An Apology And Old Fashioned Custard Pie

First of all, I apologize for the long delay with no posts. I was hibernating with the hedgehogs for the winter, and lately I've been spending all of my time performing music at the Sherwood Forest Faire and getting ready to move to a new house at the end of this month (which means I've only got two more days to pack and move before I spend my entire weekend out at faire! Eek!)

I've got SO much I want to share with you - I've visited a bunch of awesome restaurants, made several yummy dishes, and got a new kitten, who is the most adorable kitty ever (but don't tell my cat.) However, it's going to have to wait another week or two until after I've moved and unpacked enough to have some semblance of my office intact.

For the time being, I shall share with you my vegan interpretation of Old Fashioned Custard Pie, which I'm modifying from Hillbilly Recipes. I haven't actually made this yet, but I plan on it once we move and unpack all our kitchen paraphernalia. If you made it, let me know how it goes!

Old Fashioned Custard Pie

1 unbaked pie shell (or make your own - my favorite is the olive oil crust from "Vegan Pie In The Sky")
3 flax "eggs" OR 1 flax "egg" and 1 mashed banana
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 2/3 cups of non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix "eggs" [1 tablespoon fresh-ground flax meal plus 3 tablespoons water per "egg", and refrigerate mixture for 15-60 minutes to thicken] and mashed banana (if using), then add sugar, salt, nutmeg, and milk. Beat well and pour into the unbaked pie shell. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle the top of pie with fresh ground nutmeg.

In Which The Hedgehogs Make April A Faux Egg Salad Sandwich

After a long day of faire, April discovered that she had an unwelcome, unexpected visitor. She drove home, and the hedgehogs sent her to relax while they made dinner. Since April had been planning on making the Faux Egg Salad from page 50 of "Vegan a Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road", the hedgehogs decided they'd make it for her.



The hedgehogs had almost everything they needed, but realized they didn't have any garlic or pickles. However, they had a GIANT bunch of parsley, so they added lots of that.


Buttercup says that Hedgie is going to owe her BIG TIME after this.

After mixing everything together and tasting it, they decided it was good, but needed a little something. They added about 1/2 teaspoon of Kala Namak (black salt) and two yolk's-worth of The Vegg, and mixed some more. This time, it tasted really good!

Hedgie and Buttercup made a sandwich with some of the Faux Egg Salad and some avocado, and toasted the whole thing.


"Hey, Hedgie. How are we going to get it up the stairs to April?" "Oops."


Full Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate links included in this post. I receive a small commission if you click through to Amazon and purchase products using these links. That being said, I'm currently in the process of trying to pay off a $34,000 hospital bill, so if you want to buy something, feel free to click!

RECIPE REVIEW - The Vegg Baked Frittata

Today, April and the hedgehogs are going to tell you about their latest experiment with The Vegg. Are you sitting comfortably?



Good. So, the hedgehogs woke up this morning, and Buttercup thought she saw a bird outside, but it was really just a couple of leaves, and Hedgie told her she was being silly...



...and we've lost your attention. Sorry. So, The Vegg experiment! Last time, April and the hedgehogs made an omelet from The Vegg Cookbook. Even after baking it in the oven for a bit, April's omelet was very soft and not nearly as "set" as she would have liked it to be. Interestingly, Jen from Living the Dream @ Deer Run had made the exact same omelet just two days earlier, and found that her batter was too thick even to pour!

This time, April decided to make Chris Dixon's Baked Frittata on page 57 of The Vegg Cookbook (also posted on the blog here). Her hope was that something that *started out* being baked would set up better.

At her host Duane's house, April only has access to a mini food processor (her camping blender has gone on walkabout somewhere in her van, and isn't ready to come back yet). The Vegg powder, garlic, water, spices, and arrowroot powder all fit in one batch, but the 12 oz. of silken firm tofu would not. April mixed a bit, poured it into a big bowl, added a bit more tofu to the food processor, mixed that, added it to the bowl, and continued until all the tofu was mixed. She then finished mixing the "eggy"mixture together by hand.



For filling, April used an onion, two large mushrooms, 4 slices of Upton's Naturals Seitan Bacon, and six small potatoes. She wanted to add some broccoli, but was afraid that there would be too much veggie matter for the eggy mixture to set well. After roasting the veggies for 30 minutes and seeing how much they cooked down, she realized that she could have added the broccoli (and the second onion, and the third mushroom, and some more bacon). Well, knowledge for next time.


The hedgehogs wait patiently for the frittata.

After baking the frittata for 35 minutes, the very top looked somewhat set, so April sliced into it. Unfortunately, it was still quite gooey underneath.



