Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 17: Unicorn Drink

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Drinks, Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi! Welcome to day 17 of Vegan MoFo. Today’s ingredient challenge is “Let’s Get Boozy,” but Unicorns want nothing to do with alcohol. It makes their tummies hurt and they do funny stuff (not good funny) when they consume it. So today, we’re sharing the official drink of unicorns.

It’s called Unicorn Milky Drink. The way it’s made is kinda cool. First, you make a drink mix, then you add 2 tablespoons of the mix into your favorite nondairy milk after it’s been heated up on the stove or in the microwave. It becomes a grayish purple (the color of most unicorns), sweet drink. We topped it with freeze-dried rainbow colored Sweet and Sara marshmallows and put it inside this awesome unicorn mug with a stirrer.

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Unicorn Milky Drink Mix

Makes one jar of a flavored hot milk mix, to give as a gift with instructions or use yourself.

You can mix it with vegan milk anytime you want a hot caffeine free drink

Ingredients:

½ cup vegan organic sugar

¾ cup vegan coconut milk powder (be sure there are no dairy ingredients in the brand you buy)

1 tbsp acai powder (for a unicorn worthy purple) or dried raspberry powder (for a unicorn worthy pink)

1 tablespoon vegan non-pareil sprinkles

A Mason Jar for storage

8 oz non-dairy milk, heated until hot mixed with two tablespoons of the mixture, topped with mini vegan marshmallows

Directions:

Stir or place the sugar and coconut milk powder in a food processor and pulse until the two ingredients become one. Add in the acai powder and watch the mix become purple, as if by magic! For a final dose of color, stir in the non-pareil sprinkles. Transfer to a glass mason jar. This makes a great gift for unicorn lovers all over the world. You can also keep it for yourself, which is what I would do. You turn it into a hot drink by heating 8oz of nondairy milk and then adding two tablespoons of the mixture and stirring well. If you can, I recommend adding some mini vegan marshmallows as a topping. Savor each velvety sip. I enjoy this before I go off into a field and slumber, dreaming of shooting stars in the milky way.

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Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 16: Zombie Apocalypse

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , ,

Fluffy the Vegan Unicorn here!

We are on week three, which get into ingredient challenges. Today the theme is “what can you make from just canned or foraged food?”

I’m really in trouble if a zombie apocalypse ever comes! All I stockpile for food is cake, frosting, sprinkles, sugar, ice cream, and candy. Unicorn pantry staples. If the electric power goes out during the said zombie apocalypse, which it probably will, it will not be pretty for me. I kinda need the magic of refrigeration! Although, I suppose I could summon my friend, the yeti, to help me out, so don’t feel bad for me!

So today, we’re not really looking at canned food because as far as I know there’s no such thing as cake in a can.

But, to keep with the theme, Laura and I made something delicious without going out of the house, using only what was available. Luckily, we still had cake leftover from last week’s behind the scenes week. If you ask, me Laura’s still a little tired out from all this posting, so she got a little lazy today. She did eat half of her creation, which is all you can ask of her because it was a huge dish full of cake, key lime coconut yogurt, frozen fruit, and sprinkles.

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I guess we’ve learned a lesson today: unicorns would not survive a zombie apocalypse. Sadly. Although we will always survive in your hearts and minds! Wait, is the zombie apocalypse what took us out in the first place?

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 15: Behind the Scenes: Rainbow frosting tips

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Baked Goods, Cupcakes, Rainbow food, Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

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This is the final day of the second week of Vegan MoFo, where the theme is “behind the scenes.” So far this week, we’ve talked about picking the best unicorn cookie cutters, vegan sprinkles, given you a behind the scenes aquafaba video on Instagram, shared a pitch for the cookbook I am writing, and a look at a rainbow layered unicorn cake.

Today is all about frosting, unicorns practically subsist on the stuff!

Our favorite frostings tend to be like buttercream but veganized to exclude real butter or even palm-laden margarine and vegetable shortening by using solid coconut oil instead. I’ve sort of perfected the recipe, but want to wait a bit to share it.

Today I’ll talk about how to get a real rainbowy look out of whatever vegan frosting you most prefer.

You can use any type of colorant you want, but I’m partial to beet powder for red (or using a fruity powder too, such as freeze-dried strawberry or raspberry powder), turmeric for yellow, matcha for green (tastes way better than spirulina in a frosting, trust me!), butterfly pea tea powder for blue, and either acai or a mix of a red and blue powder for purple.

