Hello there!  With all these chilly days and nights, I have been in the mood for warm, comforting soup.  I rummaged through our freshly stocked vegetable drawer, thank you CSA, and pulled out some delicious beet greens, kale, carrots and onions.  I grabbed some farro and lentils from the pantry and I was on my way.  On a side note, I am a huge soup fan.  I could probably eat soup every night.  I just love it!  I especially love making a huge pot of soup that I can leave in my dutch oven, throw in the fridge and reheat throughout the week.  It makes the perfect quick meal.  If you have time to spare, you can leave this soup to simmer on the stove for hours, but if you’re crunched for time, it can be ready in 30-45 minutes.  Here we go…

Lentil & Farro Soup with Tender Greens
Serves 4-6

1/2 C dried lentils, preferably sprouted
1 C cooked farro; brown rice or quinoa would also work
2 generous bunches of chopped greens; beet, kale, chard, spinach
3-4 small carrots, chopped
2 small yellow onions, one diced & one cut in half
4 cloves
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 C vegetable broth
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp italian herbs
2 bay leaves
Salt & Pepper

Start by boiling the lentils. Take the cloves and stud the halved onion. Fill a large pot with water, add the rinsed lentils, studded onion and bay leaf. An onion with cloves may sound weird, but I tell you this will add so much flavor to your lentils. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. If lentils are sprouted, cooking time will only be about 15 minutes. If they’re not, it will be closer to 30-40 minutes. When done, rinse and set aside. (Discard onion and bay leaf) In a large soup pot, add a dash of olive oil or thin layer of broth (for a lower fat soup) and add onion, carrots and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and let sweat for about 3-4 minutes or until onions are soft. Add the bay leaf and seasoning and toss to coat. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the greens and another pinch of salt and lower to medium heat. Cook for a few minutes until greens are tender. Add the lentils, farro, worcestershire and another pinch of salt and pepper and lower to simmer. Let cook on a very low simmer for about 15-20 minutes. At this point, taste it and decide if you need more salt and season accordingly. Serve with warm, crusty bread. Enjoy!

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Happy New Year!  I hope it was a beautifully, blessed year for you all.  2012 was very busy.  We finally got our cookies onto Ralph’s shelves (for those of you who don’t live in Southern California, Ralph’s is a huge grocery retailer).  That was a huge deal for us.  The cookies have done well and we’re looking to introduce some new gluten-free products very soon!

Life was a bit of a blur this past year.  My youngest is about to turn a year-eek!  And with two kids, a business and a household to run, some days I feel like my head is going to fall off.  It’s wonderful though and I feel blessed to be apart of this crazy life!

There were a few vegan goodies that I ran across this year and had to share.  If you haven’t had the chance to try any of these, you should definitely make it a priority.

These Go Raw pizza snacks are awesome! They taste just like pizza and provide the perfect cracker crunch without all the crap. Kids will love them too! 

I also had the pleasure of trying Real Foods Daily’s Tu-nut salad.  It’s their take on tuna salad and it was delicious-hence no picture!  Instead of a soy base, it’s made from almonds with lots of yummy herbs and flavors.  It wasn’t until after I had inhaled the salad that it dawned on me that I should have taken a picture.

I will be blogging more this year; recipes, products, restaurants, personal stories-you name it, I’m writing about it.  So stay tuned and have a wonderful week.

The post Welcome, 2013! appeared first on Michy's Foods.

So a couple of weeks ago my friend asked me if I could make a cake for her son’s birthday! “Of course!” I said, “No problem.” But, as she explained, her son really, really wanted a dinosaur cake. Now I can frost a cake and cupcake with the best of them but a dinosaur cake is a whole other animal (sorry for the pun). There are misshapen edges, weird angles, layers of frosting and piping and a whole host of other things that can go wrong. But, I wanted to challenge myself and make my friend’s son happy, so I of course, said yes. I found a great mold online and got to practicing. It really wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. The hardest thing about the whole cake was the intricate piping on the dinosaur body, which required me to ice my wrist for a few minutes (I know, such a wimp)! But all in all it turned out really well and what really matters is that the birthday boy was elated with his cake! As it turns out, the rest of the party was equally thrilled with it as evidenced by the empty cake stand.  I also did a few dozen cupcakes and played around with some new frosting styles.  I think they look really cute and without so much frosting, you could really taste the delicious cake. 

The post The Dino Cake appeared first on Michy's Foods.

Hello All

I am so sorry that it has been so long since my last post. Life has been very busy, specifically the welcoming of our second baby boy about 6 weeks ago. Whew, things have been crazy!

As some of you may know, we competed on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars a couple of weeks ago. My partner, Melissa and I had a great time. We were so honored to be apart of the first ever all vegan challenge. It was truly a wonderful experience. We were disappointed to not move on to the final round but Florian did call our Fennel Cupcake with Clementine Frosting “amazing”, so we were pretty pleased. This cupcake turned out so well that we are adding it to our regular cupcake menu. It is bright, fresh, fluffy and delicious. I hope you enjoy it!

