Vegan Lip Balm

One of my favorite things in the world, and an essential in my day to day life is LIP BALM!!! I grew up obsessed with Lip Smackers lip gloss, with the amazingly delightful scents and glittery appeal, I had a ton of them. My absolute favorite was Strawberry Kiwi, which I used for yearrrrs. It was SO hard to give them up when I went vegan, but it was so worth it. Now, I use even smoother and tastier lip products that are cruelty free as well!!

At first, I just stuck to Merry Hempsters brand, which makes plain flavors like Peppermint and Vanilla, but then I was annoyed because only some of their lip balms are vegan. I made the mistake of purchasing one from Whole Foods in West Hollywood and it was labeled "natural," which I learned later just means it has beeswax in it. LAME. Although I do not recommend Merry Hempsters lip balm, they make a great Tattoo Balm for healing and sun protection. It looks like a huge lip balm, smells great, and isn't sticky. Grab it at Whole Foods for 5 bucks.

So, the next one I fell in love with is a company called Crazy Rumors. I discovered them at Food Fight, a vegan grocery store in Portland, OR. I was on a tour, my lips were dry, and I couldn't believe how delicious and soothing the orange juice and root beer flavors were!! They have a ton of flavors now, including pineapple peppermint and lemonade. They do little themed flavors like soda pops, teas, fresh squeezed juices, and gumballs. I've never had a flavor I didn't like. The best part is that these days they have Lip Tints called HibisKiss, and they are an amazing alternative to lipstick. They are glossy and lightly tinted. The darker reds are great, and I recently got the baby pink one which I love to put over a bright pink lipstick to add gloss and stay value. Check this company out at Central Market if you live in San Antonio. Otherwise, you can order them online at www.crazyrumors.com

The next vegan lip balm company I love is, Hurraw. I discovered it on tour in Miami, FL at a record store/vegan coffee bar/indie venue called Sweat Records. They sell vegan empanadas and killer almond lattes, lots of great records, independent magazines, homemade journals, and other DIY goodies....and Hurraw Lip Balm!!! I bought the vanilla one when I was there, and immediately wished I'd bought a million more. This company uses only organic, vegan, raw ingredients. The shape of these balms is similar to a lighter (kinda flat, instead of traditionally round) and I love the way it fits in my front pocket. My best friend, Jacque, bought me a three pack online for my birthday a few years ago and they came in the cutest little pouch! They recommend using it as a tea bag for loose leafs, but I have one of them filled with buttons. So cute. Since I am unable to buy them in San Antonio, I have ordered them online many times since then, trying lots of new flavors as I go. The only flavor I haven't liked is the Green Tea. I thought it tasted a little too perfumey and not sweet. I'm sure other people would like it, I just prefer sweeter flavors because I was raised on those damn Lip Smackers. In Portland I found a tinted Black Cherry one, but it wasn't nearly as tinted as I'd have liked. The flavor was great though. I highly highly highly recommend this lip balm!! Grab the root beer or almond one!! Check em out online at www.hurrawbalm.com/hurraw

