzled on top instead. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 apples, sliced (we used honeycrisp)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 17oz cans yams, drained
1/4 cup vegan butter
about 1 cup powdered sugar
about 3 tbs water or vegan milk

Instructions
1. Toss apples, pecan, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. In a casserole dish, alternate layers of this apple mixture and the yams. Dot with butter.
2. Cover and bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes.
3. Prepare a simple frosting by putting powdered sugar in a bowl and adding very small amounts of liquid (water or vegan milk) at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle this on top of the dish when finished baking.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie w/ Oreo Pretzel Crust

The name pretty much says it all... A DELICIOUS creation by one of our members. Seriously, YUM.

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups Oreo crumbs (about 16 Oreos)
2 cups pretzel crumbs
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted

For the filling:
1 8oz container vegan cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup vegan vanilla ice cream
2 tbs vanilla extract

For the topping:
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips, melted
Also try pretzel and Oreo crumbs

Instructions
1. Find a method of crushing Oreos and pretzels. If you have a food processor, great! We used a hammer and some creativity...
2. Mix Oreo crumbs, pretzel crumbs and melted butter and press into a pan (we used an 8x8 square pan). Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Then refrigerate.
3. Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and ice cream. Fill the cooled crust with this mixture.
4. Decorate the pie either before or after freezing, drizzling melted chocolate, sprinkling Oreo and pretzel crumbs on top... go wild!
5. Place pie (covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil) in freezer for at least 2 hours. Keep (and store) in freezer. Serve with vegan ice cream!

Experimental Granola Bars

These granola bars were an experiment by one of our members. The beauty of granola bars is that there is no perfect recipe and it is open to creative modification... so go wild and have fun, using this as a simple guide.

Ingredients
1.5 cup oats
0.5 cup roasted pepitas
0.5 cup raisins
1 large overripe banana
2 tbs syrup
2 tbs oil
1 tsp salt
0.5 tbs vanilla
1 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs cinnamon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss oats in oil and salt and toast the mixture in the oven on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes.
2. Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork until nearly liquified. Add to the mixture syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, raisins, and pepitas.
3. Add the finished oats to the bowl, mix, and pour into a small brownie pan, pressing the mixture down to pack it tightly.
4. Turn the oven down to 300 F and bake for 35-45 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and then cut into bars. Sprinkle extra cinnamon etc. on top if desired. Store in a container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Berry Cobbler

Mallory's delicious berry cobbler recipe comes from chooseveg.com, although it seems the authors of that post took it from a book called Healthy Eating for Life for Cancer by Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D. As we get further into summer, Veg Club suggests looking for fresh berries at the farmers market to use instead of frozen ones.

Ingredients
5-6 c frozen berries of your choice
1 and 1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 c and 2 tbs sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c vegan milk of choice

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Spread berries in a 9 x 9 in baking dish. Mix in 1/4 c flour and 1/2 c sugar, then put the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mix the remaining flour and sugar, as well as the baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the milk and combine into a smooth batter.
4. Take out the berry mixture and pour the topping over them. Spread evenly. Then bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Pad Thai

This is another Robin Robertson recipe from 1000 Vegan Recipes. Again, we recommend buying this cookbook! There's all kind of great stuff in there!

Ingredients
12 oz dried rice noodles
1/3 c soy sauce
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs tamarind paste (Miriam used tamarind and date chutney instead)
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 tbs oil
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed, cut into 1/4 in thick triangles
4 green onions
1 c bean sprouts
1 c mushrooms (shiitake recommended, Miriam used white mushrooms)
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1/3 c chopped dry roasted, unsalted peanuts

Instructions
1. Follow the instructions on the rice noodle package for preparation. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, tamarind paste, tomato paste, red pepper, and 3 tbs water. Set aside.
3. Heat a skillet or wok and lightly cover with oil. Add the tofu and stir fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to platter and set aside. (For tofu frying help, see Isa Chandra's advice on the subject)
4. In the same skillet or wok, heat the remaining oil over medium heat. Stir fry the green onions and garlic for thirty seconds, then add the tofu and mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes. Add the noodles and toss to combine until heated through.
5. Stir in the sauce and cook, tossing to coat. If you food's sticking to the skillet/wok, splash in some water too. Serve with the peanuts and cilantro as garnish.