She put the frittata back into the oven for another 20 minutes, at which point the top had puffed up like a souffle and was looking very brown.





It was a bit more solid than before, but was still like a very thick custard under the top layer. April used 8 tablespoons of arrowroot powder instead of the 6 called for in the recipe, as well. Duane thinks that a wider shallower pan might work better next time (April was worried about a larger pan fitting into the toaster oven, but Duane swears it will fit).

As for flavor, both April and Duane thought that the frittata was very good. The creaminess of the eggy mixture paired well with the roasted veggies. Duane ended up adding extra salt, pepper, and garlic to his second slice, and said that it helped, so April will double the amounts of those things in the eggy mixture next time.

Vegg Omelet & Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Fauxnut Holes - From The Vegg Cookbook (and Bonus Taco Tuesday!)

In yesterday's post, April and the hedgehogs had decided to use April's brand new The Vegg Cookbook and Upton's Naturals Bacon Seitan to create some delicious food that would impress her omnivorous host, Duane. For the main course, April decided to go with Mimi Clark's Vegg Omelet (with seitan bacon and veggie filling) from page 15 of The Vegg Cookbook.

The hedgehogs helped April gather all the ingredients for the omelet.



April poured the Vegg/tofu mixture into the pan. The recipe had said to cook it for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges set. After 15 minutes, April's mixture was still kind of soupy.





She let it cook for about 20 minutes total, when it looked as if the top was starting to solidify a bit. She grabbed two wide spatulas, went to flip the omelet in half...



...and watched in dismay as it glooped partway over the veggies and bacon. She turned the heat up a little bit, and continued to cook the omelet for another 10 minutes or so. Unfortunately, April's finished omelet didn't really look like Mimi's finished omelet, so April slid her resulting half-set mixture into a loaf pan and put it in the oven for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. The result was an omelet that, while not nearly as solid as a traditional omelet, still held together and tasted pretty good. Duane's review was that it had a "good flavor (not quite as egg-like as real eggs) and interesting texture." He wasn't fond of the cooked spinach (a fact which April will keep in mind for the upcoming Vegg Fritatta), but thought that the seitan bacon was "fantastic". April has a sneaking suspicion that, since she was using a propane stove, the heat wasn't high enough, and will try raising it the next time she makes the omelet.



For dessert, Duane had chosen Mina Azarnoush's Peanutbutter Bacon Chocolate Donuts from page 78 of The Vegg Cookbook (she has also posted the recipe here). Instead of buying a donut pan, April decided to use Duane's mini-muffin pan instead, resulting in Fauxnut Holes.



Instead of instant coffee, April used her existing canister of Cafix. She also used powdered peanut butter (PB2) for the glaze, and cut up cooked pieces of seitan bacon for the topping.

The fauxnuts cooked perfectly in the mini-muffin pan, but the glaze was VERY liquid-y. Buttercup suggested adding some arrowroot powder to thicken it, and Hedgie suggested putting that mixture into the freezer for a bit, but the glaze was still not thick enough. April ended up drizzling the glaze over the fauxnut holes on the plate instead of dunking each fauxnut hole into the glaze, and then sprinkling the bacon bits over the top.





April and Duane both loved the fauxnut holes. They were extra cocoa-y, and the crunch of the bacon was a great addition. Duane mentioned that some powdered ginger would taste good in the glaze, so next time, April will add ginger and use a bit less liquid, as well as cutting the bacon bits smaller so they're easier to eat.


BONUS PICTURE - since it's also Taco Tuesday, here's a picture of the tempeh soft taco April made for lunch. It has heirloom organic green tomatoes and salsa.

RECIPE - Faux Mocha / RESTAURANT REVIEW, Part Deux - Mud Pie Vegan Bakery, Kansas City, MO / Green Acres Market

After getting unpacked and situated in her temporary living quarters, the hedgehogs told April that she was required to drive into the big city and get some chocolate.



She decided that the best place to do that was Mud Pie Vegan Bakery.

Mud Pie Vegan Bakery
1615 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111
Facebook page







Since April didn't get anything chocolate on her last visit to Mud Pie, this time would be different.



April got a Cashew Milk Mocha, Lemon Blueberry Bread, an Eggy Breakfast Burrito (made by KCMO restaurant Fud), and, to satisfy the chocolate craving/requirement, a s'mores cupcake. The was the second time she had got some food from Fud without actually going there (they always seem to be closed when she wants to go out). The burrito was gooey and delicious, the lemon blueberry bread was the perfect level of sweetness with a great flavor, and the s'mores cupcake was the perfect way to get that chocolate fix. The mocha was a great compliment to it all, and April was once again impressed by the milk options - soy milk is standard and *free*, and various other milks are available for a bit extra (like cashew, rice, coconut, almond, and hemp!)