Another company I am head over heels for is LUSH. They are a Canadian company that have stores all over the world. Jacque introduced me to them in San Francisco in 2005. They didn't have one in San Antonio until years later, but I was instantly hooked on the Rock Star soap. I could seriously rave about this company for hours, but that's for another post all together. Specifically, their lip products RULE. At first I wasn't too impressed with the vegan selection, but they had a "none of your beeswax" balm that came in a little tin which I purchased. It was pricey, I wasn't excited about the flavor, and it melted all over my purse a week later. Next time I went I got a lipstick by them called "a million kisses". The flavor, color, and texture is amazing. It's a dark deep red hue, which is awesome, but it smears way too much and is super hard to keep on. The mess of it isn't worth the color. My friend, Mia, had one melt all over her purse. Fail. The next one I bought is called "latte" and is my favorite out the tin balms. It's a kind of coral brownish color and I wear it in the mornings. The flavor is great and since its not such a dense color, it's not too messy and I like it to wear off before lunch. That one I keep at home on my vanity, so it has no chance of melting!! I learned my lesson. Now, since I didn't have much luck with these balms, I was a bit hesitant to try their new line of lip colors. The girl at the store got me to sample one though, and I freaked out. It was the best lipstick I have ever used ever. These ones are actual lipstick, not a balm, but they are the most vibrant, long lasting, soft colors of all time. I insist that your exfoliate your lips using their vegan sugar scrubs first though, or the color can look a little cracked. Also, these are pricey, but totally worth splurging on if you love lip stuff like I do. At $22 a piece, choose wisely which color you will use most!! I have the Passionate one which is a shiny magenta pink, and matched my hair perfectly when I bought it. One application will last you all night and you'll have to scrub it off the next morning before work!!! When Lush released these, they also released eye makeup too. I haven't tried them yet, but I look forward to trying em ASAP. That entire line is vegan. Check em out at North Star Macy's in San Antonio, or online at www.lush.com

K, now my last lip balm obsession is brand new to me. Brand new... as in I was gifted 3 flavors 2 days ago as a Christmas gift by one of my favorite people in the world, Julia Rowley. She has such good taste and supports independent vendors by purchasing off Etsy as much as possible. Since her family lives in Los Angeles, I don't see her very often, but I can't tell you how excited and charmed I was that she sent me these vegan balms. They are by a company called Epically Epic Soaps. (Best name ever!!!!). She got me Gingerbread, Red Velvet (has a slight tint), and Pumpkin Pie. The fact that they were dessert flavors made me appreciate them a thousand times more. They are so soft, strong in flavor, and made in New Mexico. I highly recommend you check out the other products by this company at their Etsy shop... http://www.etsy.com/shop/EpicallyEpicSoap
or at the owner's blog: www.EpicSoap.blogspot.com
Got some other companies to recommend?? Send them to meeee!!! Please!!!!

Strawberry Habanero Vinaigrette

This is a recipe from our most recent cooking class. We have tons of fresh habaneros growing in the garden at downtown Green, and the ones I used in this recipe were bright orange. This dressing is pretty spicy, but its also very fresh an vibrant in flavor. Use sparingly.

Strawberry Habanero Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Strawberries puréed (frozen or fresh)
1 tsp. Salt
2 TBSP. fresh Parsley
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1 Habanero

In a food processor, combine all ingredients.
Blend on high for one minute.
Serve fresh, or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

Mike and I hosted a vegan cooking class this week featuring peppers and mushrooms! He has been really into smoking foods on a stove instead of the hassle of a grill and made smoked portabella stroganoff. I made spicy Mexican hot chocolate cookies and strawberry habanero vinaigrette.
I am pretty sensitive to spicy foods, and don't necessarily like my mouth being on fire...but recently I've been eating lots of pickled jalapeños and tofu smothered in buffalo sauce. In fact, when I was on tour in October, we played a show at an old Funeral home turned punk house in Buffalo, NY. The other band we were on tour with really wanted to eat at the restaurant where Buffalo sauce originated, and since they had nothinnnnnng for us vegans to eat, my bass player, Calum, and I went to a Lebanese restaurant down the street. It was called Amy's Place, and we were ecstatic to discover they had VEGAN buffalo wings!!!! Soooo, Calum and I also had the satisfaction of eatin buffalo sauce in Buffalo, NY. The other guys said they didn't really enjoy the food they ate, and all passed out in a food coma, while Calum and I were happily full.

