Vegan Baking

This pizza crust has a little more oomph in the form of the acids produced by wild yeast fermentation, also known as sourdough. The wild yeast isn't enough to leaven the dough completely on it's own so it's spiked with some bread yeast to help it along. This crust is great for cheeseless pizzas or other pizzas where you're not using intensely flavored toppings and you'd like the crust to contribute more flavor to the pie. It's also a great way to use the sourdough starter you've been keeping in your fridge. You do have a resident starter in your fridge right?

Before my family and I changed to a plant-based diet, one of our absolute favorite recipes was the Tuna Puff or others may call it Chicken Pillows. So I decided to come up with a vegan version of one and the ending result being Creamy Spinach Pillows. They turned out better than I actually thought they would :) I tried looking for a vegan croissant brand but I couldn’t find anything like that in this town. So I had to make it from scratch. I’ve never made croissants from scratch in my life so I wanted to be safe and try a trusted recipe for the crust. So I went with Zeke’s Ve-gastronomy. I substituted a few things and steps for my purpose, but followed it for the most part.

These nuts are addictive. Once I was on a San Francisco Muni train and was in the process of getting busted for both sneaking on without paying and eating while on the train. As the Muni cops closed in, I clutched my container of Maple Roasted Peanuts tightly.

This is an excuse for me to combine two of my most favorite-est-est flavor combos: cherries and almonds.

This crust is one of the fastest, easiest crusts around because it doesn't require lots of kneading and it doesn't require yeast. Although it's not gluten free, it does have very low amounts of gluten which is good if you're trying to cut back on it due to food allergies. This recipe makes a crust that is 12 to 14 inches. This dough can also be refrigerated for later use.

This 14 to 16 inch crust is chewy, crispy and can also be used for calzones. It's the perfect foundation for your wacky pizza adventures. Bread flour is a must in this recipe because of it's high gluten content. Years ago a girlfriend almost dumped me after several failed dinners involving pizzas I had made with all-purpose flour. Save your relationship and just use bread flour if you're into the wheat thing. This dough can also be refrigerated for later use. I have sacrificed copious amounts of flour to the vegan gods to develop a pizza crust that takes less time to prep than many other pizza crusts out there. Hallelujah.

This is a great way to get that ridiculously good apple flavor without resorting to the time intensive sport of pie making. It's kind of like an apple pie but without all the crust drama. I won't tell if you drink some of the bourbon to make sure it's 'okay'.

One wonderful summer in lovely Northern California, I had the pleasure of camping with one of my favorite people ever (who I'll just call Alf). That night he introduced me to something I'll never forget...Banana Delight! Serve with some quality sipping whiskey and good friends.

These poached pears are perfect for last minute dinner parties because they're easy to make and can be quickly made onsite.  Oh and they taste awesome dolloped with vegan whipped cream or soy yogurt.

This hot cocoa is great when it's cold outside and you need a nice warm friend. Two different types of chocolate bring the chocolate power through. Feel free to customize it by adding a splash of coffee, mint extract, Kahlua or enjoy it on it's own.