I Was A Teenage Vegan CookBlog

I swear that if this blog was actually my baby (and not in some cliched metaphorical sense) I would have long since been tried for criminal neglect. I mean, it hasn’t yet contracted sudden infant death syndrome or anything, but I do keep leaving it locked up here in the backseat unattended while I run off to finish some last-minute errands. Maybe if I had me a husband to look after things while I was gone. . . this is what it looks like when blogs grow up in broken homes.

My most recent excuse is that I spent most of the past few weeks in such far-flung, exotic locals as France, Switzerland, Italy, and New Jersey, and was for the most part bereft of both cooking implements and the internet. Touring Europe was a pretty good time, aside from the fact that all of the people there speak some crazy moon language, and that depending on how much of a tourist you are a cup of coffee costs between a dollar-fifty and $12. Also, I think I might have started suffering from peanut butter withdrawal, so this week’s recipe should definitely be good for what ails me. Based loosely on a brownie recipe I got from one of the classes I taught with homefries, these have been hailed by all who have tasted them as not only the best brownies, but in fact the best things ever. Having recently surveyed the entire history of Western civilization in ruin form I would be tempted to agree. But don’t take my word for it. . .

Ingredients:

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup corn (or brown rice, agave, etc.) syrup
• 1/2 cup soy milk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup cocoa
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter

Equipment: Mixing bowl, cake pan, electric mixer, sauce pan, oven, refrigerator.

Music: Belly Boat - Dear Robert Hanoy

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly oil a rectangular cake pan.
2. In a mixing bowl or measuring cup, combine the oil, syrups, soy milk, and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the salt, flour, cocoa, sugar, and baking powder. Add in the liquid ingredients and mix until combined, then fold in one cup of chocolate chips.
4. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spreading it evenly, and bake for 22 minutes.
5. While the brownies are baking, combine 1/4 cup soymilk and margarine in a small mixing bowl and blend. Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, then add peanut butter and mix until fluffy. Set aside.
6. Remove the brownies from the oven and set them aside to cool, using the refrigerator or freezer to accelerate the process if desired.
7. In a saucepan, heat 1/2 cup soymilk until it starts to bubble. Remove the pan from heat, add the remaining cup of chocolate chips and whisk together until the chocolate is fully melted and combined. Set aside to cool slightly.
8. Spread the peanut butter frosting evenly across the top of the brownies. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top of the frosting, spreading it with a knife or spatula to form an even coat.
9. Put the brownies in the refrigerator to cool until the chocolate frosting has set. Slice into squares and serve.

On an unrelated note: for those among my readers who live in the Jamaica Plain area, do I have a treat for you! I was just down in your neighborhood yesterday, dropping off some zines for the paper trail distro and putting in a couple of hours with homefries, who has started whipping up some delicious vegan desserts for Fiore’s bakery on South Street. I made a batch of vegan tiramisu for the occasion (astute readers will recognize it from the first volume of i was a teenage vegan cookbook), which, while I wasn’t able to stick around and try it out myself, no doubt turned out deliciously. If you’re in the area and in the mood for tiramisu, flan, fruit pie, cupcakes, or whatever else h.f. has cooked up, stop on by and support the slowly encroaching veganization of your local businesses.