So, this cookie recipe is actually more of a brownie recipe in the sense that I use canola oil, instead of margarine, and add soymylk as well. The cayenne is not overbearing, so the heat is only an after taste in the back of your throat. Add an additional 1/4 tsp, if you want it a little more brutal. Though I made these as cookies, this recipe would work very well as a brownie recipe when put into a brownie pan, and baked for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Also, it's a great double chocolate "brookie" ( brownie cookie!!!) without the cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Add pecans, walnuts, almonds, coconut, carob chips, or whatever you'd like to change it up. This recipe is very versatile.
One more thing, this recipe makes 2 dozen large cookies...and by that I mean the size I sell them for at $2 a piece at the restaurant. If you are making small cookies, you may want to cut this recipe in half.

Listen to: Lily Allen "Alright, Still"... She's sweet and spicy too!!!!

Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

2 1/2 TBSP. ground Flaxseed
1 cups Soymylk
2 cups granulated Sugar
2 cups Brown Sugar
2 TBSP. Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups Canola Oil
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder
3/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 TBSP. Cinnamon
1 cup vegan Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small bowl, combine flaxseed and soymylk. Whisk well, set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, sift together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, and cocoa. Mix thoroughly.
In a large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, canola oil, and flaxseed mixture. Use an electric hand mixer to completely combine ingredients. There should be no oil separated. This may take a minute to achieve.
Pour half of your flour mixture into your sugar mixture and use your hands to squeeze and combine.
Add the other half, and squeeze and mix until it becomes a thick cookie dough that pulls away from the bowl. Fold in 2 cups chocolate chips.
Use an ice cream scoop to portion out cookies 2 inches apart on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Gently flatten them to 1/3 inch thick using the palm of your hand. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving, which gives them time to harden up.

Gingerbread Cupcakes

I am obsessed with ginger!! I loved making gingerbread houses at school when I was very young, and although I haven't taken the initiative to create a home full of candy canes and marshmallows lately, I have not abandoned my love for ginger during the holidays. Instead, I've been making these cupcakes that are spicy and deep in flavor with a light and fluffy frosting, then topping them with little round gingerbread cookies and decorating them with faces with mustaches and curly hair. I made them for the first time this year at Green's downtown location last week. I had a million custom orders to fill, and the country music playing was driving me crazy, so I filled a piping bag with leftover ginger frosting and let all the servers decorate the gingerbread faces. They had a great time, and helped save me time, and so we were all happy. I guess this can be fun for you to distract rambunctious kids with too. Anyways, here's the recipes!!! These are a tiny bit time consuming ( probably an hour and half with baking times included) but the flavor and presentation is TOTALLY worth it!! I recommend listening to that She and Him Christmas album while you make these.

Makes 2 dozen
[cake]
3 1/2 cups all purpose Flour
2 cups Imperial granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 TBSP. ground Ginger
1/2 TBSP. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Cloves
1 cup Canola oil
2 cups Soymylk
1/3 cup Molasses
1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup finely chopped and peeled fresh Ginger root


Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients and whisk well to combine. Peel and chop fresh ginger and set aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients and whisk well to combine. Pour mixed wet ingredients into mixed dry ingredients and use an electric hand mixer to thoroughly whisk batter. Mix for atleast one minute, before stopping to scrape all edges and corners where little pouches of dry mix may be hiding. Mix again for an another minute, then pour chopped ginger into batter. Use a spatula to spread out and fold little chunks of ginger into your batter. Line cupcake pans with baking cups and use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake lines 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Set on a cooling rack while you make frosting!!!


Frosting:

3 1/2 cups Imperial Powdered Sugar
3/4 cups vegan Margarine
3/4 cups non-hydrogenated Shortening
2 1/2 TBSP Vanilla extract
1 1/2 TBSP ground Ginger
1/2 TBSP Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Molasses


