My mother has two favorite meals that she can eat every week and never get tired of : spaghetti dinner and tuna salad sandwich. Mom is a proud creature of comfort food habit. It was easy enough to win her over with a veganized bolognese sauce, so I started making this un-tuna spread too. She loves it on toasted bread with lettuce and tomato. I prefer to surround a huge scoop of the Garbanzo Salad with spiralized watermelon radishes,micro greens and edible flowers. Double bonus: This meal is budget friendly and protein packed with 15g protein per one cup serving.
This recipe is only intended as a very loose guide since the possibilities to personalize this dish are endless. Substitute green apples, jicama or water chestnuts if you don’t care for celery (you know who you are). Choose a chickpea miso and soy-free vegan mayo if you have an aversion to soy. I used a food processor to mash the beans but the job can also be accomplished by using the back of a fork and a little brute force.
Add garbanzo beans,vegan mayo and miso to food processor.Pulse just until the beans are still chunky.Do not turn it into hummus.Transfer to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.Mix well.Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Serve the garbanzo spread over a bed of lettuce and garnish with colorful vegetables and edible flowers.Or serve on multi-grain bread for a killer sandwich.Try it as a dip or roll it up into a wrap.
Store unused portion in refrigerated an airtight container for up to 2 days.
I exist in a world where a large consensus of people are not used to eating a plant-based plate. So I should not be surprised when I hear people say things like “I never knew you could eat broccoli raw”. Well step right up folks and let me indulge you in the wonder that is this Broccoli Crunch Salad. It’s nothing original,you can find a version in most supermarket delis. But this one,I guarantee, is the simplest to make and you get a big flavor payout for very little effort.
This is a great vegan take along for picnics or potlucks and the omnivores will be non-the-wiser after your eating hippie granola food. A big Mahalo to Joey on Facebook for asking me about this salad and motivating me to finally type up the recipe and make a video.
Adjust the ingredient measurements to your liking. In real life, I don’t ever measure when making this salad. Just be sure you have enough dressing to coat the veggies. Add a squeeze of lemon if you prefer a tangy dressing. And if you give it a try, post a pic to Instagram and tag me in it.
2 tablespoons brown rice syrup (or sub maple syrup,agave,etc)
1 1/2 tablespoons spicy mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt & pepper
Instructions
In a small bowl,combine vegan mayo,mustard,curry powder and brown rice syrup.Mix well, add salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces add to large mixing bowl. Toss in carrots,celery,onions,pecans,cranberries.Pour in dressing and mix until veggies are well coated. Add un-bacon bits right before serving.
Note: This salad tastes best after being refrigerated for a few hours before serving. Keep unused portion in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I’m allergic to malls. Time served in the conspicuous-consumer thunder domes was completed in my twenties,while working in the retail fashion industry. Since my escape,there aren’t too many occasions I find myself saying “Let’s go have lunch at the mall” but those are exactly the words that came outta my very own mouth as we headed to M.A.K.E. in Santa Monica Place,CA.
We passed the exhibition window showcasing the emerging talent from the Matthew Kenney Culinary Academy and I had a feeling we were in for a special gastronomic experience.
James Beard award winning chef and best-selling cookbook author Matthew Kenney’s raw cuisine elevates plant-based food to another level. I wanted to try as much of the menu as possible.The intelligent foodie’s approach would have to come in after 5:30pm when the market tasting menu is available. A well thought out menu teases,excites and calms the palette to best experience the next wave of flavor. Since I was on an abbreviated trip to CA,my schedule only allowed for a mid-day visit. I ordered six dishes during the lunch service and got down to business.
My inner cocktail dragon was calmed with this Lemon Kefir Bellini before we started on the first course.
A trio of tree nut cheeses, sweet & spicy mustard seeds with fennel crisps.
Kimchi Dumplings.Ginger foam.Coriander. Best.Dish.Ever.The filling is savory with a slight kick from the kimchi. Plated to perfection like the work of art these scrumptious parcels are. I was so obsessed with these dumplings,I had to create my own recipe here. My version is a fusion of M.A.K.E.’s dish and the Edamame Dumplings I had at True Food Kitchen in AZ. Continue Reading →
These baked sweet potatoes have a sweet & spicy Southwest twist that creates a flavor explosion in yo’ mouth. Blend up the margaritas and make the sweet taters as a side to my Calabacitas or Tortilla Chip Queso Casserole . Keep it simple and serve over beans and rice with a green salad for an easy weeknight meal.
