First attempt at dabbling in Vegan-ism..

     Alright... so are we becoming Vegans? No.. Borders is going out of business so I went down there a few weeks ago and found these REALLY great cook books! One of them is a 30 Minute Vegan Recipe book and the other one is a Vegetarian cook book. Tim and I already don't eat meat.. well I do sometimes but I have decided not to eat it any more. Dietary reasons mostly. When I eat meat I am let down.. the flavors I have been finding in Vegetarian meals have been absolutely delicious! :) Since I married Tim I have found out about lots of sauces, seasonings and oils that I would have never known about if we weren't "pescatarians" (yes we eat fish). I LOVE cooking so these "interesting" ingredients I have been finding has been soo much fun! :)

   In my Yoga training last week we did learn more about Vegan-ism and I even tried Vegan donuts! Yes, they were WAY better than regular donuts. I already do not like eggs or milk so it's hard finding a good oven-bake recipes without those ingredients.. this is where my interest in the Vegan cook book came into play! I knew those ingredients would not exist. Sooo.. long story short, Tim and I are going to try to eat as much as a Vegan at home as we can. I'm not ready to become a REAL Vegan because I cannot fathom going without my cheeses and fish when ordering at a restaurant. And I don't even think I like Tofu! I am determined to make myself like these things.. (I'm making it tonight for the first time!) I thought I would blog my Dabbling into Vegan-ism Adventure with you all!

   This morning I made live cinnamon rolls. "Live" means raw so these were made with all raw ingredients. They turned out really well! They surprisingly had a lot of flavor and the icing was the best part. It reminded me of an orange julius drink. Bringing back my childhood memories of going to the mall.. lol :) When making these live cinnamon rolls I caught myself laughing a few times. I kept on hearing my future child talking to their friends.. "My mommy doesn't put our cinnamon rolls in the oven... she makes ALIVE cinnamon rolls" (Imagine big eyes on the ALIVE part) Oh gosh, kids are too funny!

    I'm not a photographer like most people out there but I am determined to learn how to use my nice camera. I took some pictures of the cinnamon rolls and the recipe is below for those of you interested. :) P.S. I had so much fun shopping for the ingredients because I had to go to a special natural food store to buy them.. they ingredients were not expensive. But for those of you who live near a Whole Foods.. you will have no problem finding these ingredients. Lucky You! :) Oh and the buckwheat groats are fruit SEEDS not grains for those of you on a grain free diet! :)

Live Cinnamon Rolls
(makes 12 rolls)                                                              

2 cups raw buckwheat groats (not kasha)                        
2 cups + 1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates, packed                
1/4 cup water                                                                    
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon                                        
Pinch of sea salt                                                                  
1/4 cup raisons
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

 Icing (optional) - RECOMMENDED :)
1/2 cup coconut butter (not oil)
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1. Process the buckwheat groats for 60 seconds in a food processor, or until they are finely ground. There will still be some whole kernals. Add 2 cups of the dates and continue to process for about 40 seconds. Add 1 teaspoon of the agave nectar and process for 30 seconds more, or until a sticky "dough" forms. If a piece of dough can be formed into a tight ball, it is ready, otherwise add 1 teaspoon at a time of agave nectar until this desire stickiness is reached.

2. Transfer the dough to a flat work surface covered with a Silpat, a Teflex sheet or parchment paper. Using your hands, press the dough into a rectangle that is roughly 9x11 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Keep some water nearby to dip your fingers into, to prevent the dough from sticking to them. Position the dough so that the long side is parallel with the counter's edge.

3. Process the remaining 1/2 cup of dates, 2 tablespoons of agave nectar , water, cinnamon, and salt in the food processor until as smooth as possible. There will possibly be chunks because the quantity of the mixture may be too small to process throughly. Remove the processor blade and stir in the raisins and walnuts. Spread the mixture over all the dough except for about 1 inch along the far long edge.

4. Roll up the dough by making a small fold along the near long edge, pressing it down, peeling back the Silpat (or parchment paper), and continuing to roll in the same way, making sure to press the whole thing together as you go so that you have a tight roll. Refrigerate while you make the icing and then cut the log into twelve even slices.

5. Blend all the icing ingredients until smooth. Either drizzle it over the whole log or over individual slices. There should be  more than enough icing.