While enjoying the yummy food, Buttercup's sharp eye discovered that the bookshelves on the wall were actually a door. Hedgie said that all doors should also be bookshelves.



On the way back to Leavenworth, April decided to stop in north KCMO and check out Green Acres Market, as she needed to pick up a few groceries (i.e., Hedgehog Bribes).

Green Acres Market
4175 N Mulberry Dr, Kansas City, MO 64116 (Also has locations in Wichita, KS and Jenks, OK)
Facebook page

Green Acres is located in a collection of shops, at the end of a row next door to Sugar Mama's Bakery (but not the one in Austin!) It's a decent-sized store; not too small, and not so big that you get lost. April picked up some organic produce - a couple of pluots (a combination between a plum and an apricot), some lemons, some broccoli, and some sweet potatoes, and also got a couple more heat & eat Indian packet meals and some cocoa powder from the bulk section. Since hearing about The Great Vegan Yogurt Shortage, she was pleased to find a brand new offering -


Quick review - the plain was the only flavor they had. It's not sweet, and the texture is good; not too thick or thin.

She also found a couple of things that looked very tempting, but that she didn't buy (yet!)


This company sells three types of coffee drinks and two varieties of plain almond milk in very cool bottles.


BBQ jackfruit and jackfruit tamales! April will definitely be getting some of this before leaving Kansas.

When she got back home, April decided to try her hand and making an instant iced mocha drink mix for the hot days out at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival. While at Green Acres, she had picked up a canister of Cafix, a barley/chicory drink which seemed very similar to Teeccino, except that it was labeled 'instant' (no brewing required!). The Cafix can said to mix with "very hot water", but Hedgie told April to go ahead and try making a small cup with cold. You know; for science.



April went with a 1/1/3/3 ratio - 1 spoon of Cafix, 1 spoon of cocoa powder, 3 spoons of coconut sugar, and 3 spoons of soy milk powder. She then added cold water and stirred well. It didn't all mix up immediately, but it did mix fairly well within 30-45 seconds. The hedgehogs tossed in a few ice cubes. It was good! April tripled the amounts for her giant wooden faire mug, and put the resulting mix in a small container to take with her to faire.

More faux-mocha info - this mixture tastes good hot, too! Also, the Better Than Milk company makes a rice milk powder, but don't use that for a cold faux-mocha; the rice milk powder doesn't blend well in cold water at all (though it's ok in hot, and mixes beautifully in a blender.)

TV Tuesday / Dinner & a Movie - Spies & Pies (The Man With One Red Shoe & Waitress)

So, according to the official Vegan MoFo blogging prompts, Tuesdays are "TV Tuesday – Eat and Watch, cook a meal featured in your favourite movie or TV show." April had been doing "Dinner & a Movie" posts on Fridays last year for Vegan MoFo, but the hedgehogs said that she dropped the ball and will now be doing it on Tuesdays.



April and her fiance, Tim, have movie nights at their house every other week. They generally make simple food for general consumption, like spaghetti squash with marinara sauce or pan-fried polenta with pasta sauce (are you sensing a theme?), or perhaps something a bit more exciting, like Mexican Street Corn (which was absolutely delicious!). For the last movie night before April left for Kansas, everyone decided that they wanted to watch "The Man With One Red Shoe" and "Waitress".



The theme was Spies & Pies, and April spent the entire day making various pies for everyone. For dinner, she made the Veggie & Seitan Pot Pie from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. This was some seriously tasty pot pie, and (as always), it was fun making seitan by hand. (Hedgie thinks it looks like a giant brain after it has cooked!) Even the omnivores at movie night loved the taste and texture of the seitan.





For dessert, April made a Vegan Apple Pear Pie by replacing half of the apples with pears in the Cosmos Apple Pie recipe from Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers, and More. The Olive Oil Crust (made with coconut oil instead of olive) is April's very favorite go-to pie crust - it behaves perfectly!




Topped with coconut whipped cream!

Since April's friend Alloni is a huge red bean paste fan, April also made a Sweet Red Bean Paste Personal Pie by using the Olive (Coconut) Oil Pie Crust filled with sweet red bean paste from her local Asian grocery.







Since there was pie crust dough left over, and since April had a dumpling press that she'd never used, Sweet Red Bean Paste Mini Hand Pies seemed like a good idea. Apparently, she needs some work using the dumpling press - the dough tended to get stuck in the hinge edge, and made a bit of a mess. Hedgie seemed to think he could do much better, but when April told him to prove it, he mumbled something about needing to check on his stocks and wandered off.



Even though they weren't the prettiest things in the world, they certainly were delicious!