I have found it easiest to get results like what was pictured above with only 3 colors of the rainbow rather than them all. The reason for this is actually, that if you mix all of the colors of the rainbow together, you get a muddy, ugly, poopy brown. And not the beautiful colored poop of a unicorn, either.

The easiest way to swirl the three colors together is to use a pastry bag with a frosting tip attached (these things always confuse me, so read the directions if you don’t know how to properly set this up). Mix in the colors into frosting placed in three separate bowls or however you want to do it, just keep it separated somehow. Then take a rubber spatula, and spread a big glob of frosting down one side of the bag. Then take the other color, and place a globby stripe of frosting down the next side. Repeat until the bag is filled up with all the colors. They should touch each other and extend down towards the frosting tip.

Then, squeeze out the frosting to the desired amount you like on your cupcakes, using the picture I posted as a guide, or not. They may not all look the same depending on how you layered the frosting colors in the bag. I think it’s more magical when each one looks unique.

They also sell a kit at craft stores from Wilton which is designed to help you make rainbow-swirled frosting more “easily” but I found it more of a pain to use than this option.

Enjoy and have fun!

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 14: Behind the Scenes: Cake Test

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Baked Goods, Birthday, Desserts, Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Fluffy here-

For this week, the theme is behind the scenes. Today, we give you a behind the scenes look at Laura’s test run of her birthday cake, as she has a birthday coming up at the end of October. However, since we’re now starting to get overwhelmed by so much cake and desserts we’ve been prepping in advance for MoFo, I think Laura has sadly decided to not make her own birthday cake on her actual birthday. She also felt a little disappointed in the way the outside of cake looked, and I’m trying to work my magic to help her feel better.

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Cake decorating is not, as the saying goes “a piece of cake.” It’s actually pretty challenging! Laura’s goal was to make a cake that could show it’s easier than it looks, but now she’s not so sure since she struggled so much with it. These are important lessons for her to go through though, as it makes her stronger and helps her solve problems.

She had a great idea to make the unicorn’s hair out of cotton candy. The cotton candy is moldable and an edible version of fuzzy, fluffy hair!

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She did use something that made making the five rainbow layers much easier. You can find them being sold lots of places now. They come as a set of 5 smaller cake pans for layer cakes. You only need one batch of cake (or a cake mix) to fill them all up.

She also made the decision to make an exception for using unnatural food colors this time. We wish natural colors were as vibrant and easy as these ones were. Sometimes you may want to give in and take the easier route,  and as long as it’s still vegan, you’ll be okay.

unicorn cake 3 of 5The inside of the cake sure is a beauty! Tommorrow we’ll be sharing some of our best tips for making rainbow frosting effects.

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 13: Sell Yourself (your book)

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Desserts, Unicorn, Vegan cookbooks, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hi, it’s Laura.

I did not post here yesterday, as I posted a video on my Instagram account instead. If you missed it, check me out there at @bananacurlvegangirl

Today I’m sticking with the daily prompt. Sell yourself. And since everything I’ve done so far is about the book I’m writing featuring Fluffy the Vegan Unicorn for my thesis project for my master’s degree in Humane Education, I figured I’d write a bit of a pitch of the idea and where I hope to go with it beyond publishing it in my school’s thesis database or whatever.

I am actually planning on sending it to vegan-friendly publishing companies after I have a manuscript so that everyone can access it. I have no idea how that would go, but if I am rejected by everyone, then I may look into self-publishing, although that seems really hard and expensive for me right now. I’d rather turn it into a zine if formal publishing does not work out. Please send positive vibes for me that someone will want to take it on to publish!

This book is designed to bring humane education to the masses in a wholly positive, compassionate, and loving way. It will make learning about hidden cruelties that affect humans, animals, and the earth in food and craft supplies less overwhelming because alternatives and resourced to avoid products free of the suffering will be recommended at every point and Fluffy’s voice will be comforting and pleasant. Fluffy also brings their sense of pizzaz and humor to each recipe, so that it makes reading them a bit more magical.

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It is designed to appeal “grownups and not-so-grownups who never stopped believing in magic.” Really, it’s for everyone, with special attention to kids and their parents. The cookbook portion will go beyond recipes for rainbow tinted cakes and desserts. There will be savory dishes, unicorn-inspired lunch box bento ideas, and more! However, the concept of the book is more than just cooking fun food once in awhile. There is an emphasis on planning a party. So, there is also a chapter on craft projects that are fun to make for presents, decorations, party activities, goodie bags, and beyond. Then everything is tied together to culminate in the epic unicorn party! There are suggestions on unicorn themed books, movies, products, etc. too that I love as well.

