Bento Box: Take Ichi

I've never made a homemade bento box before. This was my first take at it and it went alright. It isn't as amazing as I wanted it to be, but it will do. I have these neat Hello Kitty presses and other shaped presses. I also didn't have enough room to use the adzuki rice I made for onigiri.


I fried some tofu slices a bit of sesame oil and mirin until brown. For the "scrambled egg" that's in the center of this picture and inside the onigiri, I fried up some smashed tofu, variety of mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), frozen peas, minced green onion, chopped ginger, sea salt, black sesame seeds, several splashes of soy sauce, splash of mirin, splash of sake.


 I steamed some carrots to make the shapes, steamed the broccoli and the lotus root. The snap peas are fresh and cut, same with the enoki mushrooms.

  
For the shumai, I fried up some chopped tofu, 2 pieces of minced garlic, tablespoon of minced ginger, tablespoon of chopped green onion, a bunch of chopped mushrooms (oyster, button, shiitake), soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and salt. 


The purple potato Hello Kitty face was steamed in mirin and soy sauce to make it soft.

Alexis' Purple Potato Gratin & Joe's Stuffed Bacon & Cheese Vegan Veggie Burgers

Alexis' Purple Potato Gratin & Joe's Stuffed Bacon & Cheese Vegan Veggie Burgers

 

* Prep Time: 1 hours
* Cook Time: 45 minutes - 1 hour
* Ingredients (for purple potato gratin)

• 6-8 purple potatoes (roughly 2 lbs)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour or wheat flour
• 1 cup almond milk
• 3-4 slices cooked faux bacon, diced*
• 2 Cups cheddar cheese, Daiya brand*
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese*
• Salt & pepper, to taste

* Ingredients (for stuffed bacon & cheese vegan veggie burgers)

• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 - 1 1/2 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein), rehydrated with water or vegetable stock as directed by the package
• 4 large button or crimini mushrooms, diced to small bits
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (plus extra to dredge)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp arrow root
• 1 tsp chili powder (or to taste)
• 1-2 tbsp catchup or tomato paste (to give moisture)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup Daiya cheddar cheese
• 3-4 slices vegan bacon
• Olive oil (to cook burger in frying pan)

* Recipe (for purple potato gratin):  

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 
2. Peel potatoes and cut away any bad spots and rinse of any peels or dirt from peeling.  Slice potatoes into a disc shape no more than 1/4" thick.
3. Dice the onion and leek and sautee in a skillet with the olive oil.
4. While this sautee's, toss potatoes with the flour, vegan parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to coat. Mix in the onion and leek and then cook the bacon.
5. Once the bacon is cooked, chop, add to the potato mixture and then add to a casserole dish.
6. Pour the almond milk in to the casserole dish containing the mixture.
7. Cover the potatoes in the Daiya and spread evenly.
8. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. 
9. Remove and let cool til it is warm enough to eat.

* Recipe (for stuffed bacon & cheese vegan veggie burgers):   

1. In a skillet, prepare the bacon and set aside to cool. Once cool, chop to small pieces.  
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the black beans and give it a light mash to open up the beans.  Add the TVP, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, chili powder, and catchup and mix well.
3. Stir in the flour, cornstarch, and arrowroot and mix as even as possible. (You wont be able to get every little piece, but just do your best.)
4. Take a large tablespoon and scoop out enough to patty flat. 
5. Add 1 tbsp or so of the Daiya and bacon.
6. Take another scoop of the burger mixture (about half as much as previously) and add to the top.
7. Patty down to enclose the "cheese" mixture.
8. Once you have finished pattying out your burger, lightly dredge in flour and add to a shallow skillet or griddle that has been lightly oil.
9. Cook until both sides are browned.   
10. If you would like to grill these burger, preheat oven to 225°F and prepare as above. Bake patties until they are firm and have lightly brown.  This will hold them together so they wont break a part and fall into the grill. Add to the grill and cook until brown to your liking.
11. Topping Suggestions: Add some slices of vegan bacon, vegan cheese, and mushrooms and onions sauteed in a little vegan butter. Top with a little mustard on a toasted Bun. Top with standard burger toppings such as lettuce, onion, pickle, vegan mayo, catchup, and mustard.
    

*Notes: For the faux bacon, I used Lightlife Smart Bacon. Daiya is a great vegan cheese brand that uses tapioca instead of soy or rice. I used Galaxy brand vegan parmesan cheese. 

This food was for a vegan BBQ at my place. I also made a pineapple upside cake and curry chikin salad on mini toasts. Those recipes came from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Vegan Table cookbook.