I was in Bend,OR last year when I first tried this flavor combo at Barrio. Zee taste buds approved! My inner recipe detective lead me straight to Rick Bayless working it out in this version here. With a few quick nips and tucks I present my version with some very basic ingredients. Do not, I repeat ” do not” use sh*tty spices. A bold chili powder blend with complimentary spices is a must,that’s all the magic creating the complexity of this dish. If you’re mixing your own, try some ancho or chipotle powder,cumin,coriander,cocoa powder, cinnamon,nutmeg,oregano,ground ginger…go crazy with it. Orange Chili Spiced Sweet Potatoes
optional- 1/4 cup salsa or your favorite hot sauce
optional- 1-2 teaspoons agave nectar
8×8 baking dish
vegetable oil
aluminum foil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F degrees.Wash and scrub sweet potatoes,cut into wedges.Whisk orange juice,chili powder,roasted garlic and salt in a small bowl.Taste and adjust seasonings. If you prefer a dish with more heat, add the salsa or hot sauce.If you fancy a sweeter flavor, add the agave nectar.
Spray baking dish with vegetable oil and arrange sweet potato wedges in an even layer.Pour orange juice mixture over the sweet potatoes and cover with foil.Bake covered for 45minutes or just until the sweet potatoes can be pierced with a fork.
Remove foil and turn up the oven to 425F degrees. Braise the sweet ‘taters with the juices and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Garnish with orange zest.Serve as a side dish or over rice and beans with a green salad for a complete meal.
I remember my Mom making this type of casserole in the 70′s,though her version had cans of condensed soup and some sort of dead animal in it. When my bag of organic corn chips went stale after being open for a mere 48 hours, I couldn’t bear to chuck the chips into the Bokashi bucket, so I got down with this spicy comfort food instead.
The reluctant cooks can make this with store-bought vegan queso (my favorite is the Food for Lovers Original),canned beans and/or pre-seasoned grain/soy meat. For the slightly more ambitious, cook your own legumes and whip up my quick ‘n dirty queso. While you’re at it, you can even make your own un-chicken broth with this recipe that my friend Chanelle (the genius behind these Sticky Buns) shared over on The Vegan Virtuoso blog.
This dish is best served with a cold beer …and more cowbell. Original SNL skit HERE
cilantro,green onions,red onions,salsa,bell peppers for garnish
Olive oil spray
For the Crema(Tofu Sour Cream)
1/2 package silken tofu
juice of half a lime
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp agave
For the Vegan Queso
1 cup soaked raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt
optional- pinch of turmeric for color
Instructions
For the vegan queso
Combine all ingredients in a Vitamix.Blend on high-speed for 2 minutes.Set aside.
For the Casserole
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
In a medium size pan over high heat,cook onions in 1/4 cup vegetable broth until they soften,about 2 minutes. Add green chiles (with the liquid),roasted garlic,taco seasoning and beans. Reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spray a 6×8 casserole dish (an 8×8 works fine with the addition of a few more chips or double the recipe in a 9×13 pan)with olive oil and place a layer of chips on the bottom of the dish. Drizzle one-third of the vegan queso on the chips, then add half of the bean mixture. Add a layer of tomatoes,sprinkle with black olives. Add another layer of chips and repeat the layers of queso,bean mixture,tomatoes and olives. Top with a final layer of chips,vegan queso, tomatoes and black olives.
Place on the middle rack in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press down on the casserole with a spatula.Slowly pour 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth over the top of the casserole,try to distribute the liquid evenly. Bake for an additional 20 minutes,the liquid should all be absorbed.
Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing. Top with crema,cilantro,green/red onions,salsa and enjoy.
For the Crema
Add all ingredients to a mini food processor and blend for 30 seconds or until smooth. Refrigerate unused portion in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
I invited my friend Chanelle Gontarz to share some baking secrets in the Veggietorial’s Kitchen. Y’ all know that I do not bake, but she tricked me into making these fabulous sticky buns and they turned out awesome. Follow her blog The Vegan Virtuoso, Instagram or Pheed for some wickedly delicious food and funnies.
