Easy Vegan Easter Dinner Rolls:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold water
2 tbsp. water + 1 1/2 tsp. yeast + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. salt
Dash of garlic powder
Makes 16 rolls. 

Instructions:

1. First, proof your yeast. Add the 2 tbsp. water + 1 1/2 tsp. yeast + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar to a small bowl, and stir. Let sit until foamy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Next, add the flour, salt, and garlic powder to a large bowl and sift. Pour in the yeast mixture, olive oil, and water. Mix the dough for a second.

3. Knead the dough very well for 10 minutes. It should be smooth and tacky after you're done kneading it. Form it into a ball, and coat it with olive oil. Place it back in the bowl and cover. Let the dough rise for about an hour.

4. Once the dough has risen, punch it down, and separate it into 16 sections. Roll each section into a ball, and place each ball onto a greased baking sheet. Let rise for another hour.

5. A few minutes before baking, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden-brown. Serve with vegan buttery spread.

Vegan Arugula, Grape, and Clementine "Bruschetta":

How is everyone doing today? Is everyone ready for Christmas? I am, but I'm not. Haha. I've been slaving away on my parents' gifts, only to realize that they probably won't arrive in time for Christmas. Oh well. I think they're really going to love them once they do come in, though. All of the hard work that I've been putting in for my parents' presents has also caused me to neglect this blog a little, but they really do deserve the extra effort.

Anyways, I'm still working on baking mini cupcakes and cooking my meals for Christmas Eve. Hopefully, by some miracle, I will accomplish all of that by the time Sunday comes around, and somehow, I also plan get some more posts up.

Last night, I made Smashed Redskin Potato Pizza with this Arugula and Grape Bruschetta on the side. It was awesome. The salad is just so pretty, and it's packed with nutrients. It looks and tastes like a gourmet meal. Who would've thought that you can make this so quickly and with such little effort? This is perfect for an appetizer or side at any Christmas gathering.

I planned on toasting the slices of French bread, but opted not to. You can do whichever you feel like. It's good both ways. This salad/bruschetta would also be pretty good in a bread bowl.

Ingredients:

21/2 cups arugula

1 cup green grapes, sliced

1 cup clementines, peeled and sectioned

1/2 cup red onions, finely sliced

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. lemon juice

Dash of salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

1 loaf of French bread, sliced

Instructions:

1. Add the arugula, grapes, clementines, and onions to a large salad bowl.

2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt together. Add half the dressing mixture to the salad bowl. Toss to coat, adding more dressing as desired.

3. Optional: Preheat your oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with olive oil. Lay each slice of French bread out evenly on the baking sheet. Bake until toasted, about 7 minutes.

4. You can either scoop the arugula mixture over the crostini and serve it that way, or you can serve the crostini on the side of the salad bowl and allow guests to scoop it themselves. Use any extra dressing for dipping.

Vegan Baby Bella and "Parmesan" Sandwiches:

 

Yum! This is perfect for those days when you need something quick but delicious at the same time. In ten minutes, you can have this on the table.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups baby portabello mushrooms, sliced

 1 tbsp. olive oil 

Garlic salt (to taste)

Black Pepper (to taste)

Lawry's seasoned salt (to taste)

2 fresh rolls

Galaxy Foods Rice Parmesan (here)

Serves 2. (Easily doubled).

Total Cook Time: 10 minutes.

Instructions:

Add the mushrooms, oil, salt, pepper, and seasoned salt to a medium saucepan. Saute on medium-high to high heat until cooked through and a little charred (but not mushy), about 7 minutes. Add half of the cooked mushrooms onto each of the rolls, and sprinkle with as much rice Parmesan as you want.  I served these with fries and broccolini.

 

Vegan Sweet Rolls with Cinnamon "Buttery Spread":

For whatever reason, though I have deadlines screaming at me from just about every angle, I have found myself extremely bored as of late. I feel like my life is stagnating. I need to get out, to travel someplace. I miss those feelings of inspiration and creativity that plagued me so greatly during and in the few months after traveling through Europe. Those feelings have begun to fade, and I feel myself in a sadness of sorts. You know what they say, "all good things are wild and free." Right now, I feel neither wild not free, even despite my impending trip home.

 Oh God...sorry for rambling like an idiot. (Depressing much?)

Haha. That's enough about my feelings.

Anyways, these rolls cheered me up. If you've ever had Texas Roadhouse rolls, you will find that these are very similar. They take a few hours to make (most of the time is to let the dough rise). However, they're very easy to make, and worth the extra time. The brown sugar in the dough gives them a sweet flavor, which goes well with the cinnamon "butter."

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup warm water + 1 1/2 tsp. yeast + 1 1/2 tsp. white sugar
1/2 cup ice cold water
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. canola or olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp. salt (+ some to sprinkle on the rolls before baking)
2 tsp. white sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread

Instructions:

1. First, proof the yeast: dissolve the yeast and 1 1/2 tsp. white sugar in the warm water. Let stand until frothy, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Next, add the flour, brown sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Sift the ingredients until well-combined. Add in 1 tablespoon of the oil and the yeast mixture. Mix well, and then add the cold water. Knead until the dough is smooth and tacky, about 7 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, coat with oil, and let it rise for about 2 hours.

3. After the dough has risen, separate it into 16 one-inch balls. Grease your baking pan, and place the dough balls in the pan, allowing room for them to rise. Let them rise for another hour.

4. Next, mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Brush the rolls with the remaining oil and sprinkle them with about 1/3 of the cinnamon sugar mixture and a dash of salt. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and then bake for 25 minutes, until golden-brown.

5. While the rolls are baking, mix the remaining cinnamon sugar with the Earth Balance. Brush the cinnamon butter onto the rolls after you pull them out of the oven.

Vegan Garlic Knots With Wheat Flour:

I adapted this from my previous Vegan Garlic Knots recipe by adding a little whole wheat flour instead of just all purpose flour. The result: nuttier and heartier rolls that are still light and buttery + more nutrients and grains. 

Serve them with a delicious bowl of Tomato & Barley Soup, Garlic & Cherry Tomato Fettuccine,  or with a heaping scoop of Vegan Corn and White Bean Summer Salad. Let me know what you think! ❤❤❤

Ingredients:

For the Dough:
2 1/2 cups  all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tsp. yeast + 1/4 cup warm water (I totally forgot to add the tsp. of sugar! - it turned out fine)
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. + 1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup garlic "butter" (recipe below).

Instructions:

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water in a small bowl, and let it sit about 10 minutes (until foamy). Add the flours, salt, pepper, and oregano to a large bowl.

2. Once the yeast is ready, mix the yeast mixture, the olive oil, and the water in with the dry ingredients. Knead until a tacky and elastic dough has formed, about 10 minutes. Roll the dough into a ball, spray or brush with oil, cover, and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half.

3. After the dough has risen, divide it in half, and roll it out into two 12 inch by 6 inch squares. Cut each square into 6 inch by 1 inch strips. Preheat your oven to 350, and grease a round pie pan.

4. Take each strip and knot it. Place each knot in the pie pan. Spray or brush with oil and a pinch of salt.

5. Let the knots rise for another 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Once the knots are ready, bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Halfway through baking, brush the garlic knots generously with the garlic “butter” (recipe below). Continue baking until the knots are golden-brown. Let cool.

7. Coat the knots with the remaining garlic butter and serve.

Garlic Butter:

8 cloves garlic, minced or diced

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
½ cup Earth Balance buttery spread
¼ cup olive oil
Dash of salt

1. While the dough is rising, add all ingredients to a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.