• Pineapple Upside Down Cake: 5/5 (so delish!) 
• Curry Chikin Salad: 4/5 (some people loved it, others weren't so keen on it)
  

Balsamic Baked Tofu Caprese Sandwich & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Caprese sandwiches are not so vegan. Therefore, I made an original recipe gone vegan!

Balsamic Baked Tofu Caprese Sandwich

* Prep Time: 1 day

* Cook Time: 30 minute








  * Ingredients (for balsamic baked tofu):

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu - sliced into 1/2 in. slabs
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 of medium sweet onion - cut in half and sliced thin lengthwise*
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary plus 2 tablespoons of chopped rosemary
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup of vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste

* Ingredients (for caprese sandwich):

• 1 large tomato - sliced*
• 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste
• 6 fresh basil leaves - medium size*
• Soy mozzarella - thinly sliced*
• Fresh sourdough bread - sliced*
• Spray cooking oil

* Recipe:

1. Start with balsamic baked tofu. This will need to marinate for at least 2 hour up to 24 hours (which is the best option if you have the time). Take the tofu block and cut into slabs. Take several paper towels, place tofu slabs on them, place several more paper towels on top of tofu slabs. Pat them dry with paper towels to remove most moisture.
2. Sprinkle each side of tofu slabs with herbs (rosemary, sea salt, black pepper).
3. Place rosemary sprigs, onion, and garlic on a medium sized baking tray. Lay tofu slabs on top of vegetables.
4. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, and vegetable broth. Spoon over vegetables in baking tray. Cover with tin foil and let it marinate for 2-24 hours in the refrigerator.
5. When done marinating, pre-heat oven to 375°. Take tin foil off of baking tray, flip over tofu slabs, and spoon marinade over tofu. Bake for 10-13 minutes.
6. Remove baking tray from oven, spoon marinade over tofu slabs again, bake for another 15 minutes.
7. For additional baking, broil for 2-3 minutes.
8. To make sandwich, begin by mixing vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, and black and pepper in a small bowl. Take sliced tomato and let marinate one side for a bit, then flip to the other side.
9. Take pieces of sliced bread, spray with cooking oil on one side, and toast in large frying pan over medium heat. Flip, spray with cooking oil, and let the other side brown. While this side is toasting, place soy mozzarella on bread and let it melt.
10. Take one piece of sliced bread with cheese, place basil leaves on the bread, then several pieces of tofu slab. Add onion/rosemary/garlic mixture from baking pan to top of tofu slab on the bread. Add tomato slice on top of that. Top with another piece of toasted bread.

* Notes: You can also use red onion. Depending on how many sandwich you make, you will need more or less basil leaves. Same goes with the bread slices and tomato. Make sure to double check that the sourdough bread is vegan and contains no animal by-product. The soy mozzarella I used was Follow Your Heart brand.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

* Prep Time: 15 minutes

* Cook Time: 40 minutes

* Ingredients:

• 5-7 cloves of garlic
• 10 baby red potatoes - peeled, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup soy milk - add more to taste
• Sea salt - to taste
• Black pepper - to taste
• Garlic salt - to taste
• Onion powder - to taste
• Several dashes of nutmeg
• 3-4 tablespoons of soy butter (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives - chopped (add more to taste)

* Recipe:

1. Place garlic (unpeeled) in baking sheet and bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until soft.
2. While garlic is in the oven, cook potatoes over medium to high heat in pot for 15-20 minutes or until tender.
3. Drain potatoes into a strainer, set aside to dry for a bit.
4. Take garlic cloves and squeeze them out of peel. In a small bowl, mash garlic with a fork until paste-like.
5. Place potatoes in large bowl, add garlic paste, spices, and soy milk. Mash. Add soy butter. Mix well. Add chives, whisk everything several more times.
6. Adjust seasoning and soy butter to taste.

Starting to think about my annual Thanksgiving day feast. This website has a lot of great ideas. Pre-plan consists of these mini pot pies with my mom's original mashed potato recipe along with French onion soup. Possibly homemade cranberry sauce and homemade rolls.

Christmas plans are also in the making. An extensive list of homemade crafts to give has been made, as well as my annual baking extravaganza for the cookie tins. This year will mark my first with vegan dog cupcake tins too. Look for my upcoming holiday blogs! They will be filled with good food, vino, and crafty fun.

Miss Suzy Q

Now to the cooking. When in Groton/New London, the boy and I made stir fry, though I did not take any pictures. It was pretty basic: Asian rice noodles, veggies, vegetarian stir fry sauce. We also made chicken enchiladas and margarita's at the same time, haha.

