San Diego, CA

February 16, 2013
I was sooo hungry today, which was also my birthday!!! We were stuck in traffic for 3 hours trying to get down to San Diego, in our super crammed rental car. We had to empty boxes we had no room for, and shove a ton of shirts in the back window and little pockets of space in the trunk. I felt claustrophobic, and jammed out to my Lynyrd Skynyrd Pandora station, while dreaming of going to the beach and eating cake the second we got in town. Of course, traffic took so long and we had so much random merch to organize, we ended up stuck at the venue for what felt like hours!! Eventually, I looked on yelp and found a vegan fast food place 3 miles away. It was called Evolution Fast Food and had a drive thru!! It was very cute. Small ordering area, then a huge patio for outdoor seating. The grrrl working said they'd been open for two years, and it looked like they were doing very well. Their drive thru and ordering room had lines the whole time we were there. I ordered a young thai coconut, a Bacon Cheeseburger with their homemade bean patty, fries, and a Boston Creme Cupcake!! I immediately regretted my decision for the bean patty when I read further that it had cilantro in it, so Calum suggested I give it to our singer, Shane, who has been vegetarian over 20 years. I then went back to order my favorite fried sandwich...buffalo chikin!!! We sat outside and I loved my food. The hamburger bun was dark wheat and super fluffy. The fries were super greasy though and I definitely didn't finish them. I saved my cupcake til after our show...and when we arrived at our other guitarist, Dorian's house I ate it with a fork. I was trying to savor it. I loved it, and I am inspired to make a thick chocolate icing that is easy to spread and tastes like ganache. I have to remember to do that!!
At the venue, after we played, we were told there was vegan tacos inside for us. Shane went to check it out and texted me at the merch table that they were yummy snacks. So, Calum and I were very happy to eat after all the equipment was loaded. Over all, it was a great night. Although it did suck sleeping on a wood floor with my towel as a blanket and my jeggings as a pillow that night. #tourlife

West Hollywood, CA

February 14,15, 2013
Traveling is hard sometimes. I hate being hungry, and it makes me very grumpy so I try to make sure I always have snacks on hand. Especially when I'm on tour and have no idea the next chance I'll get to hit up a Whole Foods or vegan restaurant. My bass player, Calum, has been vegan nearly 20 years, and he lives in Brooklyn...aka vegan heaven. Needless to say, he is a spoiled brat when it comes to food. He and I try to seek out the most affordable and innovative restaurants we can while traveling via the HappyCow app, or a quick vegan search on Yelp. 3 shows into this tour, I have only been hungry...like realllllly hungry....once.
I had Valentines day brunch with my best friends Sean and Julia and their baby Mick, at Hugo's in West Hollywood. It's a pricey place, but had great options for vegans and gluten free folks. They handmade all their own pasta in house, and I was ecstatic to have a fresh blended berry mimosa. We split red velvet pancakes infused with beets, strawberries, and walnuts. Then, I had the vegan Mac n cheese with peas, mushrooms, and crispy onions. It was delicious, and I was delighted that the cheese was actually a cashew and sunflower seed cream. Yum.
The next day, when I went to meet up with the rest of my band, we had a last minute transportation problem, and I had to rent a car. I grabbed one from Enterprise on Sunset Blvd, and hit up the Veggie Grill on my way to North Hollywood. Veggie Grill is an awesome chain with a ton of locations all over California and other states. They have burgers, salads, Mac n cheese, tons of gluten free options, buffalo wings, and strawberry lemonade. It is very much a fast food place, where you order at the corner and either sit down or wait for pick up. The food is delicious, but the interior is always so plasticky, and I'm not used to eating a chain places so its kind of a strange atmosphere. I ordered the buffalo chikin sandwich with a side salad. I will admit though, I was a bit bummed because there was cilantro in either the dressing or the corn salsa it's topped with, so I didn't fully enjoy my meal. I was so hungry though, that its all a blur, and after I ate I realized I had no idea where I had parked that damn rental car. I was going up and down the parking garage pushing the panic button while actually panicking to find it for atleast 20 minutes, before I hightailed it out of there and got stuck in typical Los Angeles traffic. Highway 101. Brutal. But at least I was belly full.

Banana Bread

The best bananas for baking are the overripe, brown, mushy ones...Don't throw them away! Bake with them or freeze them and make a smoothie!!!