To protect the world from devastation. To unite all peoples within our nation. To denounce the evils of truth and lo– Wait. What? Oh. MY bio? Hmm… Well, I’m a stay-at-home mom to a rambunctious kid, the wife of a Navy submariner, and a Navy veteran. A pajama-loving, coffee-drinking gal from small-town KS loving life in VA, cooking, baking, learning and growing with my son, and being as supportive as I can for my husband. Our family is owned by two rescued cats who kindly allow us to live in their house and feed them. I was inspired to go plant-based by two people: Rhiannon, who proved to me that the health concerns of a plant-based diet are nothing to worry about. She managed a vegan diet while pregnant with identical twin girls (!!). And Chris, whose work with PETA is amazing, as is his willingness to eat anything vegan put in front of him — an absolute joy to a compulsive baker.
Most of my childhood memories feature some sort of food. That’s very likely true of a lot of people, but I think especially true of those who spent a lot of time around their extended family. Every family gathering involved massive amounts of food — rolls, potatoes, noodles, several kinds of meat, lots of sides, candies, and an assortment of pies — but it’s never that kind of food that I miss. The foods I find myself going to when I want something comforting to ease homesickness or pick up my mood are the ones I rummaged from my grandmother’s fridge. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Garden veggie soup. Chicken and noodles. And, of course, those special foods you had to have perfect timing (or an Aunt in close proximity to Gramma’s house and a quick dial-finger) for, like her famous Sticky Buns. Warm, sweet, gooey, fluffy, and drenched from top to bottom in her secret caramel sauce. It was a favorite game of us cousins to see how many fresh buns we could eat before she kicked us outside to play again.
While I’ve found close vegan analogs to my favorite comfort foods (usually in the freezer section, aisle 12), the Sticky Bun Fix just hadn’t been met. Could I make a vegan Sticky Bun worthy of the name? Could I approximate that famous caramel sauce? Will Lassie get to the farm house in time??? Challenge = Accepted.
A quick search on The Google brought up a great starter recipe on VegWeb here. So, with a few tweaks and lots of shenanigans, THIS happened:
Total awesomeness.
I know, I know — what if you have no baking skyllz? Grab your trusty thermometer and come with me down the path of delicious enlightenment. The way is long, but the journey is easy and the reward is bliss.
Gather your ingredients first. You have lots of time with this recipe because the yeast will be proofing, or the dough will be rising or the rolls will be baking… Relax. Establish a flow. I’ll walk you through it. Don’t be frightened.
It’s really key to have your milk, sugar, and water mixture at the correct temperature. Too high and you kill the yeast. Too low, and it doesn’t activate. If you don’t have an instant digital thermometer, use the “baby-bottle” test. The liquid should be hot but not uncomfortably so. When your yeast has properly activated, you’ll know — it’ll have a nice head of foam on it, just like a great beer. It can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to get like this. This is when you’ll add your softened margarine. The yeast mixture and the 2 ¼C of flour will form a very soft, sticky dough.
You’ll add ½C flour and start kneading. Dig in with the heel of your hand to squash the dough, then gently fold in half. Scrape up and bits that stick to the bowl as you go. Don’t rip the dough — this breaks the gluten proteins that are forming and will make your rolls tough and chewy. You want to strrrrreeeeetttch the dough, not break it.
When you’re done kneading, roll the dough into a cute little ball. Spray your bowl with oil or cooking spray and roll the ball around to completely coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm and free from drafts to rise for an hour. I usually heat my oven to about 150F before I start prepping, then turn it off and let it cool until I get to this stage. Then, I slip the covered bowl in. I usually prep my ingredients for the filling while the yeast is foaming and mix it all up during the dough rise. I like coconut oil because of the flavor, but if you want a healthier option, you could also use 2-4T unsweetened applesauce. You’re really just wanting something that will moisten the filling ingredients. I would not recommend water, as the steam from it can make your rolls chewy.
When prepping the “caramel” sauce, coat your spoon in coconut oil or cooking spray to make it easier to get the syrup off the spoon — otherwise, you’ll have a hard time getting that clingy stuff off. It’s lonely and just wants to be held. Oil a 9”x13” pan before you add half the prepared sauce. Tilt the pan from side to side to cover the bottom in a thin layer. It’s also a good idea to prep your rolling surface before the dough is done rising.
Double dough.
Roll your dough into a rectangle. Don’t worry if you have to fold it over on itself. Do what you need to do. It’ll still taste fantastic. (I promise.)
Sprinkle on your date mixture and any other fillin’s. I like to use unsweetened coconut powder, which I found at an Indian grocery, and ground flaxseeds. Feel free to use whole flaxseeds, chopped nuts, dried fruit, toenail clippings, or whatever else you find appetizing. If you have some Linwood’s left over after making the Not Yo Mama’s Meatloaf, that would be an excellent addition. That meatloaf, by the way, would be an excellent side dish to serve with these Sticky Buns. I kid, I kid! Always eat your dinner BEFORE dessert, kids!