While I am trying to maintain a good balance between secrecy and sharing so I don’t spoil all the surprises awaiting you in the book, I do want to share a few of the recipes I’ve created so far that I am most proud of:

An amazing white cake that can be colored any color of the rainbow

All natural food coloring dye

Unicorn Poop Sugar Cookies

Rainbow Cloud Cupcakes

Energy Bars

Dessert pizza

Parfaits

& more (plus others in progress)

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a behind the scenes look at the test run of my birthday cake (for the end of October).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 11: Talkin’ ’bout sprinkles!

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Did you know unicorns get clean by bathing in bathtubs full of vegan sprinkles? Must be nice, huh?

Sprinkles are an important element in making unicorn-worthy desserts. They make everything so pretty, crunchy, and colorful. What makes most sprinkles not vegan? Confectioner’s glaze, which is made of insects. Usually, if you’re looking for non-specified vegan sprinkles (as in their not labeled as such),

What makes most sprinkles not vegan? Confectioner’s glaze, which is made of insects. Usually, if you’re looking for non-specified vegan sprinkles (as in they’re not labeled as such), you will find carnauba wax instead.

However, those mindful of environmental, health, and animal testing issues should note that most vegan sprinkles are still problematic in different ways. For example, carnauba wax is made of palm and artificial colors are tested on animals and harmful to our health (especially for children). If you want to fully avoid these concerns (I tend to lapse my ethics when it comes to sprinkles because they’re usually used in small amounts and I don’t have kids which I’d be more concerned if they were eating them too). However, I plan to try to look for more vegan sprinkles once I use up my current stash that uses natural coloring instead.

For example, Let’s Do…Organic makes non-pareil “sprinkelz” but their color retention is really poor. A promising company that makes vegan dye-free sprinkles is the seller NakedSprinkles on Etsy. I have yet to try them, but I am going to try them very soon.

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So, now that I’ve shared the dye free sprinkle options, here are some options if you aren’t as concerned about that. As I said earlier in the post, you can read the ingredients in any sprinkle bottle you may encounter out in the world, and if it’s free of confectioner’s glaze or other non-vegan ingredients, they’re vegan! I’ve had good luck at places like Home Goods, Marshall’s, and TJ Maxx finding vegan colored sugars and such.

My favorite source for awesome vegan sprinkles, however, is Sweetapolita. They make regular and vegan kinds of sprinkles, so make sure to verify before you put them in your cart that they really are the vegan kind. They sell a pretty sweet vegan sampler which is a variety of their most popular vegan sprinkles.

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Here is most of my collection of Sweetapolita sprinkles. My favorites are the ones with the stars.

Now I can take a bath in my sprinkles while you sprinkle them over all your baked goods! ❤

Remember to follow us on Instagram @bananacurlvegangirl and @unicornseatvegan.

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 10: Cookie Cutters

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Tools, Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Cookie cutters are an important tool for making food worthy of unicorns.

Today I will share three cookie cutters I have collected so far and the pros and cons of each.

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This one is my favorite unicorn cookie cutter because it is the most user-friendly unicorn cookie cutter I have found.  The unicorn’s horn isn’t too thin and/or long so that it will be difficult to keep intact when making cookies and the like, and it has a cute cartoony style. I bought this on Etsy, but I have seen it being sold on other sites, like Sweetapolita.com.

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This one is nice because it looks a little more detailed. However, it has thinner limbs and horn, which may make it more difficult to use when making cookies. I love the purple color. I bought this one at Michael’s craft store.

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This one is my least favorite for several reasons. One, it is plastic which I try to avoid whenever possible. However, I impulsively bought it because it also came with a rainbow cloud cookie cutter, and I liked that it was a profile of a unicorn’s head rather than the whole body. I wish though that the horn was a little more pronounced from the ears. I’ve used it and the horn isn’t prominent enough for it to be clear that it’s a unicorn and not a horse with three ears or something.