Roasted Asparagus with Herbs de Provence

Veg Club loves asparagus, as evidenced by our quick demolition of Mallory's asparagus dish. This one comes from allrecipes.com. It's simple yet delicious and definitely worth trying at home.

Ingredients
1 bunch of asparagus, fibrous ends trimmed off
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs herbs de provence
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put the asparagus in a large bowl and coat with oil, then toss with the herbs, salt, and pepper.
3. Roast in oven until tender, about 12 minutes

Deviled Potatoes

This recipe was inspired by the Post Punk Kitchen. What follows is a cross between Miriam's version and Isa Chandra's (that is, what would have been served if Miriam had followed directions better).

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1 tbs oil
1 15.5 oz can great northern beans
1/2 c vegetable broth, plus more if needed to blend
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp kala manak black salt (or 3/4 tsp normal salt)
1/8 tsp asafoetida (optional)
2 tsp lemon juice
black pepper to taste
paprika

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Slice potatoes across the waist and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Rub potatoes to coat, and place cut-side down on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3. Drain and rinse your great northern beans.  Add them to a blender with vegetable broth and blend until smooth.
4. Once potatoes have been removed from the oven and cool enough to handle but still fairly warm, scrape out the centers. Mash the centers until smooth. Then add the bean mixture and the rest of the ingredients and continue to mash. Put in the refrigerator for about a 1/2 hour to thicken.
5. Put the mixture in a pastry bag if you have one, or in a large ziploc and cut about 1/4 in off one corner. Use this to fill the potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika.

3 Bean and Artichoke Salad

Scott's contribution to the potluck on Sunday was this delicious, well-praised, salad. We suspect it's good healthy food for good measure. Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
1 15.5 oz can great northern beans
1 15.5 oz can chickpeas
1 15.5 oz can black eyed peas
1 13.75 oz can marinated artichoke hearts
4 green onions
2 large tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
1/4 c fresh parsley
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
1. Drain and rinse the beans and peas. Drain artichokes without rinsing.
2. Chop the artichokes, green onions, and parsley. Dice the tomatoes. Mince the garlic.
3. Mix the beans and peas, artichokes, green onions, tomatoes, and garlic in a bowl.
4. Toss the contents of the bowl with olive oil and the rest of the ingredients.
5. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Spring Rolls

Yesterday Veg Club had a table at the BGSU Eco-Fair.  We made a poster, pamphleted, argued with some folks, supported EAG's efforts to convert BGSU to all renewable energy, and passed out spring rolls. Here's the recipe for spring rolls: (It is an original by Miriam)

Ingredients
8 oz  extra firm tofu

1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tbs hoisin sauce
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 c shredded cabbage
4 oz shitake mushrooms
1 green onion
1 large carrot
2 tsp oil
14 spring roll wrappers


Instruction
1. Drain tofu and and press water out: I wrap the tofu in towels and set a large book or two on it for an hour.
2. Combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, and garlic in a medium sized bowl. Add about a 1/3 cup water. Stir will. Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch strip and marinate in the mixture for about 30 minutes.
3. Chop all the vegetables. Heat the oil on medium heat, then add the vegetables and begin stir frying. After a few minutes, add the tofu with the marinade and fry until the vegetable are done to your liking: I prefer to keep some crunch.
4. Take the vegetables off the heat and drain off the liquid. Let cool.
5. Fill a shallow bowl with warm water (I used a pie pan). Dip one spring roll wrapper in the water for a couple of seconds. Then place it on a flat work surface. Place a couple of spoonfuls of filling at the bottom of the circle. Roll it up some, not more than halfway up the circle, and fold in the side of the circle. Then roll the spring roll the rest of the way up. Repeat for all 14 spring rolls.
6. Put the spring rolls in the refrigerator for a few hours. The wrappers will dry out and harden again so you have some crunch.