As you roll your dough into its big fat Pimp Daddy cigar, feel free to mutter under your breath, “They see me rollin’, they hatin’.” for motivation. We’re almost done. Seal the seam just to be safe.
Trim the ends and start slicing. You don’t have to be perfect, but get them all close to the same thickness for even baking. An inch thick is the accepted norm. You’ll get anywhere from 10-13 buns, usually.
Arrange the rolls in the dish so that they have a little bit of space between them. It’s also okay if they’re touching each other a little. You want to give them a little room to rise a tiny bit more, just to regain some of the fluffiness from all the stress you just put them through. When they touch, they’re ready for the oven.
Ta-Da!
Pour your newly-prepped caramel icing sauce over the tops after the rolls have cooled for a few minutes. Let it sit just long enough to soak in some — usually about 5 minutes. I know you’re ready to dish one up and tear into it!
Recipe and photos courtesy of the lovely Chanelle Gontarz
Whisk 3/4C water and soy milk powder together. Microwave 1 min. Stir in sugar until dissolved, then add the cold water. Using a kitchen thermometer, wait for this milk mixture to cool to between 110-115F. Stir in the yeast until it has dissolved. Set aside.
Add dates to blender and pulse until they form a thick paste. In a small bowl, combine dates, brown sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil. Use a fork to break up any really large remaining chunks of dates.
Stir margarine into the yeast mixture.
In a large bowl, add 2 1/4C flour. Stir in yeast mixture just until a soft dough forms. Scrape any flour off the sides of the bowl to incorporate it. Mix in 1/2C flour. Knead the bread in the bowl, about 5-10 minutes, until the bread is smooth and elastic.
Oil the bowl and turn the dough to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm to rise for about an hour or until roughly doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Turn dough out onto a floured or nonstick surface and roll into a rectangle. I put my dough on a medium Silpat (roughly 11×16) and simply use it as a guide, rolling the dough to the edges of it.
Crumble the date mixture evenly onto the dough, breaking up any large chunks of sugar. Sprinkle with coconut powder and ground flaxseeds (and any other fillings). Beginning with a short (11″) side, roll the dough. Place seam-side down on the silpat and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4C nd-milk, brown rice syrup, and corn starch. Microwave 30 sec. Stir in 1 tsp vanilla. Microwave 30 sec.
Pour about half the syrup mixture into the bottom of a greased 9″x13″ pan.
Trim up the ends of your roll by cutting the “rough” edges. Cut cinnamon rolls nearly an inch thick. Place in prepared pan, with just a little space between them. If they touch a little, that’s okay, too. Cover and let rise 10-20 minutes, until rolls are noticeably larger and they are touching.
Bake at 350F for 15-25 minutes.
To the remaining syrup mixture, add 1/2tsp vanilla. Whisk in 1-2C powdered sugar, starting with 1C and adding in 1/4C-1/2C increments until desired consistency is reached.
Allow rolls to cool at least 5 minutes before pouring icing over them, then let sit 3-5min more.
NOTES:
*It’s important to use glass or “non-reactive” bowls when mixing/proofing yeast. If you use a metal bowl, Science happens and the yeast won’t activate properly.
*No soy milk powder? No worries! Use your favorite soy or coconut milk.
*If you decide to use “instant” or “rapid rise” yeast, 1 packet (1/4oz ; 2 1⁄4tsp) will suffice. The rising times will be shorter and you won’t need to allow them to rise before going in the oven (unless you want to)
*If you want your cinnamon rolls to have a harder exterior, space them apart in the baking pan so they don’t touch. This makes them less likely to absorb the icing, though, so will be less “sticky” and with a chewier texture.

*If you like super-gooey rolls, don’t bake them as long, obviously.
I could write a long dissertation about the history of tacos or I could be completely honest about why I made this dish.Truth is, I needed something quick for lunch and all I had in the fridge was a zucchini and some condiments. Oh, and I had one half of an onion left. Which, by the way, is usually the determining factor of whether a trip to the market is even necessary. Out of onions? To market we must go.
I slathered Food for Lover’s vegan queso on my tacos and then realized I ran out of salsa proper. Hiding in the back of the pantry, I found my long-lost friend Sambal Oelek. Oh how I’ve missed and neglected Sriracha’s saucy cousin. Salsa problem solved and a colorful lunch served in under 20 minutes.
