Hint of Cinnamon Waffles

This morning, I made waffles using Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Perfect Pancakes (which is in her book Vegan Brunch) with my grandson. They were the best waffles I've had in a long, long time. He was so proud of his creation and even though he is a picky eater, these were gone in a flash. 

I know that every time I make a recipe from one of Isa's books, I'm going to love it.  This time, as always, my 3 1/2 year old grandson and I made a fabulous recipe. Reviewing her waffle recipe on the next page, I noted she added a little more oil for waffles so I increased the oil by one tablespoon. Otherwise, the recipe was just like the original other than the milk was almond, rather than soy or rice.  If you want to make an excellent waffle, here is Isa's recipe with the oil quantity change and my additional notes in parenthesis:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour ( I used Bob Red Mill's organic)

2 teaspoons baking powder (I used aluminum-free)

1/2 teaspoon salt  (I used pink Himalayan salt)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons canola oil (I used 3 tablespoons of canola/olive oil combo)

1/3 cup water

1 and 1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened Blue Diamond)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(I used coconut cooking spray on the waffle iron)

I mixed all of the dry ingredients, then added all of the liquid ingredients in the middle and stirred until most of the lumps were gone. (Isa noted that "a few lumps in the batter are just fine.") I used an electric waffle iron and the batter was thin because in Isa's recipe you have the choice of using 1 to 1 and 1/4 cup rice or soy milk.  I wanted the waffles to be light so I used the higher amount and they were a huge success.  

If you love these waffles as much as I do, I would suggest you buy at least one of Isa's cookbooks right away.  They are fabulous and you can never go wrong with her recipes!!

I normally take a photo... I'll take one the next time BEFORE we eat them and insert it later.  Enjoy! :-)

Best Chocolate Birthday Cake!

For my birthday, this past January, I wanted to have a vegan birthday cake.  I decided to make my own and have it for my birthday celebration.  I looked through all of my cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  I found one that sounded perfect.  It was in her Vegan With A Vengeance cookbook. I LOVE chocolate and as the title above states, it is her Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting.  

The first paragraph of her recipe shared that it is a great birthday cake.  Everyone who tried it loved it and I made it again a few weeks later.

I used the ingredients stated below (unless changed in parenthesis), vegan, and organic.   

Here are the ingredients for the cake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used pastry)

1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa power (I used cacao)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups rice or soy milk (I used almond)

1/2 cup canola oil

1 (10 oz) jar raspberry preserves (reserve 1/2 for batter)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups sugar ( I used 1 cup)

Here are the ingredients for the icing:

3/4 cup soy creamer (I used 1/2 cup almond milk)

6 TBS non-hydrogenated margarine (I used 4 TSP)

10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

If this recipe sounds like one you would love, check out her book Vegan with a Vengeance.  I found it in paperback on Amazon.  I only wish I had my birthday cake photo to share with you, but I can tell you that it was ALL gone by the end of the evening.  (HINT: When you make the icing, don't melt the margarine all the way so that it has a spreadable consistency.) This will be one of my favorite cakes to make again and again, particularly on special occasions.  LOVE IT! :-)

I've included a link below from a recipe/cooking vegan blog which includes photos of the baking of this cake; step by step.  If you would like to see the photos of the cake and read the step-by-step directions (ingredients may vary slightly on this blog from the original Isa recipe), then check out this link: Raspberry Blackout Cake

Favorite Vegan Cookbooks

Isa Chandra Moskowitz is my favorite vegan cookbook author!  I purchased Isa Does It, her latest cookbook in November (2013), and she never fails to disappoint with her excellent, tasty recipes, and easy to find ingredients.  I don't know about you, but when I want to try and create a new vegan recipe, I don't want to have to look up most of the ingredients on the internet first.... 

I have made many recipes from her cookbooks for my vegan and non-vegan family members, and everyone loves her recipes.  Prior to her new book, my favorite was Vegan with a Vengeance.  

My collection of Isa's books are Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, and Vegan Brunch.

If you are new to vegan cooking or Isa, give her latest book a try, you will LOVE it!