In a stand mixer, cream together your margarine and shortening. Stop to scrape the edges and make sure there are no clumps. This may take beating at high speed for atleast 3 minutes. Then, while beating at your slowest speed, add 1/2 of your vanilla, let mix for 30 seconds. Then, add the other half of your vanilla, and beat another 30 seconds, before adding your ginger and cinnamon slowly. Beat for 30 seconds, then add your molasses and let beat for one minute, before adding 1/4 of your powdered sugar. Beat at a slow to moderate speed to prevent sugar splashing out of the mixing bowl. Once combined, beat on high for 30 seconds. Repeat this process, slowly adding your powdered sugar 1/4 at a time. Once all ingredients have been thoroughly incorporated, use a frosting bag and tip, or spatula to frost cupcakes. Let frosted cupcakes sit in a refrigerator for atleast 15 minutes, to allow frosting to set. I prefer a fat star tip for this cupcake, then I garnish with a little gingerbread cookie! You could also garnish with candied ginger or golden hue sprinkles.

Gingerbread Cookies

4 cups All purpose Flour
1 cup vegan Margarine
1 cup packed Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Molasses
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 TBSP ground Ginger
1/4 tsp. Cloves
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Ener-G Egg Replacer
2 TBSP warm water

Preheat oven to 350°.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together your Ener-G Egg Replacer with warm water. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together margarine and brown sugar. You can use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or your own hand power to do this.
Add molasses and use electric hand mixer to combine.
Add egg replacer, and mix again. In a separate and smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together well.
Add half of your dry mixture to your sugar mixture and use your hands to combine thoroughly. Add half of the rest of flour mixture and continue to combine using your hands, eventually forming a ball of dough, adding a little bit of flour mixture at a time. Once dough pulls away from the mixing bowl and is easy to form with your hands, stop adding flour.
Wrap your dough tightly in Saran Wrap and refrigerate for atleast one hour.
Pull it out of the fridge and lightly dust a flat surface with flour. Separate dough into two balls and use a rolling pin to flatten out each ball one at a time. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. If using cookies for gingerbread cupcake garnish, use the opposite end of a large frosting tip to cut out small circles about an inch in diameter and line them up on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Otherwise, use whatever cookie cutter you want to create awesome little shaped cookies.
Once lined up and filled the cookie sheet, place in oven on middle rack and bake for 7-9 minutes depending on the texture you'd like. If you prefer them crunchy, leave them in for those extra two minutes, and even though they may feel soft to the touch fresh out of the oven, they will harden once cooled. If you like them a bit soft in the middle, pull them out right at 7 minutes.
Leave to cool before using as garnish on fresh cupcakes. Make sure they've cooled completely before frosting them and making cute designs.
To add spice to these cookies, you can chop up fresh ginger and fold into cookie dough before wrapping and refrigerating. Or, use a grater to grate a bunch of ginger, and squeeeeeeeze out all the juice to mix in when you are creaming in the molasses. Depending on how much of this juice you use, you may need to add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to achieve a firm ball of cookie dough.

Mint Buttercream

This is a delicious and light frosting for chocolate cupcakes!! Garnish with fresh mint!!!

3 1/2 to 4 cups Imperial Powdered Sugar
3/4 cups vegan Margarine
1 cups non-hydrogenated Shortening
1/2 tsp Peppermint extract (or at a cake shop, you can buy a Mint Chocolate Chip extract that is super delicious)
1/2 tsp. liquid Chlorophyll (for light green color! You can also use one drop of green food dye if you prefer)
1 1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract

In a stand mixer, cream together your margarine and shortening. Stop to scrape the edges and make sure there are no clumps. This may take beating at high speed for atleast 3 minutes. Then, while beating at your slowest speed, add 1/2 of your vanilla, let mix for 30 seconds. Then, add the other half of your vanilla, and beat another 30 seconds, before adding your peppermint extract. Beat for 30 seconds, then add ypur chlorophyll and let beat for one minute, before adding 1/4 of your powdered sugar. Beat at a slow to moderate speed to prevent sugar splashing out of the mixing bowl. Once combined, beat on high for 30 seconds. Repeat this process, slowly adding your powdered sugar 1/4 at a time. Once all ingredients have been thoroughly incorporated, use a frosting bag and tip, or spatula to frost cupcakes. Let frosted cupcakes sit in a refrigerator for atleast 15 minutes, to allow frosting to set.