You could, of course, also use Sriracha or a traditional salsa. And if you want to be super ambitious, you could make your own cashew chipotle cheezy sauce like the recipes featured in The Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook. Or skip the vegan cheesy since these tacos are all about the hot sauce anyway.
Heat a medium-sized pan on high heat. Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth,onion and roasted garlic.Stir until onions soften,about 2 minutes.Use the remaining vegetable broth to deglaze the pan once the onions start to turn translucent. Add zucchini and lemon herb seasoning. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Remove from heat.Toss in tomatoes,cilantro,green onions and black olives.Fill taco shells and top with copious amounts of hot sauce.Enjoy immediately.
It was a windy and rainy kick off to the New Year here in Hawaii. Hallelujah! We needed the rain and I feel like it washes away the past so we can all have a fresh start. And speaking of fresh starts, I promised my friend Nina a green smoothie recipe and I came up with this Spirulina Superfood Smoothie just for her. The easy recipe is posted below.
First week using the Bokashi bucket and I like it so far. Not too messy or smelly and I’ve already used about 20 oz. of the compost tea out in my herb garden. Happy herbs!
I made these bento lunches for friends visiting from Canada. Just tossed some quinoa cooked in vegetable broth into my Edamame Corn Salad and made it a complete meal with baked Okinawan sweet potatoes and a pineapple,Kau orange fruit salad.
The rain foiled my plans for a picnic, so we enjoyed lunch at The Peace Cafe instead. Heart & Seoul bowl, Soba Salad and miso soup are my favorites.
I ended up back at Peace Cafe the next day for a meeting and decide to eat light, so I noshed on this tempeh musubi. Which reminded me that I still need to work on my recipe for Sham Spam and get a video up…I have not forgotten your requests!
These dainty vegan earrings were a gift from my Canadian friends, don’t you just love them? I need to plan a trip to Canada so I can partake in all the vegan-friendly goodness they have happening up there!
Enjoy the week ahead and mahalo for stopping by! xx Cobi
Combine all ingredients (except ice)in a Vitamix. Blend for 60 seconds on high speed.Top with ice, if desired and blend for an additional 15 seconds.Garnish with mint. Serve immediately.
My internet bestie sent me the Vegan Pie in the Sky cookbook for Christmas! I had been secretly wishing for this
I gifted myself the December Snack Box from Vegan Cuts. Curious as to how it compares to Conscious Box? I’ll have a post with my review of the best subscription box services coming up in Jan. 2013
One of my Instagram friends asked for some vegan snack ideas, so I posted this photo of my current snacking arsenal.
Tried PETA’s recipe for Buffalo Cauliflower and the best I can say is, the recipe needs work. I’ll have my version ready for Superbowl
Excited to try my Bokashi bucket for food waste composting. I’ll post a video with my progress after my first batch ferments in about a month. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get all the video updates
Paragliders over Makapu’u
Wishing you all a magically delicious New Year. With much Aloha from my kitchen, to your belly xx Cobi
Southwest Edamame Corn Salad
by Veggietorials
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Keywords: uncook salad lunch side dairy free gluten-free nut-free vegan vegetarian edamame Asian fusion Southwest
Ingredients (10 servings)
3 cups cooked and shelled organic edamame
1 cup frozen organic sweet corn, blanched
2 large radishes,chopped into 1/4 inch bits
1/2 small red onion, minced
1 cup cilantro, rough chopped
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 large tangelo or 2 small mandarins
3 tablespoons agave nectar
2 tablespoons Southwest seasoning (or chili powder)
In a small bowl, mix olive oil, citrus juices, agave and southwest seasoning. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add cooked and cooled edamame, blanched corn, onion, radish and cilantro.Pour dressing over the veggie mixture and mix well. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.Garnish with cilantro sprigs and sliced radish.
Yesterday, I received a request on Facebook asking if I could feature more recipes with no added oils. My first thought was “But I don’t add that much oil…” so I took a glance back through my YouTube video recipes to check if there was a trend. Sure enough, at least 75% of my video recipes contain the ubiquitous two tablespoons of oil. Gah!