As stated before, I like to make care boxes. Here is yet another gloriously themed box, Easter! I refused to tote this crap in a suitcase across the country, so I mailed it. Besides, its more fun that way. You all know you like to get homemade packages in the mail to dig through, admit it. (I had enough stuff for him from myself and his mother and his sister - half my suitcase was his stuff, don't ask.) This is not all of what was in the box, but you get the idea. I'm going to make the boyfriend fat with all the baked goodies and candy I send, haha. I put a blueberry cake in there, which I posted about in a previous entry. For the trip, I hand-sewed a drawstring bag in old merchant looking ships (try from like 1700s) and put vegan stout cookies in it (leave me alone, they are sailors and I like themes! - hello look at my care box). Plus, I told him to share. The link is the recipe. As it states, most stout in not vegan. I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which is vegan. I'm starting to think it is the only vegan stout out there. The link on the "drawstring bag" text is the tutorial as to how one makes it. Also, I carried homemade fortune cookies with me all the way there. It was hard. I had to put them in my messenger bag and make sure I didn't crush them the whole trip. The things I do for baking and being super girlfriend-y!

Oh, so there was this debacle with a coffee cake I baked around this same time. It sort of went nutty on me. I'm blaming the tin baking trays I use. Nothing ever turns out in the right amount of time or the way it is exactly supposed to be in those. I need to obtain ceramic ones. Let's just say, the nice top caved inside the actual cake, it overflowed as a result in the oven, started to burn on the oven floor, caused the condo to smell like burnt cake, and overall was a mess. But, I salvaged it. I hope it is good?

This summer, I am creating an apartment balcony vegetable garden (as I'll actually be in Chicago for more than a month at a time). I have most of my necessary tools to do so. I will begin in two weeks. It is going to be all organic. My balcony is going to be oh so cute with its vegetables, herbs, flowers, little ducks and bunny garden figurines (I'm so girly, it's sickening), little mosaic solar powered lamps, miniature gas grill, and my sweet bicycle. I am going to have to industrial velcro the figurines and the lamps so they don't blow 21 floors over the edge. Eep.

Couple more links on balcony gardening: More apt. gardening, tips on how & what to grow in hanging baskets, and the Topsy Turvy Hanging Tomato basket (which I really want but unfortunately, I can not hang things). Oh, I ordered my organic seeds from Seeds of Change.

This website is incredible, by the way. I'm in love. Go vintage and old things in general.

Above is my homemade Ginger Carrot Beet (& Sweet Potato) Soup recipe. When I make my own recipes, I don't really follow any measurement levels, I just sort of go with it. So, these directions may be a bit odd, haha, but I bet it will taste good when it is done!

* Prep Time: 15 minutes

* Cook Time: 45 minutes

* Ingredients:

• 1 large beet (diced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 of a medium onion (chopped)
• 3-4 large carrots (diced)
• 1/3rd small ginger root (minced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2-1 teaspoon ground ginger
• dash of onion powder
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of all-purpose seasoning
• dash of oregano
• dash of dried dill weed
• Optional: 2-3 small sweet potatoes (diced)

* Recipe:

1. Add olive oil and all the spices to medium pot. Add chopped onions and sautee until translucent.
2. While onions are cooking, peel the beet and carrots (and sweet potatoes if using). Chop 'em up.
3. As the onions begin to cook, add the garlic and ginger root to the pot.
4. Add the carrots, cook for 5 minutes.
5. Put the beets (and sweet potatoes) in and the vegetable stock. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.
6. Optional: when done cooking, put in a blender to make a puree. I was too lazy, clearly, and it was good just as it cooked.

* Notes: I used black carrots for this recipe which is why the soup base looks so beet colored (black carrots have the same coloring and dying affect that beets have). Okay, so I really like spices (I have a whole freaking cabinent of them), so don't mind me with all my dashes of this and that. You don't have to, I'm just weird, haha. Oh, I had some sweet potatoes lying around so I added those too. Not normal to this soup, I know, but it was good! Ah, and you'll notice in my picture, I don't chop too fine. I like big pieces of vegetables in my soup, but if you are putting this in a blender, I would advise to chop as small as possible.

