We hope you have a safe and joyous holiday season. We will be on vacation this week but we’ll be back on January 2nd with more recipes, tips, and gorgeous pictures of baked delights. We look forward to being part of your 2008!

This program was selected because providing food for the children not only keeps them alive but it also keeps them in school, learning skills to feed themselves in the future. It’s also a model program in local procurement - buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy. Instead of shipping surplus corn across the ocean, the WFP is buying directly from local subsistent farmers who practice conservation farming methods in Lesotho to feed the children there.

Full detail is available on Chez Pim.

Here’s How to Participate in A Menu for Hope

1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from the Menu for Hope at Chez Pim.

2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.

3. Please specify which prize you’d like in the ‘Personal Message’ section in the donation form. You must write in how many tickets per prize, and use the prize code. (Each $10 you donate will buy one raffle ticket toward any prize. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02.)

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so they could claim the corporate match.

5. Please check the box to allow them to see your email address so that they can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone. Check back on Chez Pim on Wednesday Jaunary 9 for the results of the raffle.

My Sweet Vegan starts with a brief introduction into Hannah’s journey into vegan baking and then an overview of some of the special ingredients and tools she uses. I found the ingredient guide helpful because some of the recipes called for ingredients I’d never used or purchased before. It also helped me look at the ingredients from a vegan’s perspective. Case in point, margarine. I thought margarine was non-dairy. Not true, brands like Imperial and Land O Lakes contain whey and buttermilk respectively. I only looked based on Hannah’s advice.

My Sweet Vegan is broken into five chapters: Sweet Starts, Cookies and Bars, Cakes and Cupcakes, Pies and Tarts, and Miscellaneous Morsals and Desserts. The majority of recipes fall into the Cookies and Bars and Cakes and Cupcakes chapters. Each recipe has a little caption where Hannah talks about the item in the recipe and a large, full-color photo. As far as cookbooks go, I’m more likely to pick a new recipe if there is a picture because either the picture will appeal to me or the picture gives me an idea of how the recipe should turn out. I was also impressed by the large variety of recipes. Some books give you a chapter on something like pies and then give you basically the same pie with different fillings. The recipes presented by My Sweet Vegan varied quite a bit. Old standards like banana nut muffins, black & white cookies, Whoopie pies, and pumpkin pecan pie share the pages with pink lemonade tartlets, root beer float cupcakes, graham flour fig scones, and green tea tiramisu.

My Sweet Vegan ends with a food allergy index and an ingredient index. The food allergy index is a brilliant idea, making it very easy choose a recipe for my food allergy challenged friends without having to go through the ingredients list of each recipe.

The first recipe I tried was the Cashew Creme Pear Tart, which I selected mainly because of the picture. I was able to find almost all of the ingredients in my local supermarket, which isn’t very fancy and definitely not the source for hard to find items. The only thing I couldn’t find there was the brown rice syrup, hence the use of corn syrup as a substitute. I also made 6 (should have been 7) small tarts out of this recipe instead of one big one. As you can see below, the instructions were straightforward and simple to follow and this tart was a breeze to make, especially if you use the cashew butter like I did. I really like how the pear and the cashew creme tasted together and the crust was very similar to a sugar cookie. This definitely would be a good sweet ending to any meal.

Overall, I really like My Sweet Vegan and even though I’m not vegan, I can see making recipes out of this book for a long time to come.

Cashew Creme Pear Tart
from page 136-137 of the My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert

Makes 12-14 servings

Crust:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup almond meal
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup margarine
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup (I substituted corn syrup)

Cashew Creme:
1 1/2 cup whole, raw cashews or 1 cup cashew butter
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pear Topping:
2 firm, medium-sized pears
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup sliced almonds for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 °F (160 °C).

Combine the sugar, almond meal, and brown rice flour in a medium bowl. Melt the margarine and pour it in, along with the brown rice syrup. Stir to coat all of the dry ingredients thoroughly, and press this mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch round springform pan. Bring the crust about 1 inch up the sides of the pan, and set aside.

If using whole cashews, begin by grinding them down in your food processor. It may take 5 to 10 minutes for the cashews to begin releasing their natural oils and turn into a smooth paste, but don’t stop short, as it is important that there are no lumps. Add your freshly processed cashew butter, or a store bought version (available in many natural food stores), to your blender or food processor along with the water, maple syrup, and vanilla. Process to combine. Smooth the resulting creme into your crust and set aside again.

To core and slice your pears, cut them in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into slices of about 1/8 inch thickness. There is no need to peel the pears, as the skins add extra flavor, texture, and fiber. Toss the slices with the sugar and cinnamon, and arrange them on top of your cashew creme. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears soften. Let cool and sprinkle with sliced almonds before serving.

Recipe used on Just Baking with permission of Hannah Kaminsky and publisher Fleming Ink as owners of the copyright. All other uses must be permitted by the author and the copyright holders.