Fennel Cupcake with Clementine Frosting and Candied Sage

Yields 24 mini cupcakes

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup non dairy milk; almond, soy etc
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
¼ chopped fennel fronds; very loosely packed
Clementine Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
Candied Sage; recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a mini cupcake pan with 24 mini cupcake liners. Measure the non dairy milk in a liquid measuring cup and add the apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In another medium bowl, add vegetable oil, sugar and vanilla extract and mix. Add the “buttermilk” and whisk together until all of the ingredients are well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Mix together gently being careful not to over mix. Once the ingredients are well incorporated, fold in the fennel seeds and fronds.

Fill the mini cupcake liners about ¾ of the way full and bake for 12-13 minutes until cooked through.

Clementine Buttercream Frosting
Yields approximately 2 cups
¼ cup vegan margarine
¼ cup vegan shortening
¼ cup fresh Clementine juice
2 tablespoons fresh Clementine zest
3 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted

With electric beaters, beat together the margarine and shortening until creamy. Add in the juice and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting comes together and becomes creamy. You can frost the cupcakes by hand using a butter knife or put frosting in pastry bag and cut ½ inch off the top.

Candied Sage
Yields 12 candied sage leaves
12 fresh sage leaves
½ cup water
½ cup + 2 tablespoons cup cane sugar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add ½ cup sugar and whisk together until dissolved. Add the sage, lower the heat to medium and simmer together for 2-3 minutes. Drain the sage and pat dry. Roll the sage in the remaining sugar and lay each leaf flat on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

To Assemble:

Generously frost the top of each cupcake with the Clementine frosting and top with a candied sage leaf.

The post My “Cupcake Wars” Fennel Cupcake with Clementine Frosting appeared first on Michy's Foods.

Here is a delicious vegan quiche recipe that is sure to please.  It is creamy, fluffy, cheesy and full of crunchy broccoli.  In fact, this whole quiche lasted less than 2 days in my house; it’s that good!  I happened to have an extra pie crust in my freezer that I’d made a few days earlier, but a store bought one can work just as well.  I had a beautiful tart pan that I used and it created these beautiful fluted edges, but any pie pan will work.

Enjoy!

Broccoli & Pepperjack Quiche

1 prepared vegan piecrust

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 head broccoli, cleaned & roughly chopped

1 tsp. herbs de provence

1 12 oz container mori-nu silken tofu

½ C non-dairy milk

¼ C nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp. white miso paste

1 Tbsp. powdered mustard

1 Tbsp. braggs liquid aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)

¼ C daiya pepperjack cheese (or cheddar works too)

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Roll out the piecrust and place in pie or tart pan.  In a large cast iron pan, heat a dash of vegetable oil on medium heat.  Add the onions and a dash of oil and cook until translucent (about 2-4 minutes).  Add the broccoli and a dash of water.  Cover the pan with the lid and let steam for a few minutes.  Remove lid and give everything a toss with another dash of salt and the herbs de provence.  Turn off heat and seat aside.

In a blender mix the tofu, milk, miso and Braggs until it is smooth and creamy.  Pour into a large bowl and add the cheese, spices and broccoli/onion mixture and make sure everything is well combined.  Pour into the crust and place in the middle of the oven.  Cook for 40 minutes or until the center is firm, then crank the oven up to 425 and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the crust and top get nice and golden brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for at least 15 minutes before you serve.  Enjoy!

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I made this dish the other night for my family and they flipped.  The quinoa is the perfect vessel for the crisp veggies and the crunchy cashews.  The best thing about this dish, besides the fact that it’s incredibly easy, is that you can literally use any veggies you have in your fridge.  I happened to have broccoli and asparagus, but it would easily work with mushrooms, carrots or peppers.  Enjoy!

Veggie Quinoa Serves 4-6

1 C uncooked quinoa

2 ½ C chopped veggies; broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, carrots, peas etc.

½ C red onion, diced

½ C cashews or peanuts

¼ C chopped herbs, loosely packed; cilantro or parsley work best

1 C balsamic vinegar

To cook the quinoa, place in small saucepan with 1 ¾ C water and a pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to low and cook for 15.  Turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes and then fluff with fork.

To make the balsamic glaze, place vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Lower to medium low heat and cook for 20-25 minutes until the vinegar reduces and starts to become slightly thick.  You want it to be like maple syrup, not like molasses.  Turn off heat and let it cool.

Heat a large cast iron pan on medium heat with a dash of oil.  Add onions with a dash of salt and cook until translucent.  Add veggies, another dash of salt and cook for another 3-5 minutes (cook time will depend on which veggies you use).  Make sure to keep the veggies crisp.  Add the cashews and brown for a minute more.  Add the quinoa and another dash of oil.  Mix together and cook for another couple of minutes.  Turn off the heat and fold in the herbs.  Drizzle the balsamic glaze over each individual plate.  Enjoy!!!