Indian Spiced Lentils & Vegetables

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 1+ hour
* Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bag of lentils (sorry - my mother gave me the lentils in a baggie, not sure of the measureent quantity)
• 3/4th of medium onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 4 carrots (chopped)
• 3/4th of a bag of green beans (chopped)
• 4 small sweet potatoes (skinned and chopped)
• 1/3rd a head of cauliflower (chopped)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes w/ juice
• 5 cups or more of vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of oregano
• dash of all-purpose seasoning
• dash of dried dill weed
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of thyme
• dash of ground ginger root
• several dashes of dried sage
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of onion powder
• dash of garlic powder
• several dashes of turmeric
• several dashes of cumin
• several dashes of dried parsley
• pinch of coriander
• pinch of celery seed

* Recipe:

1. Place chopped onions and garlic in bigger pot with olive oil and the spices. Cook until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the carrots, green beans, sweet potato, cauliflower, and tomato. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and the vegetable stock. Cover lentils + 1 more cup of stock.
4. Cook until the vegetable and lentils are soft. Keep adding stock if it evaporates.

* Notes: I didn't make mine into a soup per say, it was like half submerged or less. I also lacked a can of diced tomatoes, so I used cherry red's that I cut up and squished. Used orange cauliflower too.

Indian Spiced Potatoes & Vegetables

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 small baby red potatoes (diced)
• 1/2 of medium onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 2-3 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• 3-4 teaspoons of masala
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of oregano
• dash of all-purpose seasoning
• dash of dried dill weed
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of thyme
• dash of ground ginger root
• several dashes of dried sage
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of onion powder
• dash of garlic powder
• several dashes of turmeric
• several dashes of cumin
• several dashes of dried parsley
• pinch of coriander
• pinch of celery seed

* Recipe:

1. Place chopped onions in medium pot with olive oil and the spices. Cook with the pine nuts until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the potatoes and mix well with masala and dijon. Add the water. Cook for 20 or so minutes.
3. Add the peas and cook until they are no longer frozen.
4. Cook until the vegetables are soft.

* Notes: So, this dish should look yellow in color, FYI. Keep adding turmeric if you wish. I personally like it a lot.

Indian Spiced Rice

* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups of white rice
• 1/2 of medium onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 small bell peppers (chopped)
• 1/2 cup of raisins
• 1/2 cup of pine nuts
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of thyme
• dash of ground ginger root
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of onion powder
• dash of garlic powder
• several dashes of turmeric
• several dashes of cumin
• pinch of coriander

* Recipe:

1. Place chopped onions and garlic in medium frying pan with olive oil and the spices. Cook until the onions are translucent.
2. In the mean time, cook your rice in a rice cooker or in the microwave or the stove (follow whatever directions you need for the device you use to cook it).
3. Add the bell peppers, pine nuts, and raisins.
4. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
5. Add to the rice - mix it up well!

* Notes: Again, this should be yellow in color. Add more turmeric if you wish. I used green bell peppers, just fyi.




I was missing curry powder for all the Indian recipes and each should have had at least a teaspoon. Add that to all the dishes if you plan on making these.

Gretschka Kasha (Buckwheat Pilaf)

So, this is a traditional Russian recipe gone vegan. My mother translated it into English for me from my aunt.


* Prep Time: 15 minutes
* Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups of buckwheat (gretschka kasha)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 of medium onion (chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium bell pepper (chopped)
• 2-3 carrots (diced)
• 1/2 bag of green beans (chopped)
• 1/3rd of a block of tofu (diced)
• 3 stalks of green onion (chopped)
• Lots of mushrooms - use a variety! (chopped)
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• dash of parsley
• several dashes of dried dill weed
• dash of garlic salt
• dash of onion powder
• dash of garlic powder

* Recipe:

1. Put the buckwheat in a large pot with water. Let it boil and then turn it down to a simmer. Keep a lid on it the whole time.
2. Place chopped onions and garlic in medium frying pan with olive oil and the spices. Cook until the onions are translucent.
3. Add peppers, green beans, tofu, mushrooms, and green onions to the onion mix. Stir fry it until the vegetables are cooked/soft.
4. Simmer the buckwheat until it is completely cooked and soft. You may need to add more water during this process.
5. When buckwheat is done cooking, add the stir fry vegetables to the pot and mix thoroughly.

* Notes: You should be able to find buckwheat with the ethnic food section of your normal grocery store. It will probably be located near the Jewish food.


Oh, over Easter, I made a carrot cake out of The Joy of Vegan Baking. It was a HUGE hit. I also made some more cornbread, also a hit. I really recommend the carrot cake, yum!


Use Tofutti for the cream cheese frosting of the carrot cake. You should be able to find it at most groceries that have a vegan/vegetarian/special diet section. If not, try a health food store.

Vegan Stout Cookies: 5/5!
Fortune Cookies: 3/5 (these were hard to make and REALLY sugary)
Carrot Cake: 5/5!
Cornbread: 5/5


Until I cook some more!

The Luck of the Irish &... Some Blueberry Cake!

