Banana-Peach Cake

Another one of our contributions to the upcoming baroque workshop!

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 mashed banana
3 finely diced ripe peaches
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup almond-cashew yogurt (or other vegan yogurt.)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grind flax seeds and mix with water in a little cup to create a vegan "egg". Then mix first five ingredients in a bowl. Combine all other ingredients in another bowl, and then add wet ingredients to dry ingredient, mixing until fully combined. Pour mix into bundt pan or loaf-sized pan. Bake for about an hour, or until a fork inserted into the middle comes out dry.

Cantaloupe-Ginger Mini-Cakes

Next week we'll participate in a baroque music workshop, and participants have been invited to contribute homemade baked goods to our "sherry hours" in the afternoon.

Enter cantaloupe-ginger mini-cakes!

I got this recipe from Sangeetha's blog Spicy Treats, with a few small changes.

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cup pureed cantaloupe
2 tbsp agave syrup
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tbsp coconut flakes

Heat up oven to 375 degrees and oil a muffin pan. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in the other. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix till combined. Add sunflower seeds and coconut flakes and mix until just combined, fill muffin holes, and bake for about 20 mins or until fork inserted into middle of cakes comes out clean. Wait until the cakes cool to invert and place on drying rack.

My Inaugural Pizza: Whole Wheat/Millet Crust

I made my inaugural pizza! It was delicious! I had homemade tomato sauce that I made for the previous day's ravioli, and a fresh batch of Miyoko's Kitchen vegan mozzarella. The crust was improvised (with some changes from Bobby Flay's basic recipe) and rolled very thin, and the toppings are whatever I had left in the fridge before getting the delivery from Albert & Eve today.

The result was great, but I think in future pizzas I'll lay off the salt, either partly or completely, and add a teaspoon of sugar. The salt, I'm told, prevents the yeast from doing their thing to the dough, and it definitely didn't double in size as I had hoped. Part of it might have been the whole grain substitution, but just in case, I'd make a less salty dough.

Crust

2 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 cups millet flour
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons

Combine the bread flour, sugar, yeast and kosher salt in a bowl and mix with a whisk. Gradually add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and continue mixing--and then kneading--until the dough forms into a nice firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area to let it rise, about 1 hour. Divide into two pieces; freeze one for the pizza of the future and let the other one sit for 10 mins.

Sauce

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 small container Pomi or similar tomato product
small handful dry oregano
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat up olive oil in wok and add cloves and onion. Sautee until golden and translucent. Add tomato product and spices, and cook until it reaches desired consistency and taste.

Assembly

Roll dough very thinly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Coat with sauce, then add slices of vegan mozzarella and toppings. This version included Tofurky peppered slices, a fresh asparagus (it'll bake in the oven) and fresh basil. Since we've received our weekly delivery, and it includes curly kale, leeks, and Russet potatoes, as well as Hodo Soy Tofu, the next batch will be even better! Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 15 mins, or until the crust is golden in the edges.