The post Veggie Quinoa with Cashews & Balsamic Glaze appeared first on Michy's Foods.

Me & Michelle at the start of the sale

I am pleased to announce that our little vegan bakesale for Japan resulted in a mighty donations. We made almost $800 for Shelter Box charities.  The day was absolutely beautiful and we met so many wonderful and generous people who were so eager to help.  We had so many delicious goodies to sell, it was no wonder that by the end of the afternoon, we’d nearly sold out of everything!  We had cookies, cupcakes, hand pies, chocolate-dipped macaroons, rice crispy treats, peanut butter cups, cream filled eggs, savory crostatas and I can’t even remember what else!  (Although I did buy my fair share of treats!)  Our volunteers were enthusiastic and energetic and I truly feel that I’ve walked away with some new friends.  It was a pleasure to do this bakesale and I am certain that our donations are going to provide help to those who need it.  Thanks again to all who participated…let’s do it again next year!

Our sweet potatoe & apple crostata

Our lemon lavender cupcake

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip; they sold out in no time!

Our Ginger-Binge did too!

Our volunteers for the day, Michelle & Antoanet

The post Our Bakesale: A Wrap Up appeared first on Michy's Foods.

Our new packaging-yay!

Hello everyone! We have been busy! Our new packaging is fresh off the press and is getting ready to hit store shelves. We’ve added 3 new flavors to our line-up; The Americano (double chocolate chip with a hint of espresso), Cran Rustica (sweet & salty oatmeal cranberry) and Ginger-Binge (the ultimate ginger snap). They are all pretty awesome and round out our cookie collection nicely.
We are also gearing up for our first annual Vegan Bakesale to support Japanese relief efforts. All of Michy’s cookies will be available for sampling and purchase along with a ton of other delicious treats. Kim Garr of C’est la Vegan will be donating some of her delicious biscotti and several other local bakers will be baking up cupcakes, brownies, pies and other delectable goodies. We will have gluten free options as well as macaroons suitable for Passover. You don’t want to miss out on this! 100% of our proceeds will go to Shelterbox.org providing emergency shelter and supplies to the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Please come on out and say hello:
Michy’s Bakesale for Japan
Saturday April 23rd 12-3
1425 Montana Ave (on the corner of 14th/Montana Aves)
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Packing up the cookies for the bakesale

Cran Rustica are packed and ready for action

The post Our new packaging… appeared first on Michy's Foods.

I am pleased to announce that Michy’s will be organizing our first ever vegan bakesale to support relief efforts in Japan. Upon news of this horrible tragedy, I found myself deeply saddened and searching for a way to lend my support. I heard about the World Wide Bakesale going on from April 23rd-May1st and immediately knew that was my cue to pitch in. We will be holding our sale on Saturday April 23rd from 12-3pm at 1425 Montana Ave in Santa Monica, CA 90403 on the corner of 15th and Montana Aves. 100% of our proceeds will be going to Shelter Box to provide emergency shelter and warmth to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. If you are interested in donating your time or treats to our cause, please contact us. And if you’re in the neighborhood, come on by and get yourself something scrumptious to eat!

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My family and I just signed up for our first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box.  For a reasonable fee, we will receive a fresh box of fruits and vegetables from our local farm, delivered to our doorstep, every week.  Not only is it a convenient way to get our farm fresh produce, but also supports local agriculture by buying directly from the farm.  And it’s financially viable too. It works out to be less expensive than buying the same quantity of fruits and vegetables at a conventional grocery store and you buy the peace of mind that what you’re eating is local, fresh, seasonal and organic.  You are guaranteed to get the freshest, items available — whatever they have in season that week is what’s going in the box. A quick search online will help you find the nearest CSA provider in your area.

I’m a farmer’s market junkie, a produce fanatic, locavore-vegan and a new mom, so naturally a CSA box fits my family’s lifestyle.  But the most exciting thing about the box is the weekly surprise of what’s going to arrive. Think of it as your own version of The Food Network’s “Chopped” at your doorstep every week.  Sure it’s easy to go to the grocery store with a list of stuff; kale, broccoli, carrots, but to get a surprise every week, well that keeps me on my toes.

As soon as I receive my first box, I’ll let you know what I get, as well as what I made from it, happily sharing my recipes with you.  In the meantime, I’d like to leave you with my favorite snack:

Roasted Kale

1 head Black Kale

2 Tbsp. Olive or Safflower Oil

1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

Sprinkling of course Sea Salt

Sprinkling of Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Roughly chop kale and toss with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper flakes, taking care to coat each leaf.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes.  Kale will be wilted and crunchy and absolutely delicious!

This post originally posted on www.greenwala.com on 1/27/11

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