Happy Belated...

So this post is obviously a backed-up one from my birthday which was all the way back in April.

Usually for baking things on occasions like this I don't worry. I've got non-dairy cake recipes and I know how to use them! Unfortunately this year, my TOS was getting in the way. This caused a little concern. Sure I could have just made cookies, but there had to be birthday cake. Not just cookies! With my mother in a sling from shoulder surgery, both household chefs were down for the count.

Here comes Flying Apron bakery to the rescue! They were in Freemont which was a little bit of a drive, but definitely worth it. Good news is they've opened up a new location in Redmond!

I wish I could have gotten a better picture. This little cake was adorable. It was a simple lemon poppyseed with vanilla frosting. I thought it was neat that it not only was vegan, but gluten-free as well.

I'm sure people are wondering 'How did it taste?'. Right off the bat could tell that the cake batter was different. It was still quite tasty - I was craving more slices of it. Something about the cake told me something was different from the usual variety which was a teensy bit of a bummer, but didn't stop me from devouring it. The frosting was all the same though. Sweet, fluffy goodness. When you break it down it's really just sugar and shortening.

Would I order another cake? I think so. I'd be curious to try some of their other flavors and see how they were. Overall if I could I'd try to make my own cake, but if my TOS flared and I had to find a bakery I'd be giving these folks a call!

The Best!

Often times I hear food that's described as "the BEST". I'm always skeptical. What tastes great is always subject to people's opinions. What one person finds amazing another might not like. However I've been surprised before in a good way. That mac and cheese recipe I found was described as the "best on the planet" and honesty, it was really good. But that's only my opinion!

This beauty is a backlog from the fall. I am going to blame that big a backlog both on the cold weather wreaking havoc on my TOS and some laziness thrown into the mix.

Thanksgiving is always tough for me. Milk products in stuffing, in potatoes, in the gravy, everywhere. Thankfully my mother said I could make something that's safe for me to eat even with all the other dishes being made. So I searched the internet and found this wonderful, Thanksgiving-saving dish!

Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole
Beans
- 2 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon table salt (Alanna says it’s essential)
- 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce
- 10 ounces mushrooms (I used a combination of regular button mushrooms and shiitake)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- generous pinch cayenne pepper (had to add it for the New Orleanians)
- Salt to taste
- Fresh pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth (I used Imagine’s No-Chicken)
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry (Alanna’s brilliant addition)
- 3/4 cup soy creamer (or try full-fat unsweetened soymilk)

Topping
- 1 1/2 slices whole grain bread
-1 tablespoon Earth Balance margarine (the best tasting margarine in the world and no trans-fat)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 3-ounce can of French fried onions

Beans
Bring the water to boil in a large pot. While its heating, cut up the beans. Add the salt and beans to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes. Drain beans in a colander, and then spray for a minute with cold water to stop the cooking. Let them drain in the colander, shaking every now and then to get off all the water.

Sauce
Trim and discard the mushroom stems and chop the mushrooms into pieces. Spray a non-stick pan with canola oil and heat it. Add the mushrooms, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are very soft and exude their juices. Whisk the flour into the vegetable broth and add to the mushrooms along with the sherry. Simmer, stirring, until mixture thickens. Add the soy creamer and simmer until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings and stir in the beans.

Topping
Put the bread, margarine, salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Pour into a bowl and add the onions. Stir to combine.

To assemble:
Put the green beans into an oiled casserole dish and top with the onion mixture. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes. If you are not serving this right away, refrigerate the topping separately; bring to room temperature before sprinkling the topping on the casserole and baking for about 20 minutes or until hot throughout.

And then the most important part: how did it taste? Well. Pretty much amazing. I didn't expect it to, but it did. It was worth putting it all together, and I was going back for seconds when it was served. It wasn't terribly hard on my TOS from what I remember, but there was a lot of chopping and some stirring that would make it hard if I was having a bad pain day. However, I could definitely manage it for special occasions. I would absolutely make it again. I think this and the garlic pumpkin mashed potatoes would go pretty well together for a Thanksgiving meal.