Remember my critiques of these cookie cutters when searching for your own cookie cutters. Some of the principles, such as not having super thin limbs or appendages on the design of the cutter apply to all cookie cutters of any shape or character. Also, I have found that with other types of cookie cutters, you want to make sure there are not too many pieces being cut out or leaving thin areas around the cut-out, as this often compromises the integrity of cookies. For example, I once was working with a bicycle cookie cutter that had handlebars with tiny little spaces to be cut out near the wheels. It was so frustrating to use. Maybe some objects and designs just don’t lend themselves that well to make cookies out of, but really I would hope you could make a cookie version of anything your heart desires if only you can find the right cookie cutter! ❤

Vegan MoFo 2017 Week 2, Day 9: Behind the Scenes: Unicorn Must-Haves

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hello, Fluffy the Vegan Unicorn is here!

This week’s MoFo theme is “Behind the Scenes.” This means you’ll be getting tips, tricks, tools, and must-haves, as well as some sneak peeks at the idea for the book Laura is writing with me.

Today we are looking at some of the must-haves for a magical unicorn-inspired kitchen. Some of these things we will be going into more detail later in the week. Those items will be starred.

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Here’s a photo of my “unicorn poop” sugar cookies…

Natural vegan food coloring. Whether it is the from the powders and recipes I talk about here, or storebought colors such as India Tree, Color Kitchen, or TruColor.

Cocoa Butter. This is used to make various vegan white chocolate recipes, some of which will be shared at a later date through this MoFo. I will only buy cocoa butter by brands recommended by Food Empowerment Project, or are fair trade and sourced outside Africa, since F.E.P. seems to be more about ready-to-eat chocolate rather than raw ingredients like Cocoa Butter. I do need to research this topic a bit more to be more clear on the matter.

Marshmallows. Let’s all take a moment of silence for Sweet and Sara Vegan Marshmallows getting ready to close…………..Okay. So, unfortunately, we won’t have dried rainbow-colored cereal marshmallows for much longer 😦 but we will have Dandies and Trader Joe’s vegan marshmallows. Dandies make special edition flavors sometimes which are really good and has good mini marshmallows that you can use for lots of Unicorn-friendly recipes. If you can only find the large pillowy vegan mallows near you, you can always cut them smaller for certain recipes that need mini mallows.

Vegan Sprinkles.* More on this in its own post, due Wednesday, October 11. All different kinds. And colored sanding sugar.

Unicorn shaped cookie cutters.* How else will you make unicorn shapes? More on these tomorrow.

Lots of sugar. This is self-explanatory. Make sure it’s always organic/vegan.

There’s probably a lot more I should mention, but this is a good start of the basics for now.

 

 

 

 

 

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 8: Salad!

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Salad of the Week, Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hey, Fluffy here.

Though I am all for eating desserts myself, today I’m sharing a Fluffy approved salad. Actually, any salad can be Fluffy approved, with a bit of creativity.

Today Laura took a unicorn cookie cutter, two pieces of Follow Your Heart vegan cheese (the smoked Gouda is our fave), placed them side by side, and made a unicorn silhouette out of cheese!

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The salad is pretty simple. It contains all my favorite vegetables (lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions). For the final touches, we put some leftover crispy chickpeas and Gardein chickun tenders, topped with the unicorn shaped cheese!

The dressing (not pictured) was a sweet maple mustard made with maple syrup, Just Mayo, and yellow mustard. Laura has always believed in the magic of a creamy sweet mustardy dressing.

Whew, I’m glad this week is over. All this writing has gotten me tired and a bit overwhelmed. I’m sure Laura will still be stressed with all the cooking and baking she’s about to do for the coming weeks, but hopefully, her belly will be happy with it. I know mine will be!

Stay tuned for next week’s theme, behind the scenes! We will be sharing some hot unicorn tips, must-haves, tricks, tools, kitchen magic, etc.

Vegan MoFo 2017 Day 7: Dessert!

Posted by Banana Curl Vegan Girl in Unicorn, Vegan MoFo 2017 and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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As the first week begins to come to a close, I, Fluffy the Vegan Unicorn want to remind you that there’s no need to shame yourself or others for indulging in vegan desserts.

In fact, I had Laura whip up this drawing so you could see a sampling of my favorite desserts and my favorite types of vegan sugar you can use in them.

And here are some more of my favorite desserts not listed on the pyramid:

Marshmallows

Chocolate

Marzipan

Cotton candy

Bubblegum

Gelatin-free gummy candy

Fudge

Frosting

Macarons

Pie

Pastry

Aquafaba meringues

Tell me, what is your favorite vegan, unicorn worthy dessert?