Do you love making “extreme” cookies with your child? Think you have what it takes to win the Second Annual Second Annual WearEver® AirBake® Extreme Cookie Challenge Extreme Cookie Challenge and proudly bear the title, Cookie Champions?

Submit a recipe between now and January 7th, 2008 for a chance to compete against four other parent/child duos at a live “Cookie-Off” event in March, 2008, sponsored by WearEver®, makers of AirBake® bakeware.

Rules for the contest are available here. Information on how to submit a recipe is available here. Children must be between the ages of 5 and 15.

The first round of judging will be based on the recipe submitted. The recipes will be narrowed down to 25 based on originality of recipe, appeal of ingredients, creativity of written statement, and clarity of instructions. Originality is the most important thing in the first round as it accounts for almost half the score and is used as the tiebreaker. The surviving 25 recipes will then be made and judged equally on taste, originality of recipe, ease of preparation, and appearance. 5 finalists will be chosen to participate in a National “Cookie-off” event for the grand prize.

At the National “Cookie-off”, contestants will have to prepare their cookie recipe using an AirBake cookie sheet, in front of a live audience. The best tasting recipe will be declared the winner.

The grand prize is a $10,000 Series EE United States Savings Bond. The remaining contestants will get a $1,000 Series EE United States Savings Bond. All finalists will get a selection of WearEver® AirBake® bakeware.

Sign up today!

I tried finding videos on decorating ideas for Halloween cupcakes and cakes but unfortunately there is a definite lack of quality videos that don’t advertise for pay-sites (Epicurious is free).

Here is just a selection of the Hannah’s seventy-seven original recipes in My Sweet Vegan:
Golden Glazed Donuts
Zesty Cranberry Crumb Muffins
Butterscotch Blondies
Maple Pistachio Crèmes
Caramel Macchiato “Cheese” Cake
Mocha Devastation Cake
Mexican Chocolate Tart
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Brilliant Berry Parfaits
Pumpkin Toffee Trifle
and so much more!

Reviews of My Sweet Vegan:

This is going to be the book vegans reach for special occasions, or when company comes, or just for those times when your sweet tooth gets the better of you! It houses an amazing variety of goodies, from simple to sublime, even some gluten-free and diabetic-friendly! Hannah pays attention to detail and I especially like her well-written instructions, and notes on ingredients and equipment, important for new vegan cooks and bakers. Most of the recipes call very easily accessible ingredients, and even in the odd recipe where she uses ingredients in an unusual way, they should not be difficult to find. And a plus– the fat content in most of the recipes is not excessive. This book will be happily splattered and dog-eared by use in no time!
–Bryanna Clark Grogan, author of The Vegan Feast Newsletter and nine vegan cookbooks, including Nonna’s Italian Kitchen

My Sweet Vegan is a triumphant inspiration! Anyone with a sweet tooth will instantly fall in love with Hannah’s scrumptious desserts. This is a must-have book for dessert lovers everywhere.
– Julie Hasson, vegan chef and author of 300 Best Chocolate Recipes

Pre-order your copy of My Sweet Vegan today!

Triticale is a man-made crop bred from wheat and rye. Since the late 1800’s breeders have been trying to create a crossbreed from rye and wheat, hoping to capture the best qualities of both. From rye triticale derives hardiness and a higher lysine content while wheat gives it a higher grain quality and a potential for higher yields. It wasn’t until the 1930’s that the breeding became successful and sustainable crops were created. More recently, triticale’s development made it practical for uses beyond feed for animals by increasing the yield.

The name ‘triticale’ derives from the scientific names of wheat (Triticum) and rye (Secale).

Since triticale is derived from wheat, it does have gluten. However, triticale’s gluten is not as strong as regular wheat so less kneading is required when making bread with it. Also, since it has wheat’s baking characteristics, additional wheat isn’t needed when making breads and other baked goods. Triticale adds a slight nutty-rye flavor when used.

Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods makes a wide variety of flours and whole grain products. By many, I mean over 400. At their Whole Grain Food store in Milwaukie, Oregon, they offer a variety of classes.

September has classes on gluten free savory dishes and breads from Carol Fenster, Ph.D. She is the president and founder of Savory Palate, a company that specializes in special diet cooking and consulting.

Sourdough breads will be the focus of Tim Healea for his baking classes, also in September. Tim is the head baker and mentor at Pearl Bakery in Portland, Oregon. In 2004, Tim received Food and Wine Magazine’s Tastemaker Award.

Sadly, Bob’s Red Mill does not have any online courses, but they do offer a tour of the mill. I think that still qualifies as educational.

Dyann Bakes also has other tips such as cutting parchment paper to fit round pans and properly preparing your pan for baking. She even answers viewer questions!

Any content from the site Dyann Bakes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.