Vegan MoFo! (VEGAN MONTH OF FOOD)

Two blog posts in ONE day! What what!

Okay, so here's the deal... It's Vegan MoFo, and although this isn't a vegan food blog, I did promise to write about being a vegan in Colombia a long time ago, and I think that as it is Vegan MoFo, and my last month in Colombia, it's probably time for me to keep my promise. So, without further ado, I bring you Melody's Vegan Mo-Fo from Colombia. First topic: vegan birthday desserts, using what's available in Colombia.

I'm a decent baker, and so this past year I've done my fair share of baking. I've even baked non-vegan birthday cakes for some close friends. At home, I would never dream of baking something I can't eat, but it's difficult to find all the stuff I need to make a really good vegan cake here, like vegan shortening or vegan cream cheese or vegan butter. This week I'll post some cake recipes for sure, but first I want to post this fab apple pie recipe.



Ingredients:
At least 8 Granny Smith Apples
2 3/4 cups flour (Harina de trigo)
1/2 cup canola oil (aciete de canola)
1/2 cup soy milk (Exito has Silk Unsweetened!)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt (sal)
4-6 tablespoons brown cane sugar (azucar moreno)
1 teaspoon flour or cornstarch (Maizena) (optional)
juice of 2 lemons (I found actual lemons at La 14 the other day!! If you can't find lemons, use 1 orange, not limes.)
2 teaspoons Cinnamon (canela)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (nuez moscada)
1/2 teaspoon cloves (clavo)
1 tablespoon maple syrup (I can only find the fake kind here, but the flavor helps) (miel de maple)
1 teaspoon vanilla (vainilla)

Directions: Peel and core apples. Slice them into small pieces. Pour lemon juice over them, stir. Add sugar and maple syrup. Stir. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla (if using). Stir very well. Add flour/cornstarch if using (it just thickens the juices a bit, not at all necessary). Stir very, very well. Let sit in the refrigerator, stir occasionally, for about 20 minutes while you make the crust.

To make the crust, follow this recipe, but substitute soy milk for regular milk. You might need to double the recipe if you want to make a top crust.I didn't need to chill it, but I did add a bit of extra flour. To roll it out, I put the dough on a floured cutting board and put a floured plastic place-mat on top. I then used a can of chickpeas to roll it as thinly as possible. Put it in the bottom of your pie plate (I bought mine at Home Center), and if needed, push it around the edges. Try to keep the crust no more than 1/8 inch thick. Make sure you have crust that goes all the way up the edge. If you want a lattice crust, simply take leftover dough or make more, roll it out, and use a pizza cutter to make nice strips of dough.

Assemble: After you have your un-cooked crust in the bottom of the pie, stir your apple mixture and then dump them in. Spread them evenly in the crust. It's okay if they are piled up very high--they'll cook down. Put your top crust on the pie, making sure it is sealed to the bottom crust. Wrap the outside edges in foil. Bake at 375 degrees. The time will vary--the top crust should brown and the juices should be bubbling. Also, if you made a lattice crust or no top crust, you can just stick a fork into the apples to see if they are soft. It's probably about 45 minutes to an hour, but it will definitely depend on the oven. Take the foil off the outside of the pie about 20 minutes after it has been in the oven.

Let it cool, and then eat! YUM! We both thought the pie tasted better the second day. No idea why... I guess the flavors just absorbed into the apples better.