Egg-free | KarmaFree Cooking

Tag Archives: Egg-free

Almond Praline

This is a recipe I originally learned from Diane Carlson, from the Conscious Gourmet.

This is a super easy recipe that will never disappoint you. I have also used it to candy hazelnuts, cashews and walnuts. You can easily eat these almonds by themselves or as a garnish for poached or roasted fruit – like my Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese or these Poached Pears in Orange Juice.

ALMOND PRALINE

1 cup sliced almonds

1 tbs maple sugar

1 tbs maple syrup

Combine all ingredients and stir well with two forks. Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silplat.
Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 350F oven. Stir occasionally, and remove from oven once they’ve become golden brown.
When you remove from oven, transfer them immediately to a cool bowl or plate for them to cool down. They’ll become crisp as they cool down. Separate them carefully.

Tags: almonds, Egg-free, eggless, maple sugar, maple syrup

Comments 4 Comments
Categories desserts, treats

Asparagus Party Sandwiches

27 Apr

Yesterday, I participated in the Foodbuzz 24,24,24 event for April… I cooked a dinner for my friend Mariví and her 4 oldest kids to get them to inadvertently try new foods and new flavors. I titled it A Very Veggie Experiment…

The first dish of the night was these asparagus sandwiches… I still can remember the first time I ate an asparagus sandwich at a birthday party. I just ate it thinking it was a regular “sandwichito de mezcla” just rolled into a different shape and loved it. It was not after I had eaten about 10 of these little sandwiches that someone told me it was asparagus. I was hooked for life…

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I knew Mariví and her kids would be surprised about liking them too…

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ASPARAGUS PARTY SANDWICHES

1 jar of asparagus spears

¼ cup of egg-less mayonnaise

Garlic salt to season to taste

1 packet of whole-wheat sandwich bread

In the bowl of a food processor combine the asparagus, egg-less mayonnaise and the garlic salt. Pulse until it becomes a loose paste. Set aside.
To make these rolled sandwiches, we need to flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin. Just take off the crusts of the bread slices and flatten them one by one.
Spread the asparagus mixture on top of each flattened slice of bread. I leave the farthest edge without asparagus mixture because it will spread onto the edge when you roll the bread.
Starting on the straighter edge of the bread, roll the bread carefully onto itself until you create a little roll of bread. Place the rolls seam side down so they will not unravel.
I place them in a pyrex lined with moistened paper towels and place them in the fridge to finish setting. Refrigerate about 1 hour to 1 day before serving.

Sometimes people place a whole asparagus spear in the center and then roll the bread around it, but because I knew these guys are finicky, I just made a puree out of the ingredients to avoid any apprehension before they tasted them.

Both Ignacio and Diego, Mariví’s oldest kids, smelled the rolls before putting them in their mouths… so typical of a finicky kid!!! Ignacio, Diego, Kamila and Mariví all loved them. They were all trying to figure out what was in them. Ignacio and Diego had about 4 each and even told me they would love to have them again…

This was Ignacio’s face when he learned these were made from asparagus… HUH?!?!?

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Tags: asparagus, Egg-free, egg-free mayonnaise, eggless, whole wheat bread

Comments 3 Comments
Categories appetizers, Puerto Rican delicacies, sandwiches

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

4 Jul

My friend Rosani is a Honey Mustard fan… so when we decided to go away for the weekend last weekend, I wanted to bring with me my Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing.

That’s the thing about being vegetarian… that sometimes you need to travel with your kitchen kit to avoid being restricted by restaurant choices. We stayed at the Villa Montaña resort in Isabela. They have these cute, nice villas with a small, but well equipped kitchen. We stopped at the local market and bought enough goodies for the 3 days of our stay.

Rosani is on a diet where she has been eating mostly green fresh salads. So I wanted her to try my dressing to give some needed variety to her salad repertoire.

HONEY MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

2 tbs egg-free mayonnaise – I like Vegenaise

1 ½ tbs Dijon mustard

1 ½ tbs Honey – agave nectar would also work

1 tsp Kosher salt

A few grinds of freshly cracked Black Pepper

2 tbs of Extra-Virgin Olive oil

In a small bowl, add the mayo, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and whisk together.
Whisk in the olive oil in a small drizzle.

Adjust the quantities depending on the amount of people eating…

Tags: Egg-free, honey, mustard

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Salad

Carrot Cupcakes

24 Apr

It’s Spring, or as we say here in Puerto Rico… Summer’s here!!!! The heat is blazing already, the humidity is rising and I am in the mood to bake cupcakes.