"Cheesy" Spinach Biscuits

At Veg Club last week, Miriam brought in these biscuits stuffed with tahini-nutritional yeast "cheese".  The dough was taken from The Bread Machine Cookbook III by Donna Rathmell German and the filling was an original recipe by Miriam. Note that the ingredient quantities for the filling are approximate--Miriam suggests tasting it as you go until you get something you like.

Ingredients
for the dough:
4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 c cooked spinach
1 c warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/3 tbs lemon juice
1 1/3 tbs olive oil

For the filling:
1/3 c tahini
1/3 c vegetable broth
2 tbs oil (vegetable oil, olive oil, vegan margarine, whatever you like)
3 tbs Nutritional Yeast Flakes
2 tsp dry basil

Instructions
1. Process your cooked spinach in a food processor or a blender. You can use some of the warm water to help if you're blending it. Add the lemon juice and olive oil as well.
2. Combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Mix it up and let it sit. Make sure the yeast starts bubbling.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then add the blended/processed ingredients and the water/yeast mixture. Mix together and kneed for a few minutes.
4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and set aside somewhere warm for 1 hour.
5. While you're dough is rising, you can begin working on the filling. Heat a skillet over medium heat.
6. Add the tahini and stir until it melts.
7. Slowly add vegetable broth while stirring. The mixture should be a liquid, but still quite thick.
8. Add the oil and mix briskly. The mixture should get crumbly as it combines. Add a little more oil than will combine.
9. Stir in the nutritional yeast and basil.  Keep adding nutritional yeast until you're happy with the taste/texture.
10. Take off the heat and let cool.
11.  When the filling is cool enough to touch and your dough has risen, preset the oven to 450 degree F and oil a baking sheet.
12. Break off dough into fist sized pieces. One at a time, use your thumbs to make a large hole in the center of each ball and add some filling. Then pinch the hole closed and place the ball on the baking sheet, hole-side down.
13. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Kalamata Crepes

The beginning of this recipe is from Robin Robertson's 1000 Vegan Recipes, but with an addition of a kalamata spread of Miriam's invention.

Ingredients:
For crepes:
1 c water
1 c chickpea flour/besan (seriously, if you can get besan at an Indian grocery you will save -so- much money)
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary

For the spread:
1/2 c kalamata olives, pitted
4-5 large cloves garlic
2 tsp roasted almonds
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions:
1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the water and the chickpea flour until the mixture is very smooth. Add the oil, salt, and rosemary and mix until smooth and well blended. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. (Cover if leaving out for longer than an hour)
2) Preheat the oven to 425F. Heat a large pizza pan in the oven until hot, then carefully remove in and pour the batter into the pan. Bake until the top is firm and the edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Be sure that the pan lies very flat in the oven, or the mixture will be too think and undercooked on one side and too thin and overcooked on the other.
3) Cut off the bottom of the garlic cloves and wrap in foil. Cook garlic foil ball in the oven at 425F for about 15 minutes.
4) After the garlic is removed and cooled, place the olives and almonds in a blender. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and into the blender as well.  Finally add the oil and blend to your liking.
5) Cut chickpea crepe into strips and spread some kalamata mixture on the bottom and carefully roll each piece up.  Or, just spread the mixture on your crepe and eat!

Vegan Balls

If you all enjoyed Stef's chocolate peanut butter balls from last week, you can make them yourself! What follows should be treated as rough estimates that you can adjust per your preferences for taste and texture, not primordial laws to be followed dogmatically.

Half cup of vegan choc chips (melted)

2 cups of rice crispie cereal

2 Tablespoons of Corn Syrup

1 to 2 teaspoons of Cocoa

Half a jar of peanut butter

1 Teaspoon of vanilla extract

 

Melt chocolate in the microwave for about a minute and 30 seconds. Ad the peanut butter and cereal to the chocolate and mix them together.  Follow with cocoa, corn syrup, vanilla, and more mixing.

Check the texture of your mixture. If it's not sticky enough to shape, add more peanut butter.  If it is, scoop and shape golf ball sized balls.

Refrigerate for about 25 (or more) minutes and serve!

 

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Oat Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c vegan margarine
2 c sugar (white or brown)
1/2 c nondairy milk (we use almond)
4 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 c quick cooking oats

Instructions:

Line cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper.