Banana Bread

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup banana puree
1/3 cup applesauce
1 TBSP canola extract
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy or coconut mylk

Pre heat oven to 350°.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a small mixing bowl combine, puréed banana, applesauce, oil, and Soymylk and whisk ingredients together. Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with your dry ingredients, and use a spatula or electric hand mixer to combine thoroughly. Scrape the edges of your bowl to ensure there are no dry patches or lumps. If you'd like, fold in half a cup of pecans, semi sweet chocolate chips, or dried cranberries.
Lightly grease a bread or cake pan (these can also be made into muffins) and fill no more than just over an inch high. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm, golden, and a toothpick inserted in the middle, all the way to the bottom, comes out clean. Let cool before cutting. Serve warm.

Seedy Pumpkin Muffins

Last Wednesday, Mike and I taught a vegan cooking for beginners class at our downtown location of Green. I am happy to say it was completely full and we had 40 eager people there to ask us great questions and stuff their faces with our food. We made simple items like, tofu scramble tacos, poblano ranch dressing, lasagna, tofu ricotta, and low fat low sugar seedy pumpkin muffins!!
These muffins are great for breakfast, dessert, and for holiday occasions. They are full of fiber, protein, omega 3's, and love. I recommend serving them warm and fresh. They aren't so satisfactory the day after. Also, if they aren't sweet enough for you, make a little glaze or fold in some dried berries for an extra natural sugary punch.

Makes 2 dozen

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 TBSP. Cinnamon
1 2/3 cup Agave Nectar
1 cup Pumpkin Purée
2/3 cup Canola Oil
1 cup Soy or Coconut Mylk
2 TBSP. Vanilla Extract
3 TBSP. whole Flax Seeds
3 TBSP. Chia Seeds

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk or sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, canola oil, mylk, agave, and vanilla.
Add your mixed wet ingredients to your mixed dry ingredients and use a hand mixer to combine until all lumps are gone. Be sure to scrape the edges of your bowl and thoroughly combine all ingredients.
Finally, add your flax seeds and chia seeds, and use a spatula to fold them into your batter evenly.
Use a spray oil to coat your muffin pan and use an ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly, filling each divider half way full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden, and toothpick comes out clean.
Serve warm.
Other things to fold into this cupcake that are yummy include: instant oats, chopped apple pieces, chia seeds, pecans or walnuts, or any dried berries.

The following is a photo of one of my bakers, Cici, as we baked cupcakes and muffins together before the cooking class. Baking with friends is fun.

Tour Life

So Unloved is playing with Nashville Pussy This Saturday!! Then, I'll be on tour during Valentines day and my birthday this year with Phobia... (That means no baking, just eating at as many places I can!!) The new Green at the Pearl opens March 3rd, which will be exciting, and then I do a festival in Philadelphia and Obscene Extreme Fest in Mexico City!! Here are the flyers...

Gluten Free Banana Split Cupcakes

I use bananas in baking. A lot. They are a great egg replacer and add extra moisture to the texture of gluten free cupcakes. If you use overly ripe brownish bananas when baking these, the flavor will be spot on. No need for that gross banana extract with yellow #5 in it (did you know they test the food dyes in extracts on Beagles and Mice?! How dare they!!). Anyways, this cupcake is a bit time consuming since there are 3 components to make, but they are super cute and the perfect birthday cupcakes!!

Makes 2 dozen
CAKE:
3 cups Bob Red Mill All Purpose Flour
2 cups granulated Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup Soymylk
1/3 cup Banana Purée
2 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 cup Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup warm Water

Pre heat oven to 350°.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, Xanthan gum, and salt.
In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together oil, soymylk, apple cider vinegar, and banana purée.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and use a hand mixer to combine. It will be very sticky and thick. Then, add 1 cup warm water to batter and use electric hand mixer to combine thoroughly. Once water is added, batter should take on a more normal and smooth consistency. Stop to scrape the edges of your bowl with a spatula, ensuring there are no clumps of dry mix left. Line 2 dozen baking pans with baking cups and portion out batter using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

FROSTING:
3 1/2- 4 cups Imperial Powdered Sugar
3/4 cups vegan Margarine
1 cup non-hydrogenated Shortening
2 1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract
2 TBSP Banana Puree

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 1/3 of your vanilla, let mix for 30 seconds. Then, add another 1/3 of your vanilla, and beat another 30 seconds, before finally adding the last of the vanilla. Then, add 1 TBSP at a time of banana puree, allowing 30 seconds of beating between each addition. 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.