When I make a video, it’s usually about a dish I want to celebrate. It may be a local comfort food, a treat for a special occasion or a veganized version of a dish I have a yen for. Making it healthy is not necessarily my focus. But in my real life, I don’t add much oil or salt to my food. In fact, if I’m just cooking for myself, my goal is to make it simple and colorful, period. I hesitate to call anything with less than five ingredients a “recipe” it’s more as I like to tell the reluctant cooks, we’re just “making” something yummy. If I don’t have an official recipe to post, I usually share a pic on Instagram and call it a day. But maybe this request will inspire me to post more of these simple vegan square meals and in turn, inspire you to your own creative culinary greatness.
Last night’s dinner consisted of Acorn Squash & Quinoa Collard Green Roll-ups, Ginger Spiced Raw Applesauce, Hummus w/GF crackers and roasted nori.
Don’t think I was trying to get all fancy on you, this was just a result of using up what I had on hand before making another trip to the Farmer’s Market. You can use your favorite greens and grains, then just toss in something crunchy and something sweet. I’ve made these before using garlicky couscous, raisins and pine nuts or curried rice, cashews and dried cranberries…the possibilities are making my mouth water a little right now!
2 extra-large collard green leaves (stems removed)
1 cup acorn squash (seasoned,baked and sliced)
1/2 cup spicy pecans
1 cup vegetable broth
Instructions
Wash greens thoroughly. Remove the stem from the leaf so that you have two halves. Heat the vegetable broth in a small pan over high heat. Submerge one leaf at a time for about 20-30 seconds or until the greens are one shade brighter than when you started. Remove from the pan and drain any excess liquid.
Place your greens flat and place 2 spoonfuls of quinoa near the top edge. Add the squash and pecans and gently roll up.
I wanted to try this The Ginger People- Organic Ginger Syrup since I found a $1.00 off coupon here . This is the best applesauce I’ve ever made, hands and paws down. Just tossed three ingredients in the VitaMix and had applesauce in 20 seconds. My intention was to use the applesauce in a recipe for vegan mini donuts but I ate it all after dinner and lo and behold, sweet tooth satisfied.
If you’re making the applesauce to incorporate into a baked goods recipe, I would suggest peeling the apples for a smooth texture. Leave the skin on if you plan to eat it straight up…more fiber!
Ginger Spiced Applesauce
by Veggietorials
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 30 seconds
Ingredients (3 servings)
3 Organic Fuji Apples (peeled if you prefer or skin on for more fiber)
1 heaping teaspoon apple pie spice (cinnamon,nutmeg,cloves,mace)
Combine all ingredients in a VitaMix and blend on variable speeds 5-6 for 20 seconds or until desired consistency is reached. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When your yeast has properly activated, you’ll know — it’ll have a nice head of foam on it, just like a great beer. It can take anywhere from 10-20 minutes to get like this. This is when you’ll add your softened margarine.
The yeast mixture and the 2 ¼C of flour will form a very soft, sticky dough.
When you’re done kneading, roll the dough into a cute little ball. Spray your bowl with oil or cooking spray and roll the ball around to completely coat it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm and free from drafts to rise for an hour. I usually heat my oven to about 150F before I start prepping, then turn it off and let it cool until I get to this stage. Then, I slip the covered bowl in.
I usually prep my ingredients for the filling while the yeast is foaming and mix it all up during the dough rise. I like coconut oil because of the flavor, but if you want a healthier option, you could also use 2-4T unsweetened applesauce. You’re really just wanting something that will moisten the filling ingredients. I would not recommend water, as the steam from it can make your rolls chewy.
When prepping the “caramel” sauce, coat your spoon in coconut oil or cooking spray to make it easier to get the syrup off the spoon — otherwise, you’ll have a hard time getting that clingy stuff off. It’s lonely and just wants to be held.
Oil a 9”x13” pan before you add half the prepared sauce. Tilt the pan from side to side to cover the bottom in a thin layer. It’s also a good idea to prep your rolling surface before the dough is done rising.
Roll your dough into a rectangle. Don’t worry if you have to fold it over on itself. Do what you need to do. It’ll still taste fantastic. (I promise.)
Sprinkle on your date mixture and any other fillin’s. I like to use unsweetened coconut powder, which I found at an Indian grocery, and ground flaxseeds. Feel free to use whole flaxseeds, chopped nuts, dried fruit, toenail clippings, or whatever else you find appetizing. If you have some 
Seal the seam just to be safe.
Arrange the rolls in the dish so that they have a little bit of space between them. It’s also okay if they’re touching each other a little. You want to give them a little room to rise a tiny bit more, just to regain some of the fluffiness from all the stress you just put them through. When they touch, they’re ready for the oven.
Recipe and photos courtesy of the lovely Chanelle Gontarz
