I’ve been on a bit of a rhubarb and strawberry kick lately, which you might have noticed.  I can’t get enough of them!  I think I’m making something either strawberry, or rhubarb or both together every week.  This crisp though, is by far one of my favorites.  I make this a lot because it’s so easy to throw together, and more importantly, it tastes incredible.  You can even make it ahead of time and throw it in the fridge, then bake it while you eat dinner so it’s nice and warm for dessert.  It’s impressive enough for guests, but also simple enough for a casual dinner for just Ryan and me.

I got the recipe from the book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver, which has some great recipes that are pretty easy to veganize.  Unfortunately though, the book itself wasn’t my favorite.  I read it a few years ago with my book club at the time, and I think all of us were more than a little annoyed by the book, even though we’d been really excited to read it.

Considering about half the group was vegetarian, and all of us were very open minded about food choices, we were surprised to react the way we did to it.  We all eat locally, for the most part, and all tend to have pretty healthy diets, so it seemed like it would be right up our collective alley, but it just wasn’t.  We found it very condescending, and I was particularly irked by her patronizing and dismissive treatment of vegetarians.  I have some other complaints, but no need to re-hash them all here.  Maybe you read it and loved it.  Either way, I took it for what it was worth and happily make this recipe whenever I can!  Here’s my vegan version – it’s even better with some non-dairy vanilla ice cream on top.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved (or quartered if large)
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup agave nectar, depending on how sweet your berries are

Mix together thoroughly and place in an 8”x8” ungreased pan

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) non-dairy margarine

Mix until crumbly, sprinkle over fruit mixture and bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes, until golden.

When I started seeing rhubarb at the Studio City Farmers’ Market last year, I remembered that when I was little we had a neighbor who grew rhubarb in his garden.  I felt like there was a cake my Mom would make with it, and when I called her she remembered and found the recipe to send to me.  Once I tried it, I realized why just seeing the rhubarb made me so happy.  Ah, food memories…  you’re the best.

This is one of my all-time favorite cakes, and I think I’ve become obsessed with rhubarb because of it.  I realized that in all the times I’ve made it I’d never posted about it, and I had to remedy that.  It might not look like the prettiest thing, but don’t let that trick you into thinking that you won’t end up eating the whole pan. The rhubarb makes it super moist, and gives it an amazing flavor – not too tart, but not overly sweet either.  I’m trying to keep my distance from it right now, because I could easily do some serious damage!

This cake was really easy to veganize, and if you don’t tell the people you serve it to that it’s dairy and egg-free, they’ll never know the difference.  Of course you don’t have to share it if you don’t want to!  I made a few tweaks like reducing the sugar a bit, but it’s still plenty sweet.  I plan to experiment with this recipe more, maybe adding a crumb top or adding some strawberries in too.  For now, though, this version makes me very happy.  I’m trying so hard to control myself from grabbing another piece as I look at that picture!  I think I’m in trouble.

Rhubarb Cake

1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (you can also use white vinegar or lemon juice)
1/2 cup (4 oz.) non-dairy margarine
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
2 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups diced rhubarb (about 6 stalks, depending on their size)

For the topping

2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the vinegar into the soy milk and set aside.  Measure the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

Cream together the margarine and sugar.  Mix the egg replacer with the warm water, and add this along with the vanilla extract to the creamed mixture.  Mix well, scraping down the sides as needed.  Add in the soy milk mixture.

Add the flour mixture, and mix just until combined.  If you’re using an electric or stand mixer, fold the rhubarb in by hand.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 11-inch pan.  Mix the sugar and cinnamon for the topping together and sprinkle evenly over the batter.  Place the pan on the middle rack in the hot oven.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan around, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  It’s done when the top is lightly brown and a cake tester comes out clean – don’t hesitate to let it go longer or take it out sooner, the baking time will vary based on your oven.  Let the cake cool before you cut it, if you can wait!  And try not to eat the whole thing like I usually do…

What you’re looking at might be my favorite Thanksgiving side.  I can’t even begin to put into words how much I love this sweet potato casserole.  I found the recipe last year on the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog and asked my friend Laurel to bring it to our vegan Thanksgiving.  She was nice enough to make it, and it was so good I couldn’t believe it!  Then Ryan and I made it again for his family’s meal last Christmas.  I think I could have eaten the whole thing.

Now, be aware that this is listed as a dessert option on SusanV’s site.  It’s pretty sweet, but I actually love it with dinner since it’s such a nice contrast to the other flavors on the plate.  The great thing is that it’s not just sweet.  I think a lot of sweet potato dishes overdo it – I’m looking at you, marshmallow-covered-burnt-casserole. But somehow the cinnamon and nutmeg in this, not to mention the amazing pecan topping, all just fit together perfectly and taste like more than just sugar.

When I made this to photograph it for the blog, I realized I didn’t have enough maple syrup.  I substituted amber agave and it worked out just fine.  I baked the potatoes this time, whereas I microwaved them last year.  I think that I would recommend peeling and then either boiling or microwaving them, because I found that peeling them was a bit difficult after baking, and there were some parts right under the skin that stayed hard and didn’t mash in with the rest.

This casserole is so easy and SO delicious.  Please make it this year, and I promise you won’t be disappointed!

I spend a ton of time baking, and when I bake for myself I like to try new things so it doesn’t just feel like work.  I wanted to make a fun and easy-to-eat dessert to bring to the Bowl, so I searched though all my recipes that I dream about having time to test.  When I came across a recipe for Snickerdoodle Blondies, I knew it was time to try them.  I’m a sucker for snickerdoodles, and the idea of having them in bar form was too appealing to pass up.

These couldn’t have been easier to make, and they were really, really tasty.  The bars are chewy, cinnamon-y and not too sweet – just how I like my baked goods.  They were also a hit with non-vegans, which just goes to show that you can make a tasty treat without butter and eggs.  I think they might just have to make an appearance on the C’est La V Bakeshop menu!