Eggplant Bacon

INGREDIENTS 1 medium eggplant 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. maple syrup 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika 1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke Freshly ground black pepper DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 300°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut eggplant in quarters, lengthwise. Slice each quarter into long, thin strips. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, paprika, and liquid smoke. Place eggplant slices onto baking sheets and brush both sides with sauce. Season with pepper. Bake until eggplant is cooked through and beginning to get crisp, 45-50 minutes.

Baumkuchen

http://mybestgermanrecipes.com/german-baumkuchen-recipe/

Ingredients German Baumkuchen Recipe

250 g butter, very soft or molten
250 g sugar
1 package vanilla sugar 0.3oz  - How to make Vanilla sugar - or 2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp orange juice
6 eggs, separated
120 g flour
100 g starch
3 tbsp baking powder - 0.5oz
1 tbsp almond or rum flavor
alternatively 3 tbsp amaretto liquor or dark Rum
200 g semi-sweet chocolate for the glaze

Baking Instructions German Baumkuchen Recipe

(see the attached video)
- Mix butter with sugar, vanilla sugar, rum flavor and egg yolks. Mix for about 4-5 min with hand mixer until creamy.
- Add whole eggs, again one after the other and mixing in between.
- Mix flour, starch, baking powder.
- Sieve the flour mix to the dough. Mix well with a spatula.
- Beat egg whites with 75 g sugar until firm, you should see pointy edges on your mixer.
- Fold into dough with spatula.

- Start broiler of your oven (lowest level). Preheat oven.
- Layer bottom of a spring from with parchment paper. Just place parchment over the bottom and close with form.
- Spread about 2 tbsp of the dough on top of the bottom, spread even with a cake lifter (server).
- Roast the dough on the lowest grid for about 2 min (sugar needs to caramelize) on 220 C or 420 F. Distance should be 10 inches from form to heating spiral.
- Repeat this until all dough is in the form in layers. You can see in the video that the layers are thin.
- Always watch the cake so it won't get brown.
- When cake is done let cool off before removing the form.
- Carefully place it upside down on a baking grid, remove parchment paper.
- Melt chocolate (double boiler) and spread on top and on the sides of the cake.
- Smooth out the chocolate with a spatula.

The most special cake of this world is ready!

Mrs. McCafferty's Soda Bread

Seitan Wings

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/maindishentreerecipes/r/seitanwings.htm Spicy Seitan Buffalo "Wings" are a vegetarian and vegan substitute for traditional pub buffalo wings but with all the same seasonings and flavor and fried goodness smothered in melty margarine (make sure it's vegan!) and hot sauce, just like the original buffalo wings made from chicken. Seitan doesn't come with wings any more than buffaloes do, but these meatless buffalo wings are cooked up with hot sauce and margarine for the same spicy flavor. If you're a vegetarian or vegan who misses buffalo wings (or knows someone who does), you won't be disappointed with this recipe! INGREDIENTS 1 pound seitan, sliced into strips 2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder olive oil for frying 1/3 cup margarine, melted 1/2 cup hot sauce

Basic Seitan

Make 1 lb. Seitan is essentially a dough made with vital wheat gluten, a high-protein wheat flour, and liquid. The dough can be rinsed or poached to become a chewy meat substitute that can be added to many different dishes. We've added light seasonings to this recipe so that it will work in any dish, but feel free to play around with flavors and shapes. This tried-and-true favorite can be used in any recipe calling for seitan. 2 cups vital wheat gluten ½ cup nutritional yeast 2 tsp. garlic powder 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided 2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce ½ small onion, diced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1. Combine wheat gluten, yeast, and garlic powder in large bowl. Stir in 1 cup broth and soy sauce until dough forms, adding more broth if necessary. Knead dough in bowl with spoon 3 minutes, or until elastic. Shape into 2 loaves. 2. Place loaves in large saucepan, and add remaining 4 cups broth, onion, garlic, and enough water to cover seitan. Cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 to 45

Pumpkin Caramel Mousse

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12960-pumpkin-caramel-mousse-in-a-glass ½ cup (125 grams) heavy cream 2 tablespoons (25 grams) brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 3 tablespoons (45 grams) water 1 ½ teaspoons (5 grams) gelatin Scant 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar for the caramel, plus an additional 3 tablespoons (45 grams) sugar for the meringue ½ teaspoon lemon juice 1 cup (290 grams) plain canned pumpkin (no spices) or puréed roasted winter squash or pumpkin 3 egg whites ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar ¼ cup (30 grams) toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped or crushed Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a small bowl. Place 2 tablespoons of the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir, then let it sit while you make the caramel. Find a bowl that is large enough for you to dip the bottom of your saucepan into it; fill it with an inch of ice water and place it on your stove. Place the scant 1/2 cup (125 grams) sugar in a medium saucepan, preferably stainless steel. Add the remaining tablespoon of water and the lemon juice and carefully stir together with a heatproof rubber spatula. Using a wet pastry brush, brush down the sides of the saucepan so that there are no stray sugar crystals that could cause the caramel to seize. Turn the heat on medium-high and heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns a light caramel color, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not stir, but from time to time carefully brush down the sides of the pan with the wet brush. Do not let the caramel get hotter than 325 degrees. As soon as it reaches this temperature and is golden brown, remove from the heat and dip the bottom of the saucepan into the bowl of cold water to stop the caramel from heating further. Let sit until the bubbles subside. Using a heatproof spatula, carefully stir the brown sugar mixture into the hot caramel. It may bubble up, so be careful. Add the softened gelatin and stir to dissolve. Whisk in the canned pumpkin and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl and electric beaters). Beat until they begin to foam, and add the cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Beat at medium speed and add the remaining sugar in a slow, steady stream. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and shiny, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat. Lighten the warm pumpkin mixture by folding in one-third of the beaten egg whites, using a balloon whisk or a large spatula. Pour the remaining egg whites over the top, and carefully fold them into the pumpkin mixture using a rubber spatula. Fold in the whipped cream. It’s easiest to do a neat job of filling the glasses if you use a pastry bag fitted with a wide round tip. Pipe or spoon the mousse into 8 glasses; use small tumblers, wine glasses or whiskey glasses. Sprinkle the ground hazelnuts over the top. If desired, make 2 layers of the hazelnuts: Pipe half the amount of the pumpkin mousse you need for each serving into the glasses, then sprinkle on a layer of hazelnuts; then pipe the rest and top with another layer. Cover the glasses and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight. Advance preparation: This will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator and I think it tastes best the day after it's made.

Tex Mex Salad with Cilantro Dressing

http://www.thegardengrazer.com/2013/04/southwestern-chopped-salad-with.html Ingredients Large head of romaine 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 large orange bell pepper 1 pint cherry tomatoes 2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed) 5 green onions Optional: avocado {For the dressing} click to read more about notes and variations to the dressing 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped 1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt) 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste 1-2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar 1/8 tsp. salt Recommended: agave/honey, cumin Directions Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Toss with desired dressing.