Gluten Free Vanilla Cupcakes

I like being able to accommodate the gluten intolerant as I have extreme sympathy for special diets...this is a great starter recipe for those just now venturing into a wheat free baking world. I always use Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Blend for the flour in my gluten free cakes. The blend of different flours and meals achieves a fluffy cake instead of a dense one. Xanthan Gum is absolutely necessary to reach the right consistency. You can grab a small bag (I always use Bob's Red Mill) at Whole Foods for $11, but it will last you FOREVERRR!! Xanthan Gum is a derivative of a bacterial sugar and works as a binding agent. It can also be useful in thickening sauces and jellies. Another key ingredient in gluten free cakes, is the addition of a natural fat. I prefer pumpkin or banana purée specifically, but avocado and applesauce work well too. Pay special attention to the directions of mixing your batter. It is important to add the warm water last. Yay!!! This is a simple recipe, and is exceptional with any kind of frosting on top. The picture is of gluten free vanilla cupcakes with a light strawberry frosting and almonds on top.
Makes 2 dozen
[dry]
3 cups Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour
2 cups granulated Sugar
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

[wet]
1 cups Canola oil
1/2 cup Soymylk
6 tablespoons Pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Vanilla extract
1 cup warm water

Pre heat oven to 350°. Line cupcakes pans with baking cups. In a large mixing bowl, sift your flour. Add the rest of your dry ingredients and whisk to combine well.
In a smaller mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients, except the warm water. Whisk well until ingredients are well incorporated.
Then, slowly add your wet ingredients to your dry ingredients. Use a hand mixer on a slow speed to gently incorporate wet and dry ingredients. The batter will be super thick.
Once most of the dry ingredients have dissolved into the wet, add the warm water and immediately hand mix again, slowly progressing to a high speed. The batter will become a more normal consistency. Be sure to stop and scrape the edges of your bowl and ensure there are no dry clumps.
Portion out your cupcakes using an ice cream scoop and fill each baking cup 3/4 full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Dip a toothpick in the center of a cupcake, if it comes out clean, and the top of the cupcake bounces back when you touch it, remove them from the oven and leave them to cool before frosting.

Cupcakes for a Cure

There's a big breast cancer symposium in San Antonio this week, and my bosses asked me to make a special cupcake for it. So, we decided that 10% of cupcakes sales from December 3-7, will go to breast cancer research. Last night, I had two custom order cakes to make, so I went to work and made a trial batch of hot pink vanilla cupcakes too. Here's a picture of my first trial breast cancer ribbon cupcakes, in which I will post a recipe for very soon. Also, a picture of some carrot cake cupcakes and an Oreo cake I made last night/ this morning....

Saturday Bake Fest

Every Saturday night is super busy for my bakers and I at Green. We serve an awesome brunch Sunday mornings from 9am til 2 pm and it's our busiest day of the week. So, the girls and I always bake a ton of fresh cupcakes and cookies, and since Green is closed on Saturdays, we have the whole kitchens to ourselves. So, we turn the music up super loud, turn the ovens to 350...and bake our little hearts out. This Saturday, I baked at Green's north side location. I listened to my Julie Ruin station on Pandora which played a ton of Gravy Train!!!, Le Tigre, Metric, and Spinnerette...here's a what I baked...
I also made some Cowboy cookies which are not pictured here. They are half whole wheat cookies with Texas pecans, oats, and chocolates chips. Yeehaw.
S'mores
Custom order half sheet Red Velvet cake
Hostess who? Which are crime filled and my favorite of all time to make!!!!
Banana Creme Pie, which are banana cake, filled with vanilla creme, topped with banana buttercream and graham cracker crumbs.
Gluten Free Snickerdoodle...a super cinnamony delight.