Mr. Bran Bakes with Bisquick: Breakfast Pinwheels

Mr. Bran, top chef, has decided to help me out for Vegan Mofo by offering up some of his favorite recipes! Now, as we know thanks to Calpernia Addams, there is no shame in Bisquick. So each Thursday Mr. Bran will don his wee chef hat and mix up some Bisquick breakfast in the kitchen while I laze about on my chaise. This morning I will be huddled under blankets in bed while the pool boy makes tea. Mr. Bran emphatically does not do tea.

Today's recipe is for almond pinwheels:
2 1/4 c Bisquick
1/2 c soymilk
1 T Earth Balance softened
1/4 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c almonds
1 T EB melted

-Mix the Bisquick and soymilk to form a soft dough. Knead a few times on a surface lightly dusted with flour or more Bisquick.
-Press or roll the dough out into an 8X11 rectangle.
-Spread the softened EB onto the dough. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and almonds together and then sprinkle on top of the EB.
-Roll up the dough on the 11 inch side to for a log. Slice into about 9-11 pieces and place on a baking sheet. Brush slices with melted EB
-Bake at 4oo degrees for about 8-10 minutes. Eat.

Mr. Bran exhausted after so much kitchen work.

The Verdict: These are pretty good. Bisquick makes really light baked goods so they are very airy.

Mr. Bran Bakes with Bisquick

Mr. Bran, top chef, has decided to help me out for Vegan Mofo by offering up some of his favorite recipes! Now, as we know thanks to Calpernia Addams, there is no shame in Bisquick. So each Thursday Mr. Bran will don his wee chef hat and mix up some breakfast in the kitchen while I laze about on my chaise and get lightly fanned by the pool boy.

Today's recipe is super easy. Mix
2 c Bisquick
1 c soymilk
1/2 c soy yogurt

and then ladle onto a hot pan and cook. Flip when the pancake is gently bubbling on top. So easy even a cat as lazy as Mr. Bran can do it!


Verdict: Not bad. I ate these with apricot and ginger preserves which were good, but I prefer my Vegan with a Vengeance pancakes. But for Mr. Bran, I am pretty impressed.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookie Recipe

I promised a recipe for the cookies I posted earlier. I found it through the PPK forums, originally posted by Evan from bjorked off.

Lemon Poppy seed Cookies

2 3/4 cups flour
1 heaping-ish tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
4 Tbsp. water
3/4 cup vegan margarine
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 medium lemon zested,so the zest of one medium lemon
2 Tbsp.lemon juice
2 tsp.lemon extaract
1/4 cup poppy seeds

- Set oven to 350º F. Sift dry ingredients and mix together.
-whisk flax and water and let sit a minute
-sift dry ingredients together
-cream earth balance/margarine with sugar.add vanilla,lemon extract,lemon juice,flax mixture.then add lemon zest.cream.
-Add in dry ingredients.Keep creaming/mixing.Add poppyseeds.
-Flatten about a tablespoon or 2 of dough on cookie sheet and bake 7-10 minutes. Eat them.

Cookie Monday~Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

Nothing beats peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, straight from the PPK.

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 cups sugar
6 oz firm silken tofu
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup soymilk
4 teaspoons molasses
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, sift together whole wheat pastry flour, oats, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a seperate large bowl, cream together peanut butter and sugar with a spatula until well combined, 3 - 5 minutes.

In a blender, crumble the tofu in, add applesauce, soymilk and oil. Whiz on high until completely smooth. Add this mixture to the sugar mixture and cream together until well combined. Beat in the molasses and vanilla. Fold in the oats/flour mixture.
Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded spoonfulls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Vegan Earl Grey Tea Cookies

I first had these cookies at a Prospect Park potluck and have been meaning to make them ever since. And now, gentle reader, for you I have.
Although not the most photogenic cookie, these are most delicious. You can't go wrong with a cookie that has tea.

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c powdered sugar
2 T earl grey tea- from a tea bag is better than loose tea. You want it ground fine.
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 t orange juice
3/4 c margarine, cut small (I use Earth Balance sticks)
1/2 t lemon zest
1/2 t orange zest

-Mix together the flour, sugar, powdered sugar, tea and salt.
-In a separate bowl cream the vanilla, orange juice, margarine and zests.
-Add the dry ingredients and combine.
-Divide the dough into 2 logs and wrap with wax paper. I do shorter and fatter logs
for a larger cookies.
-Refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight.
-Slice and bake for 9-13 minutes at 375.
-Cool before eating.

Coconut Lime White Chip Cookies

A delectable vegan cookie, perfect for the spring time or when it is snowing out and you wish it was spring. This is based on a recipe from Vive le Vegan by Dreena Burton, but I've added a few things and removed a couple of things because most of the cookies I make must have chips in some form. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

1/3 c shredded coconut
1/4 c sugar
1 1/4 c flour, unbleached all purpose
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda

1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c canola oil
2T soymilk
2 T lime juice
zest of 1 lime

1/4 c or more vegan white chips

Mix the wet ingredients, maple syrup through lime juice in a medium bowl.
Mix the dry, coconut through baking soda in a large bowl.
Add the dry to the wet mix, adding in the lime zest. Don't overmix.
Add in some white chips and fold in.
Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
Eat them. Eat them all.