Vegan Delights

"MMMMmmmm..... these are the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever tasted!"

said the carnivore to the jin as he is madly consuming one of these:jin- "HA! They're Vegan!"

carnivore- "Whaaaaaat??? NO! You're teasing me!"
jin- "If I said you couldn't have a second one, that would be me teasing you!" *wink*
carnivore- "You're serious!??!"
jin- "Noooo....... of course you can have another one!" *grin*
carnivore- "No! Well, I mean yes... I want another, please! But, they're really Vegan? I thought Vegan food is supposed to taste like crap?"
jin- "Certainly not my Vegan food! The cupcake you just ingested was 100% Vegan and mostly Organic. Amazing aren't I?" *huge grin*

After I politely turn down his marriage proposal I let him taste these:

Chocolate Shortbread Heart Cut-Outs Dusted with Vietnamese Cinnamon Sugar. Made with Vegan Non-GMO Earth Balance for a healthy delicious snack! No eggs, no dairy, no guilty conscience! Yay!

Lemony Filled Shortbread Sandwiches, also made with Earth Balance. These babies are addictive!

Baklava. Nearly Vegan... I do use honey in it, but the ONLY honey I use in my shoppe is locally harvested by a wonderful caring man who treats his bees like they are his children. Kinda like how yours truly treats her Vegetarian Daughter/Fur Baby/Companion Animal:

The jin & The brioche

P.S. Do click on the photos. They will cover your screen and make you drool all over your keyboard. ;-)

jin's day off

First stop:
My Organic Produce Guy.
I meant to take pics of his garden as it is phenomenal.
But I got lost in the moment...
smelling
tasting
enjoying sunshine & chit-chat
diggin' in the dirt
(note to self: next time don't wear a short skirt)

I filled my xB with succulent freshly picked greeeeen

A few dozen free-range eggs, potatoes (he doesn't sell these to anyone, they are only for his personal use, but I got me some...yes I did! Woo-Hoo!), sugar snap peas, squash, flowers (edible & decorative), baby lettuces, garlic & herbs herbs herbs!

Three bags full of French greens. MMmmm.


Next step:
Appropriate tunes for creating a delectable dinner.
Insert CD & turn volume to full.
(If the walls aren't shakin', it's not loud enough honey.)

I recommend dancing & singing until you decide what to make.
I practiced belly dancing to my fave song "Voodoo"
then decided upon Quinoa.
(Pronounced KEEN-wah)
I knew it'd be FAB with the fresh herbs.

Quinoa is a super-protein & tastes awesome if you make it right.
It's easy, I'll show you how!

Any combo of chopped veggies will do.
I used:
1 Vidalia Onion
1 Bulb Garlic (Not a clove, a whole bulb!)
2 Squash (pictured whole- bottom left & chopped- upper right)

Chop & set aside until ready to use.

I *heart* Monini Olive Oils. Superior flavour!

Heat a Tablespoon (or so) on medium.

Toss in about 1-1/2 cups Quinoa & stir constantly until they begin to crackle & pop. (It is not necessary to toast the grains before use, however it gives them a nice nutty flavour.)

I *heart* Rapunzel Vegetable Boullion. No chemicals!

Add 3 cups of filtered water & 2 vegetable boullion cubes to your popping Quinoa. jinny loves to hear it fizzle & spatter at this point! Look out!

Bring to a boil, cover & reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile:

Melt a few Tablespoons of Earth Balance (or Olive Oil or butter if you prefer) on medium. Add your garlic and saute for a minute, then add your onion & saute until translucent. Add your remaining vegetables & season to taste. I use:

because jinny likes it spicy!

Oh, look! The Quinoa is done!

Take it off the heat & leave it covered until you are ready for it.

Never interrupt & jin with her Cilantro.

MMMMmmmmm.....Cilantroooooo.
Smell it &
Taste it &
Chop it:

I've got about a handful of Cilantro & a handful of Italian Parsley.
Chop and set aside.

Now, stir up your cooked Quinoa
and
TASTE IT!

Hmmm....good, but it needs some:

MMMMMmmmm........Perfect!

Now stir your Quinoa into your sauteed veggies.

Finally, add the chopped herbs.

Voilà!

I served it with a few pieces of Garlic Toast, Calamata Olives & edible Nasturtiums (in the center of the plate). The flower petals are sweet, almost candy-like, but when you get to the center they are hot & spicy! YUM!

Here is mr jins plate. Notice the lack of olives. We disagree about the delicious mouth-watering perfectness of olives. He's wrong. :-P

There's even a takeaway serving for jinmom.


OH!
Almost forgot!
I served this for dessert:
;-)

Jin Loves *Unique* Requests

*Unique* Request #1
"jin, can you create a Vegan Wedding Cake for us?"

The top tier was created without any animal products what-so-ever, expressly for the groom and the vegan guests. Each tier was the same flavour: Almond Cake filled with Organic Strawberry Preserves. YUM!

What a sweet couple they were! An absolute pleasure to do business with. I would truly love more vegan orders.....it makes a jin feel good to create them.

Proof that everything happens for a reason (you just don't always know why... right away). Even on a busy weekend I was able to work this cake order in, thankfully because of the one that was canceled.

*Unique* Request #2

"jin, I'd like several different flavoured small cakes for a baby shower. Can you create something unique for me?"

Alternating White Chocolate & Chocolate Cakes filled with Lemon Curd, Dark Sweet Cherry Buttercream & Raspberry Buttercream.

Sometimes a jin forgets how much time is appropriate for decorating. (Er, shall I say the $$$ per hour ratio.) But, it turned out so damn cute...I couldn't help myself!

Look at the itty bitty baby booties! Hee!

I know some of you aren't into kids. No problem... I could do stacked condom boxes, too!

*Unique* Request #3

"jin, I need 2 gift baskets; one for children & one for adults. They prefer Organic foods & healthier, heartier, breakfast-type items. Can you include some nicely decorated personalized cookies for the kids?"

The adult basket was filled with Mini Banana Walnut Spice Bundt Cakes, Muffins with tiny Maine Blueberries & Organic Apples, Organic Zucchini Carrot Quinoa Muffins, a few Scones & some Cappuccino Brownies for any chocolate lovers.

There were also some of these tucked inside. OMG were they delish! I had to sample them. *jingrin*

Both baskets had a few of these in as well. Very simple yet so satisfying!

The kids basket was topped off with several all natural fruit leathers, a box of mini whole wheat bunny crackers & the personalized cookies.

The cookies were approximately 4" x 4" each. FYI- they are also suitable for adult noshing. *WINK*