The Mediterranean Vegan

This cake can be found throughout the Mediterranean. In Greece and Turkey it is called revani. Another common Arabic name for it is basbousa. The base of this cake is semolina flour; and its variants include adding coconut, walnut, almonds, or pistachios. It is soaked in a sugar syrup and often served with tea. Serves 4-6 What you need: 2 cups semolina flour 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup margarine 3/4 cup soy milk 1 tsp baking soda almonds, walnuts, or pistachios 2 cups sugar 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 cup water 1/3 cup coconut flakes or chopped nuts Preheat the oven to 200 C (400 F). Lightly grease a small cake pan. Make the sauce first so that it is cool and ready to drizzle onto the cake. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, lemon juice and water and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the sugar sauce has thickened. In a mixing bowl, mix the semolina, sugar, and margarine until well incorporated. You may need to use your hands for this. Add the baking so...

I was inspired to make this after trying a very terrible version at a local vegan restaurant with my friend Ines. Unfortunately it was my first time trying this delicacy, so I didn't have much to compare it to. After making this recipe, I now know what real arroz con leche should taste like...and its amazing! Serves 4 What you need: 1/2 cup white rice 4 cups soy milk 1 tsp cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick 2 slices orange peel 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract In a small pot, add the soy milk, rice, cinnamon, and orange peel and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, reduce to low-heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for around 45 minutes. Add the sugar and vanilla and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Top with more cinnamon and serve hot!

This bread is eaten in Slovenia and is served primarily during holiday festivities and celebrations. My friend Rok passed the idea of making this along to me, and it turned out great! I decided to make it here in the States while visiting because the walnuts are cheaper. ;) Serves 6 slices What you need: 2 tbsp yeast (or two 1/4 oz packages) 1.5 cups soy milk (at room temperature) egg replacer equal to 4 eggs (I used ener-g) 3.5 cups flour 7 tbsp margarine 5 tbsp soy cream cheese 1.5 cups sugar 2.5 cups ground walnuts Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). In a large bowl, mix together the yeast and the soy milk and let sit for 5 minutes. Mix in the egg replacer and the flour and knead with your hands for a few minutes. Form the dough into a ball and let sit for 30 minutes until it doubles in size. Meanwhile, make the filling for the bread. Cream together the margarine, cream cheese, and sugar. Add the ground walnuts and mix well. When the bread has risen, flour a surface and roll out the ...

Ensaimada is native to the island of Mallorca, Spain. It comes from the Arabic word saim which means pork lard, a main ingredient in the pastry. The sweet bread can be filled with caramelized pumpkin hair, chocolate, or topped with apricots. This is the most traditional version, plain with powdered sugar. Serves 2 medium ensaimadas What you need: 2 cups flour 9 grams yeast 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 egg replacer 1/4 cup margarine Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). In a medium-size bowl, mix the water, yeast, sugar, salt, vegetable oil, and egg replacer (I used Ener-g). In a separate bowl, mix the flour and the margarine until fluffy. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing well. When a dough forms, make into a ball with your hands and let sit (covered) for two hours. The dough should double in size. After two hours, flour a surface, separate the dough into two balls and begin forming the balls into long snake-shaped rolls. The length should be a ...

Panellets are a Catalan sweet meaning "little bread." They start popping up in bakeries for All Saint's Day and continue to be eaten throughout the winter in Catalonia. Here is a vegan version for those of us who are tired of looking at them through the bakery window. Makes 15 panellets What you need: 1 sweet potato 1 cup sugar 1 cup ground almonds 1/2 lemon zest variations: candied (glacé) cherries espresso powder pine nuts coconut flakes Boil the sweet potato until very soft and drain in a colander. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potato until a creamy paste forms. Mix in the crushed almonds, sugar, and lemon zest until well incorporated. This is your base dough for the different variations of panellets. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees celsius (500 fahrenheit) and roll out foil onto a cookie sheet (or coat lightly with oil). For the cherry version: Roll dough into small balls and press onto cookie sheet. Press the middle of the balls lightly with your thumb to create sp...

This typical Catalan cookie was invented by an Italian pastry chef in Barcelona who gave it the name "petto di monca" (nun's breasts) , in reference to the cookie's shape. The name has since changed to pets de monja, in Catalan meaning nun's farts. Despite its name, these nut cookies are a common snack enjoyed throughout Catalonia. Makes 8-10 small cookies What you need: 1/2 cup margarine 3 tbsp sugar 1 cup flour 1/2 cup finely ground nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds) Preheat your oven to 175 ° C (350 ° F) In a bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup margarine and 3 tbsp sugar until creamy. Slowly add the flour and nut mixture until a dough forms. Form the dough into small balls with a point at the top (your choice, the tradition is in it's shape) and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle powdered sugar after baking for extra sweetness.