I learned this recipe from Mr. Alton Brown, one of my culinary teachers from the Food Network. I love this cupcake recipe because I do not need a mixer. It’s super easy to make and super reliable. I always make them to raise funds for the Yoga Center… people can’t get enough of them. They’re moist, chewy, and taste delicious. I usually make them without the traditional cream cheese frosting because of all the dairy-free people at the center. But I will make some with cream cheese frosting and share the recipe with you.

Also, these cupcakes are the 1^st recipe I am making for my “catering/baking” business. I am looking to understand if my next serious career move should be something regarding my cooking and selling these cupcakes are a start… The picture is from the dry run I did before I actually go out and sell these to people. I know I still need to make them larger, so I am playing around with quantities… but for your personal enjoyment, the measures in the recipe work very well.

CARROT CUPCAKES

Adapted from an original recipe from Alton Brown

2 ½ cups, whole-wheat or spelt flour
About 5 medium carrots, grated medium
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
4 ½ tsp egg replacer mixed with 6 tbs of water
6 oz plain yogurt
6 oz vegetable oil

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to sift and combine. Add the carrots to this flour mix and toss until they are well-coated with the flour.
In the bowl of the food processor or in a blender, combine the sugar, egg replacer, vegetable oil and yogurt. Pour this mixture into the carrot mixture and stir until just combined. Add the raisins and walnuts and stir one last time to combine.
Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners and pour about ¼ cup batter measure per cupcake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow cake to cool 15 minutes in the pan. After 15 minutes, take the cupcakes out of the pan and allow them to cool completely.

Tags: carrots, Egg-free, whole wheat flour, yogurt

Comments 6 Comments
Categories desserts, snacks

Eggless Scramble – A Taste of Yellow 2008

19 Apr

Barbara at Winos and Foodies is hosting A Taste of Yellow 2008 to celebrate LiveSTRONG Day. As you may recognize, LiveSTRONG is the organization Lance Armstrong created to raise awareness and funds for the research and eventual cure of cancer.

Barbara is a cancer survivor and when I read her story in her original round-up of A Taste of Yellow 2007, I was inspired and touched, because my family, like many, many families around the world has been struck by cancer too… my grandma developed a skin cancer tumor in an ankle, my aunt had cancer cells in her bladder and my grandpa passed away from complications from prostate cancer. Plus, she is a traveler just like me… and learned about her diagnosis right after completing the challenging and spiritual Camino de Santiago.

I am a firm believer that food can be your nourishment as well as your medicine. I also believe that what we eat over our lifetime determines how healthy we will be overall. We can stray to savor some goodies here and there, but overall we need to eat as naturally and organically as possible to give our body the best fuel possible.

Soybeans are the only vegetable containing all the essential amino acids needed for human health. Soy protein has been linked to benefiting and decreasing risks of certain cancers, when consumed in moderation. Also, tofu is a vegetable source of omega-3 fatty acids. This is why I decided to submit my Eggless Scramble recipe to A Taste of Yellow 2008.

EGGLESS SCRAMBLE

Scramble:

½ package of firm silken tofu

3 tbs soymilk or buttermilk

1/3 cup water

1 tbs olive oil

Squirt of Dijon mustard

3 tbs cornstarch

½ tbs garlic salt

½ tsp turmeric

A pinch of paprika

Filling:

¼ Small onion, chopped small

½ Tomato, chopped small

¼ Green bell pepper, chopped small

Spray a medium non-stick skillet with canola oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. If your skillet has a cover, even better.
Sautee the filling ingredients of your choice until softened – I was going for a western-style scramble here at the beginning. (You’ll see why the qualifier later on).
Blend together all scramble ingredients until smooth.
When the skillet is very hot, pour the batter in the center of the skillet, turning it around a few times until the batter reaches the edges evenly.
When it has set somewhat, sprinkle the filling ingredients on top. Cover the skillet for a few minutes to help the scramble batter cook thoroughly.
Check the bottom for doneness and browning. With a heat-proof spatula, break the tofu mixture to resemble scrambled eggs. The filling will combine with the scramble.

Serve hot. I added my Tomato Relish on top for added veggies and a little zing!!

TOMATO RELISH

10 grape or cherry tomatoes, chopped small

2-3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small

4-5 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2-3 tbs extra-virgin olive-oil, or as much needed to almost cover the tomatoes

Salt and freshly cracked Black Pepper