A Closer Look At Cuban Bread

So today we made cuban bread. I had made this one day in baking class but we needed bread and it is such an easy recipe that we decided to make it and include a recipe and a video. :)

We made it with added whole wheat flour....so it turned out a bit different than the one at school. Also we made rounder balls for the loaves, at school the loaves were flatter, more disk like.

Cuban Bread

3 1/2 cups of white flour
1 1/3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
just under 2 cups of warm water

Soften the yeast in the warm water. Swish it around to break up any lumps. Let sit until you start to see a few bubbles.

Add the flour, sugar and salt. Mix well until water is absorbed. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it forms a soft smooth uniform dough; about 8-10 minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl covered with saran wrap until it is doubled in size.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and flatten all the bubbles out. Divide your dough in to sections and knead. Round into balls and let rest for about 10 minutes. Knead the balls again and form into shapes. We did round loaves but you could do any shape you want.

Place the loaves on a baking sheet, flour the tops and lightly score. Place in a warm area to proof until double in size.

Bake for roughly 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Slice and slather with butter! Not margarine ........BUTTER! lol

This video is a kinda how-to and of course bits of it are done "chip and dale" style!! It actually is instructional and not as silly as the last one! Enjoy!

Little Pots of Chili Love......MMMMMMM

We made vegan chili for supper last night......yummy! We had them with corn bread cooked in the cast iron skillet. delish!

Aren't the little pots cute! Syd bought them for me for Christmas. They have a few other shapes so I might have to pick up more! lol

We didn't really use a recipe but the basics of what we used are:

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 shallot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped in a small dice

1 cup frozen corn

roughly 2 cups of black beans

1 large can of chickpeas, washed and drained

1 large can of mixed beans, (pinto, chickpeas, kidney, white beans)

1 large can of tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 cube of all vegetable - beef bouillon cube

2 cups of water

In a large pot saute the carrots for a few minutes, add the garlic and onion and cook until they start to soften. Add the water and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil. Cook until carrots are just about done. Add the beans, corn and tomatoes. Bring back to a simmer and cook until carrots are tender. Season to your tastes. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the chili thickens up.

Seasonings were provided by.....cumin, chili powder, paprika, Cajun spice mix and of course.......liquid smoke! :)

Vegan French Toast

One word.......Gorgeous!


This morning we made vegan french toast with mixed berry compote. I had a dollop of plain yogurt on the side of mine. Man it was GOOD! Best breakfast I have had in a looooong time.

The ciabatta bread ( made at school, first loaf I made actually) was sliced and dipped in a mixture of almond milk and cinnamon. Then cooked in the frying pan. So easy and so delicious!

Smokey Lentil Soup

This is one of my new favorite soups. Lentils are healthy and very cheap. Not to mention delicious! This vegan soup uses plenty of spices to perk it up! The spicy smokiness is so satisfiying!

2 Tablespoons of canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 leeks, sliced thinly with the tough green part cut off
5 ruby fingerling potatos, sliced in rounds
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
1 parsnip, sliced on the bias
1 1/2 cups of red lentils, washed
1 cube of all vegetable chicken boullion
4 1/2 cups of water
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 Tablespoons of paprika
2 Teaspoons of cajun spice mix
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
liquid smoke

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Saute shallot until soft, add garlic and saute for another minute. Add leeks and cook for a couple of minutes. Add water, boullion cube, vegetables and lentils. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Add paprika and cajun spice. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils and vegetables are tender, approximately 20-25 minutes.
Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with salt, pepper and liquid smoke.