In a large pot, bring margarine, sugar, and cocoa to a boil stirring constantly. Let boil for 1-2 minutes, until mixture is completely melted. Do not boil over.

Take mixture off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until completely melted. Then stir in the oats.

Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and allow it to cool. When cool, turn cookies over to dry the bottoms.

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Peppermint Fudge Balls

The peppermint fudge balls are an original recipe from Miriam.  Here's roughly how they were made:

Ingredients:

1 c + 1tbs of coconut oil
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbs flax seed
2 tbs water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 c + 2 tbs cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
~1/4 c broken peppermint candy

Instructions

Cream the oil, sugars, flax seed, water, and vanilla together.  Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the peppermint a little bit at a time, using the hand mixer to blend.  (You could mix the dry ingredients together first, but I don't see any reason to bother) Once everything is well mixed, roll the chocolate mixture into balls and roll them in the peppermint candy.  Eat them!!

Vegan Puppy Chow

The puppy chow recipe from our bake sale was borrowed from PETA's website.  Here it is:

1 c semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c vegan margarine
9 c rice cereal squares
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c powdered sugar

Combine the chocolate chips, peanut butter, and vegan margarine in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1 minute, or until melted. Add vanilla.

Place the cereal squares in a large container and pour in the chocolate mixture. Stir gently until all the squares are coated.

Add the powdered sugar to the container and seal with a lid. Shake gently until the sugar has coated all the squares.

Place in the freezer for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate hardens. Once solidified, store in the refrigerator. (We totally ignored this entire step).

Doom Fudge Brownies

This recipe is a staple of veg club bake sales, recommended by a friend of a current member in 2009.  The recipe giver warned against altering her recipes (taking no responsibility for repercussions) but this recipe has since been tried substituting cocoa powder with carob powder (when one of our members was unable to eat chocolate) and white flour with whole wheat pastry flour.  At the most recent bake sale, the recipe was followed exactly. Without further ado, the original text:

Ingredients:

●      2 cups all-purpose white flour

●      2 cups sugar

●      1 cup cocoa

●      1 teaspoon baking powder

●      1 1/4 teaspoons salt

●      1 cup water

●      1 1/4 cups oil, preferably melted coconut or palm oil, but vegetable oil is fine

●      1 tablespoon vanilla

●      1 egg worth or your favorite egg replacer (I like ground flax seeds and water)

Directions:

●      Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x13 cake pan.

●      Mix all the dry stuff.

●      Add all the wet stuff.  Mix well.

●      Eat a spoonful of raw batter because you can.

●      Pour batter into pan.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out a little gooey.  DO NOT OVERBAKE. If the toothpick comes out clean, it's too late.

Soft Pretzels

Miriam made soft pretzels for the meeting, using this recipe from the website, Cook Eat Delicious! Instead of white flour, she used chapati flour (Indian whole wheat flour). You could also make these with half white four and half wheat flour.  The recipe halves well too, if you don't want 12 pretzels.

Homemade Soft Mall Pretzels

Author: CookEatDelicious.com

Recipe type: Appetizer

Prep time:  1 hour 30 mins

Cook time:  9 mins

Total time:  1 hour 39 mins

Yields: 12 pretzels

 

This is a Vegan Recipe! Serve with mustard.

Ingredients

• 6 tsp yeast
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1¼ cups warm water
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• Kosher Salt for topping

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine yeast, 2 tsp white sugar, and warm water.
2. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, combine 3½ cups flour, ½ cup sugar, and 2 tsp salt.
4. Add in oil and yeast mixture.
5. Mix to form a dough ball and knead in ½ cup of flour.
6. Knead until dough is elastic and smooth, 8 minutes.
7. Lightly oil a large bowl and place dough ball inside and cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
9. Bring water to a light boil.
10. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and remove from heat.
11. Divide dough into 12 pieces.
12. Roll out each piece into a rope and twist into pretzel shape.
13. Dip each pretzel into baking soda water and place on a greased baking sheet.
14. Sprinkle with salt.
15. Bake for 9 minutes.
16. Cool on a wire rack.