You all know how much I like making cake. And soup. But I'm not about to start a soup site (...or maybe I should?) so I started a cake site!! It's called
Sudbury Vegan Sweets.
I've been very busy over the last few weeks getting it all together. And busy in the meantime making a few more cakes. I made another suitcase cake for a retirement party. But this time, I hand painted stickers on the cake instead of flags, using edible ink markers.
Then my little middle guy turned 6! SIX!!!! Craziness... He insisted on a vanilla flavoured Angry Birds cake, so that's what he got. Oh, and you know my friend Brandon? He shall henceforth be known as sous-chef Brandon! That's right, I got me a sous-chef. He's pretty talented. He made those little green piggies right there.
Then my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, to be, hosted their Stag 'n Doe, casino style! I asked them if I could make them a cake for it and they chose a design on-line for me to replicate, with a few adjustments. The playing cards are made with fondant. Once again, I whipped out my seldom-used drawing skills and used edible ink markers to free-hand the designs on them. That's right, I eye-balled that shit. (Poker chips courtesy of sous-chef Brandon)
At the Stag 'n Doe, I was told that someone, sadly, dropped their piece of cake. But, since it was SO good, they ate it off the floor! Ha!
Of course, I've been busy making cupcakes and non-fondant cakes too...
So check out the new
site, and don't forget to go like the
Facebook page! I will have a giveaway once I reach 100 likes. And even if you are not from the Sudbury area, like the page anyway so that you can see more photos of work in progress and completed treats to use for inspiration or just to ogle.
This is a very hearty cabbage soup with tons of...you guessed: cabbage! It makes a LOT so make sure you take out the big pot for this one.
MAKES: about 20 cups!!
TIME: 45 - 60 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 lrg onion, chopped (approx. 2 cups)
4 stalks of celery, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
2 carrots, peeled & chopped (approx. 1 cup)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1/2 head of green cabbage, roughly chopped (about 2lbs)
1 lrg zucchini, washed and chopped (with skin on)
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes, NOT drained
1 19oz can of white kidney beans (cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
10 cups of vegetable broth
1 tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
2 tsps of apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
Optional: 1/8 - 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large pot, water sauté the onions, celery and carrots for a couple of minutes until they start to turn clear (add about 1/4 cup of water - instead of oil - in with the onions over medium heat).
2. Add in the garlic and ginger, stir and cook for a few minutes more (add a bit more water if needed) until the onions are clear, the carrots and celery are fork tender and the aromas of the garlic and ginger are filling you kitchen.
3. Add all remaining ingredients, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
NOTE: I added 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper and it gave it quite the kick, so if you're not used to heat, I would suggest 1/8 of a tsp if you do choose to use it!
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
per 2 cup serving
Calories 131, Total Fat 0.2g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 811mg, Total Carbs 27.4g, Fiber 9.5g, Sugars 10.5g, Protein 6g, Vit A 68%, Vit C 66%, Calcium 14%, Iron 10%
Guess what? Winter is NOT over :( So how about another soup? As a leftover, this soup thickens quite a bit because of the rice. So if you REALLY don't like thick soups (which I love!) then put in a little less rice.
Winter is kind of, finally, sort of, winding down over here...maybe. We always seem to get a final attack from mother nature near the end of March...and sometimes in April. So how about one more soup to go with it?
The first time I tasted a leek, I was working at a produce market in high school. Between the bakery and deli, there was a table with two huge cauldrons on it. Every day there was hot soup and that is what I normally bought for my lunch break. My absolute favourite was the potato leek soup. I would often buy extra so that I could take some home. Here is my take on it:
MAKES: approx. 11 cups
TIME: 45 minutes
It's cold. It's cold outside, and it's cold in my office. What better way to warm up than with a warm bowl of delicious, spicy soup?
MAKES: 6 servings of just over 2 cups each (approx 13 cups)
TIME: 45 minutes
Making your own hummus is really quite easy. All you need are the right ingredients and a food processor (or blender). Plus, when you make your own, you get to decide how thick or thin you want it. I like it thicker for dipping, but thinner for wraps. You can also add your own unique touch to it like I did here with the chipotle, which adds a nice spicy and smoky flavour.
MAKES: approx. 2 cups
TIMES: 15-20 minutes
So, a little over a year ago, I made lingerie cookies for a friend's 30th birthday party. They were a HUGE hit, especially with the boys. So when Señor announced that he would be hosting a bachelor party for a friend of ours last weekend, I thought what better contribution for me to make than boobs and bums!
It's always fun to play around with ingredients you have in the cupboard to see what you come up with. I am especially proud of these. These bars need to sit in the fridge overnight to harden up enough to be able to maintain a bar form once cut. It worried me a little at first that they would harden too much. But they are soooo chewy. Even after a few days in the fridge. Chewy. And there is something about the puffed kamut combined with the almond butter that is somewhat reminiscent of a dessert my grandmother used to make with marshmallows when I was a kid...delicious. Oh, and the kids like them too :)
