Saturday, August 29, 2015

Bruschetta

So easy and quick to make, I love bruschetta. Toast some bread - if you are in a hurry make it plain or brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a mixture of dried herbs like oregano and/or basil, marjoram and parsley, salt and pepper, then toast.
Saute up your favorite diced veggies - any mixture of stuff like tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, shredded carrots, squash, zucchini, or other summer vegetables with garlic, salt and pepper (add more herbs if desired.) Top the toasty bread with the veggie mix. If you like cheese, vegan or otherwise, you can sprinkle some on top and toast again if you want.


Gingerbread Cupcakes


On the lighter side for gingerbread, one might intensify the flavor with even more ginger. These are tasty with a simple buttercream - made vegan with Earth Balance Margarine or just a dusting of powdered sugar.

Cupcakes:
Combine

3/4 cup of soy milk
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tblsp ground flax

Combine in another bowl or large measuring cup

1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient in 3 batches, mixing until just combined after each batch. Pour batter into cupcake liners and bake at 350ºF for 19 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Icing:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tblsp soy milk
1 tsp vanilla

Whip the butter in an electric mixture. Add confectioners sugar slowly. Scrape down sides several times, beating about 3 minutes total and scraping about once a minute. Add the liquid ingredients and beat another minute. Double the recipe if you like thick layers of icing!