MYLK CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

1 cup vegan Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Soy or Coconut Mylk

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and mylk, and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove from microwave, and whisk vigorously until it becomes a creamy ganache. The longer it cools, the thicker it will get, so be sure to use it once its reached the consistency you are looking for. Also, you can make this in a double broiler if you prefer not to use a microwave. In which case, boil a pot of water, and place a heat resistant bowl on top of it. Make sure it fits snug and won't fall into the boiling water. Then, in that bowl, melt your chocolate chips and soymylk together. Be sure to stir continuously to avoid burning.

Use a piping bag with a tiny round tip to perfectly drizzle ganache in a zig zag on top of your frosting, or just dip a fork and splash ganache on cupcakes. Top with vegan sprinkles ( see blog post ), peanuts, and lightly press a sliver of strawberry on top. A banana chip would be a great topping too.

Vegan Sprinkles and Food Dye

Lets talk about sprinkles. A lot of them ARE NOT vegan. Some of them aren't even edible! (whats with those awesome mercury sprinkles?!) Ugh. Those cool little silver balls, pink piggies, snowflakes, glitter ones, colorful ones, shiny ones...they all make your desserts LOOK super awesome, but sometimes they contain beeswax, gelatin, food dyes that have been tested on sweet innocent animals, and most commonly...confectioners glaze. I've had a hard time with this ingredient, because a search on google will tell you that is made from the Lac Beetle (kind of a cute little guy) to add shine to sprinkles. On the other hand, sprinkles labeled Kosher that contain confectioners glaze can't possibly contain insect by-products because that would never fly with the Rabbi. At least not the ones that supervise Green. They have a bright light they use to search thru all of our greens and veggies once a week to ensure there are no insects. In fact, I'm not even allowed to bake with raspberries or blackberries because the Rabbi cannot be entirely sure there are no insects in them. But, even though they are so strict, I cannot find anything to confirm that there are no insects when labeled Kosher. Perhaps since it is not considered "food," it doesnt count. Anyways, let's just stay away from confectioners glaze all together. Usually the alternative to confectioners glaze is carnauba wax a.k.a. Brazil wax, which is made from palm tree leaves.

I've bought some really great sprinkles by a company called Let's Do...Organic! They come in a box with a few individually wrapped packages of pastel colored round sprinkles. They are labeled both vegan AND gluten free, so I feel safe using them. The reason they are individually packaged is that they have a short shelf life due to the naturally sourced dyes. They lose a little bit of pigment with time, especially when opened and not sealed air tight again. I've seen chocolate, confetti, and pastel ones online at www.edwardsandsons.com

Another real cool company is Chocolate Craft Kits. They make all natural food colors, sprinkles, molding chocolate, and powders to assist you in all your baking needs. I haven't had a chance to order and test anything out by them, but I'm going to as soon as possible!!! Check them out online at www.chocolatecraftkits.com

India Tree is a company that makes some all natural food dye, and somewhat natural sprinkles. I first heard about it from the Babycakes cookbook. They use India Tree all natural food dyes for tinting their gorgeous frostings. I bought the food dyes at Wheatsville in Austin once, but it was $18 for 3 colors, and though beautiful at first, they had a very short shelf life, and turned brown. When using all natural products, not packed with preservatives, always make sure you use fresh ingredients. I found a huge array of their sprinkles (but no food dyes) at Central Market, but was hesitant when I read they were dyed with artificial coloring, and some, but not all, contained confectioners glaze. I checked them out online, and you can find some that are naturally colored on their website www.indiatree.com.

Of course, another great alternative to garnishing is using natural items such as nuts, toasted coconut, candied fruit, drizzles, edible flowers, etc. One thing to mention, is when using fresh fruit as garnish, be sure to serve right away. Cutting a strawberry and putting it on top will release juice over time and can smudge up your frosting. Never garnish with frozen fruit and always rinse fresh fruit very well before using....dry fruit completely before toppin' off those pretty little cupcakes.
The Cookie Monster cake was naturally dyed with India Tree food dyes, and the pink is from strawberries and beet juice!! Happy baking!!!