There are people out there who firmly believe chocolate has no place in banana bread. I am not one of them. I'll even admit that this particular banana bread was my excuse to use a breakfast food as a vehicle to feed my chocolate craving during the morning hour. After being slightly dissatisfied over the results of the first round of gluten-free/vegan banana chocolate chip bread (though my coworkers gladly gobbled it up), I adjusted the recipe and came out with much better (i.e. less sticky) results. The recipe contains 4 ripe bananas so the slice pictured above appears a little un-done even though the bread was fully baked. Next time I think I'm going to try 3 bananas.
A bunch of neglected peaches and apricots left in the office fruit-bowl found their way home with me on Friday after work. Apparently, my fruit consumption is rather low on weekends, so instead of finding their way into a fruit salad as I had intended, the sweet fruit made it's way into this delicious tart, and thus back to the office on Monday. Not too sweet and providing the perfect "taste of summer" (as my Creative Director so eloquently put it), this tart pleased all palettes. At the very least I was able to provide one of our interns with "the best thing she has eaten in months" (though if I recall my own income as an intern I'd probably say the same...). 
A friend of mine (a worthy opponent in the cake-off 2011) recently asked for my assistance in baking vegan cupcakes for the NYC Dyke March benefit bake sale. So in support of my friends and the March, we came up with these "breastcakes" or "peanutbuttery nipples" (the puns go on and on) to sell at the Punk Rock Dykes show last weekend at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Though our original plan was to include various flavors and use fondant to make the "nipples" we came up with a much tastier (and less obvious) version of the cakes using melted chocolate piped into circles with a chocolate chip on top. Rumor has it, these tasted great, and I couldn't have had a better time baking them with a friend. 
Someone decided that the dark lull of winter should be interrupted by a celebratory day of love. Though I'm generally not a huge fan of Valentine's day, I can see a redeeming quality in the fact that it provides an excuse to eat treats. I have fond memories of childhood parties; classrooms decorated with cut-out paper hearts and shoeboxes covered in stickers and decorations for valentines to be placed into by classmates. Outside of the pink snowball cakes that my mother used to pack in our lunches (accompanied by a napkin, undoubtedly with the words "I love you! xoxo mom!" scribbled on it), I always remember eating pink iced sugar cookies. The cookies picture above are a gluten-free vegan version, made with powdered sugar for a delicate crumb. I put a small amount of rosewater into the icing for a slightly floral scent as well, and made my own colored sugars to place on top. A hit with the coworkers, despite the fact that the cardboard cupids were absent from the office walls.
On Sunday, January 23rd, the annual Brooklyn Pie Contest was held at The Bedford in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The proceeds from this pie contest went to benefit Growing Chefs, a non-profit organization that promotes food education from "field to fork." The first 50 pies in the door would be judged (by people from Momofuku Milk bar amongst others). Pies after the first 50 received free entry and were immediately devoured by the massive crowd. One winner was to be chosen from each of two categories: sweet and savory. 
An "ugly sweater party" (though I might note, there were hardly any ugly sweaters present...) prompted the creation of these cupcakes. Simple, dark chocolate is blended with subtle notes of peppermint, all adorned with a cap of vegan vanilla-peppermint buttercream. The cake is fluffy and moist, balanced by a not-too-sweet frosting. These pleased both vegans (with rave reviews) and non-vegans alike. Irving Berlin may have been dreaming of a white Christmas, but I'm dreaming of a red, white, and chocolate Christmas. (That's right...I used a cheesy White Christmas reference. Rent it. Or buy it. And watch. It. And then make some cupcakes).
The weather has turned, the sweaters have been donned, the halls have been decked: The holiday season is here. In honor of the season of giving, I only found it fitting to spend a bit of my time on Tuesday baking treats for my much-deserved office mates. Visions of gingerbread were dancing in my head as I thought about cupcakes and rich, creamy frosting. I had a vegan gingerbread cupcake recipe, but I didn't love the idea of a citrus frosting with which the author intended it to be paired with. The recipe was also far from being gluten-free. A bit of experimenting later, I came out with these moist yet fluffy cupcakes that were all but devoured by everyone in the office. A hit!
We had a Thanksgiving Potluck at Pearlfisher (the design studio for whom I work) today, at which my chosen dish-to-pass was dessert. In keeping with true American Thanksgiving spirit, I needed to make a pumpkin pie. (I also made an apple pie...which will be posted shortly). I wanted to make both pies gluten-free and vegan, while remaining appealing to the masses. I was pleased with the gluten-free pie crusts I had made in the past, however, I often wondered if they could be made more flaky and less crumbly/cookie like. Success was achieved with the recipe I will post when it's not an ungodly hour...
3/4 cup vegan margarine (at room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon ground flax seed, plus 1 teaspoon ground flax seed
1/2 cup soymilk
2 cups gluten-free flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet vegan chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine the ground flax seed and soy milk in a small sauce pan. Whisk over medium heat until gently boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking soda,
salt, and xanthan gum.
Cream the sugar and margarine using an electric mixer. Add the flax/soy milk mixture and mix well. Stir in the vanilla.
Slowly mix in the dry ingredients.
Mix in the chocolate chips. Roll dough into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet prepared with a silpat or parchment papper. Flatten dough balls slightly with the palm of your hand.
Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let cool slightly, remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.
In due tribute to the fall season, I have turned a bit "pumpkin crazy". But honestly, I wait all year for the vegetable-that- is-rarely-eaten-as-a-true-vegetable to arrive and it would be a crying shame if I didn't take advantage of it. This recipe was developed on a rainy fall day as my mom was visiting me in New York (hence the flowers on the table - I got a bit fancy and placed wildflowers all over the apartment). As my mom slept peacefully, I was busy in the kitchen filling the apartment with the warm, spicy smell of these pancakes and the earthy scents of vegan maple-sage sausage (I can't give you this recipe because I didn't use one...but let me tell you, I don't like sausage very much and these impromptu patties were delicious). As my mom was learning about veganism (she's already had to learn plenty about my gluten-freeism) I felt like whatever I made better live up to any "normal" person's expectations. From her remarks (yes i know she's my mother but she isn't obligated to say nice things about my cooking) she could "eat vegan everyday if it tasted like this! (she) would never miss meat or anything!" And there you have it; my goal achieved. 