For St. Patrick's Day this year, my friend and I made a vegan dinner before going to see The Tossers (I've seen them 3 times in the past year... I think I may like Chicago Irish punk too much). Before our cooking extravaganza, I had made Irish Soda Bread a couple days before and froze it. I used the recipe out of The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (check out her website and listen to the podcasts!: Compassionate Cooks).

Note: do not use a bread maker to make the soda bread! I found over breakfast with Colleen (this story is for entirely different blog post - I organized an event at Loyola last week where she came and spoke about veganism!) that it kneads the bread too much. Use a pan and stick it in the oven.

I made about 7 loaves or more of bread that week, mostly Irish Soda Bread, but also the Mediterranean Olive Bread and the Cornbread out of The Joy of Vegan Baking. The overall rating seemed to be that the soda bread and the cornbread were much better than the olive bread, according to my parents (who got one of each of these breads). Also - I do not recommend freezing the bread and then shipping it. Just ship, no freeze. I mail a lot of baked goods now-a-days, so I'm trying to learn about shipping goodies.

The St. Pat's Day meal consisted of Irish Stew and Cabbage and Potatoes gone vegan. I used this Irish Stew recipe, but added some oregano (2 teaspoons) and celery (2 stalks - chopped) to it too.

Cabbage & Potatoes

* Prep Time: 15 minutes

* Cook Time: 40 minutes

* Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons soy butter
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 head of cabbage (shredded)
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes (diced and sliced)
• 1 white onion (cut up - diced)
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-2 tablespoons of lager and/or water
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

* Recipe:

1. Add soy butter and olive oil to a medium sized pot and allow to melt.
2. Next, dice and slice the potatoes and add to the pot.
3. Allow the potatoes to become golden brown (10-15 min) and then add the cut up onion, salt, and pepper.
4. After the onions have become translucent (5-8 minutes), add the shredded cabbage.
5. The cabbage will begin to wilt. As it does this, add the red wine vinegar and the lager and/or water.
6. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes.

* Notes: If you feel, add more soy butter or olive oil as the cabbage begins to wilt. Stir during this process and mix it with the onion and potato. For the lager, I use Harp's which is vegan.

Yummy!

So, we ate the stew and sopped it up with the soda bread and had the cabbage and potatoes on the side. Now, dessert was quite special. We made Vegan Irish Whiskey Cake using this recipe. It turned out very good! We used Bushmill's whiskey for it. It was quite soft and delicious. I sold the left over cake at a bake sale that Monday and people were a bit skeptical of the idea of whiskey cake. I had to keep telling them it was coffee whiskey cake. Those that did try it agreed that is was amazing! I also sold Chocolate Stout Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Surprisingly not a lot of people knew what stout was? Or they were not expecting it in a cupcake. Make sure your stout is vegan, though! Check out Barnivore!

The other night I made a blueberry cake loaf. I used The Joy of Vegan Baking yet again (I do love that book - it is so well organized!). I recommend using fresh blueberries to frozen ones. The juice liked to melt on me from the frozen ones. Or at least microwave them a bit and drain the juice if you go the frozen route. Check out the result:

Hopefully he keeps as he is currently in off in a box somewhere in route via USPS.

Lastly, I am very into creating care packages. Here is a gloriously themed St. Patrick's Day care box. There was a lot of different random things in the box for the boyfriend but to note there was a loaf of the Irish Soda Bread and some Sugar Cookies w/ Green Sprinkles (I used the Sugar Cookie recipe from Colleen's baking book - told you I love that book). I recommend not over baking them... as I did. I went a smidge too long and they got rather crispy, needless-to-say. My father who also got some said he dunked them in his coffee in the morning and sopped them up with his ice cream at night and they were tasty. Apologies to boyfriend, dad, and boyfriend's dad for hard cookies!!

If you have care box ideas, send them. I'm obsessed. My desire is to be a vegan punk rock Betty Crocker and I think I'm succeeding, haha. Just sent out the Easter one which I will show you pictures of later, I am sure (after he gets it).

Ratings...

Irish Soda Bread: 5/5

Mediterranean Olive Bread: 4/5?

Cornbread: 5/5

Irish Stew: 3.5/5 (I think it could have been better... I feel something needs to be added to the broth. I will probably mess around one day and figure out what!)

Irish Whiskey Cake: 5/5

Vegan Chocolate Stout Cupcakes: 5/5 (everyone loves these things... I have non-vegans asking me for the recipe all the time!)

Blueberry Cake: unknown (no one has had it yet!)

Sugar Cookies: 4/5 (because I fail, I need a rematch!)

Shamrock in the beer foam. <3