Category: Recipes

Recipes

Vegan Gingerbread Cookies

Sara Mastrangelo

Gingerbread cookies are honestly my absolute favourite! And they’re perfect for when it’s getting cold out too. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, dried ginger is called Gan Jiang and is used in herbal medicine to warm the interior. Which basically means ginger produces a warming effect when consumed- this is great for boosting the immune system and fighting common colds!

I really like this recipe because it’s 100% plant based which means that there are no eggs, butter or dairy products. So if it makes you feel any better, these cookies are *healthier* than non-vegan gingerbread cookies 😉 And you also get to enjoy all of the benefits from the real dried herbs used!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

  • 3 ¼ cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ​¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup vegan butter (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation time: 15 minutes prep time + 8 minutes bake time per batch of cookies

Serving Size: Makes about 36 medium sized cookies

Directions

  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Mix and set aside.
  2. In a separate large bowl, add in the butter and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat until smooth (you should see no brown sugar clumps!) Add in the molasses and vanilla and continue mixing until uniform & creamy.
  3. Begin adding the flour mixture to the butter mixture, one spoonful at a time while beating with the electric mixer. Make sure you scrape down the sides with a spoon.
  4. As the mixture starts forming a dough, use hands to knead.
  5. Once dough is formed, preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
  6. In the meantime, sprinkle a flat surface and rolling pin with flour.
  7. Place dough ball in the centre and roll outwards until it’s about 1/8 inch thick.
  8. Cut dough using cookie cutters, I used small and medium sized hearts but you can use any shape you want! The classic gingerbread man is very cute~
  9. Transfer cookie shapes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. These cookies don’t expand too much in the oven so you can place them about 1/2 apart.
  10. Bake for about 8 minutes.
  11. Let cool down a lil and enjoy while warm! You can also put them in a container and save them to snack on for a few days.

Quick Tips:

  • If you chill the dough for up to 3 hours, it will be much easier to handle and shape. It’s a good idea to chill it if you want your cookies to look more photogenic.
  • Make sure you use a larger bowl for the butter mixture because you need enough space to add the flour mixture in.
Recipes

Rainbow Sushi & Vegan Spicy Mayo

Sara Mastrangelo

Rolling sushi is so much fun and you’ll never want to order it again once you learn how to make it yourself! Homemade sushi tastes so much better and is much more cost efficient too. I also love this spicy mayo recipe because it’s simple and the chipotle pepper sauce can be substituted for sriracha or basic hot sauce.

When it comes to rolling your own sushi at home, don’t be intimidated. I used to use a bamboo mat, but I’ve found that rolling it with my hands on a cutting board or flat surface works so much better. It’s also a lot more sanitary too- sushi bamboo mats usually get rice and toppings stuck in them so I highly suggest just rolling it with your hands! It may take a bit of practice but it’s honestly worth it in the end.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the sushi:

For the spicy mayo:

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups of rice (I used basmati)
  • 2.5 tablespoons of white vinegar
  • 1-2 ripe avocados
  • Half a large carrot, grated
  • Half a cucumber, cut into sticks
  • 1 package sushi seaweed
  • 6 tablespoons vegan mayo
  • 4 teaspoons chipotle pepper sauce
  • Chilli flakes (optional)
  • Salt + pepper to taste

Preparation time: 15 minutes to boil rice + 15 minutes to roll sushi.

Serving Size: Makes 3+ rolls depending on how much rice and toppings in each roll.

Directions for the sushi:

  1. Rinse rice until water runs clear and boil according to instructions on package.
  2. Once the rice is fully boiled, let cool for 5 minutes, add the white vinegar and cover. The vinegar helps the rice bind together and become more sticky.
  3. In the meantime, prepare toppings. Avocado works best sliced, carrots work best grated and cucumbers work best cut into sticks. However, this is your time to be creative so you can add all sorts of things to your roll!
  4. Prepare seaweed sheet by placing on a flat surface such as a cutting board.
  5. Start by taking a small spoon of rice and gently pressing it flat onto the seaweed sheet while spreading it out. The layer of rice should be generous- but not too thick otherwise it will be difficult to roll. (Check out the photos below for a reference!)
  6. Once the seaweed is covered with a nice layer of rice, add your toppings in a neat row. You want to try your best to stack your toppings in a way that will still allow the seaweed to fold over cleanly when you roll it.
  7. Start rolling in an outward motion with a firm grip on your toppings.
  8. Once you reach the end, press edge of seaweed to secure, slice and enjoy!

Quick Tips:

  • The rice should be slightly warm when you roll your sushi. If it’s too hot, the seaweed will crack so make sure you let it cool down a bit first.
  • Leave a strip of seaweed at the end so that your roll will stick together properly.
  • It’s best to use a serrated knife (the ones with the lil grooves). I’ve found that cutting sushi with a smooth or dull knife can really tear the seaweed apart.

Other than that, have fun trying out this recipe! The vegan spicy mayo tastes really great on burgers too 😉

Recipes

Simple & Tasty Homemade Bread

Sara Mastrangelo

I recently learned how to make my own bread at home and it’s so much fun! Don’t be discouraged- making bread is a lot easier than you think and once you learn the skill, you know it forever!

All you need for this recipe are 5 simple ingredients: flour, yeast, pink salt, sugar & olive oil. I add seed mixes to my dough, however this is optional and you can still follow the same instructions with or without the seed mix added.

Below you will find the recipe as well as instructions for each step of the way!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 30 ml of olive oil
  • 1 cup + 50 ml water
  • 5 grams yeast
  • 2.5 grams sugar
  • 2 tablespoons seed mix (optional)

Preparation Time: 1 hour 45 minutes to rise + 45 minutes bake time.

Directions:

  1. Activate Yeast: In a small bowl or glass cup, stir the yeast into 50 ml of warm water. Add the sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. If mixture doubles in volume, it’s active.
  2. Add flour, salt, olive oil and water to a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and knead with your hands until a dough is formed. You may have to add more water or flour at this time to get the right consistency!
  3. Form dough into a ball, cover bowl and let rise for 45 minutes.
  4. Remove dough from bowl and lay on a flat surface. Try to push out all of the excess air with your fingers until it feels flat. Roll into a loaf shape.
  5. Once the shape of your loaf is formed let it rise for 1 hour.
  6. Put a small tray of water in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 390°F/200°C. The tray of water adds moisture to the bread and ensures that it won’t dry out while baking.
  7. Coat the top of your loaf with a bit of olive oil and add some sunflower seeds if you’d like. Put it in the oven and let bake for 45 minutes or until loaf appears golden brown.
  8. Remove from oven, let cool and enjoy!!