If berry-picking were an Olympic sport, I’m almost certain that my dad and I would at least take a place on the podium. We’ve certainly been training enough; heading out into the “wilderness” after we both get home from work, hunting for that handful of perfect, jewel-like clusters for hours at a time. Truth be told, my dad’s definitely the one who would take gold in this sport, not me. He’s the one who isn’t afraid to push deep into the piles of thorns, entering unknown and possibly hostile territory, filling up buckets of the most ripe, plump berries that no one else can reach. If it weren’t for his enthusiasm, our bounty of raspberries would be rather pathetic indeed. Although his efforts may manifest as long, cat-like scratches tracing up the lengths of his arms, they also resulted in the biggest berry haul we’ve ever had.

There were fresh berries, of course, but even I couldn’t consume the surplus of raspberries quickly enough, so I took many approaches to preserving out delicious haul. Before long, we had frozen berries, dried and dehydrated berries, pureed berries, and of course, baked berries. These local gems are actually far more tart than the standard commercial variety, so they seemed destined to be included in some baked goods, balancing out the sugar perfectly and creating a harmonious combination of sweet and tart.

How serendipitous was it then, that Meeta announced the theme of this monthly mingle would be summer fruits and chocolate! A match made in heaven, chocolate and raspberries were simply meant to be together, and I knew exactly how to use a handful of those hand-picked treasures. Opting to use up some of the lovely red currants waiting in the fridge as well, I ended up with a simply constructed but complex-tasting chocolate muffin.

Although they may be a bit too sweet for breakfast, I find that these can be a wonderful snack, or a slightly healthier choice over a full-fledged, frosted cupcake. Whenever you decide to eat one though, you’ll be glad that you did!

Berry Chocolate Muffins

1 Cup Orange Juice
1/2 Cup Oil
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, Packed
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Cups Light Spelt Flour (or Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon (Optional)
1/2 Cup Fresh Red Currants
1/2 Cup Raspberries
1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks or Chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

To assemble these muffins, start by combining the orange juice, oil, brown sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir to combine, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the spelt flour, baking powder and soda, oats, cocoa, and cinnamon. Throw all of your berries and chocolate chunks into the dry mixture, and toss gently to coat. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry, and stir carefully so as not to break up the berries. Once just combined, spoon the batter into your prepared muffin cups, filling them up about 3/4 of the way to the top. It might seem like a lot of batter, but trust me, it will all fit into those 12 cups!

Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let rest in the pans for 10 minutes before turning the muffins out and cooling them completely on a wire rack.

Recipe by Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan.  Originally posted to her personal blog, Bittersweet.

What: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, and enjoy a dessert sampling
When: Saturday, September 6 at 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: Barnes & Noble Bookstore (Park Slope), 267 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215

See the Barnes & Noble Event Page for the store location and details

What: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan, and enjoy a dessert sampling
When: Saturday, July 26th at 1:00pm
Where: Borders Bookstore, 470 Lewis Ave., Meriden, CT 06451

I’m coming to Portland! The so-called “vegan mecca” of the US, there are so many reasons to be excited about busting out of my little east coast home for a week to see another corner of the country. And, if anyone in the area is so inclined, you can see me! This weekend, Sunday the 29th at noon, I’ll be at Herbivore signing books, chatting it up, and most importantly, handing out free samples of some goodies from the book!

As if that isn’t enough exciting news, you might notice a new column in the July/August issue of VegNews just hitting shelves, by yours truly. Not only was I honored by being named one of the top 21 vegan blogs of the year (although I still have trouble believing it), but I also had the incredible opportunity to see my words in print for this wonderful magazine. Did you like it? Enjoy the recipes? Have suggestions for the next one?

Since my photos didn’t make it to print for some reason, here are my pictures of what the FroYo really looks like, in all of its meltingly delicious glory:

The vanilla base, straight out of the machine.

After being frozen a bit more solid and scooped.

The chocolate variation!

So, with all of that craziness said, I hope to either see you soon, or hear about your thoughts on the article (or both)!

Comment on this post at Hannah’s Blog, Bittersweet.

A sea of cupcakes, that is.

Ever wonder what 12 dozen mini cupcakes would look like all together?

…Something like that. Plus, there’s a double batch of crumb-topped brownies to go with all of this, not pictured. Oh, the things I’ll do for love.

Speaking of which, if you come out to the Farmington, CT Borders today at 2:00 and show me some love, I’ll give you one of these little gems. See you there!

What: Book Signing and Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, author of My Sweet Vegan
When: Saturday, June 21, 2008 from 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Where: Borders Bookstore, 1600 South East Road, Farmington, CT 06032

Root Beer Float Cupcakes
From My Sweet Vegan

Batter:
1 Cup Root Beer Soda
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
¾ Cup Granulated Sugar
⅓ Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Teaspoons Root Beer Extract
1⅓ Cups All-Purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¾ Teaspoon Baking Soda
Pinch of Salt

Chocolate Ganache:
5 Ounces Dark Chocolate, Chopped
¼ Cup Plain Soymilk
1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

Vanilla Frosting:
1 Cup Vegetable Shortening
3 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar
2 Tablespoons Plain Soymilk
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a dozen muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, combine the soda and vinegar and let stand for a few minutes. Add in the sugar and oil, whisking vigorously until slightly frothy. Integrate your extracts. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently introduce this dry mixture into your large bowl, being careful not to over mix. Distribute the batter evenly between the prepared tins, filling the cupcake liners approximately ¾ of the way to the top. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until evenly browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. After letting the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, remove them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before preparing the ganache. When the cupcakes are ready, combine all of the ingredients for the ganache in a microwave-safe container and microwave for about 60 seconds. Stir thoroughly to help incorporate the melting chocolate. If the chocolate is not yet entirely smooth, return the sauce to the microwave for 15 to 30 second intervals, stirring between each heating and watching carefully to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Drizzle the ganache in squiggles over the tops of the cupcakes. You will probably have plenty of leftover ganache, but I don’t see that as a particularly bad thing. Allow the ganache squiggles to fully cool and dry before preparing the frosting.

With your stand mixer, beat the shortening thoroughly, until creamed. Add in the confectioner’s sugar, and beat on a low speed, so as not to spray powder everywhere. Incorporate the soymilk and vanilla, and combine thoroughly, until the frosting is thick and creamy. Apply to your cupcakes and enjoy.

Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Not one for cliffhangers or drawn out suspense, I wouldn’t want to leave you guys wondering about what happened after my first unsuccessful experiment with sourdough. Well, as much as I’d like to say that it just took a bit of patience and prodding before that wild yeast sprung back to life… Days passed, feedings went by, and still it sat like a lump on my counter, inanimate as ever. There was no denying it; My sourdough was dead. The story could have easily ended there, but thankfully, Bazu was so kind as to send a replacement starter! Carefully handling the small parcel and feeding it precisely as instructed, only time would tell if I would ever have my own sourdough to enjoy.

36 hours later, I peeked in the jar to see how things were going, and was nearly knocked off my feet by how actively this once dormant ball of dough was bubbling! It was truly an incredible sight, something I never thought would really happen with my luck. Excited by the frothing mass, I quickly set to work looking for a first recipe to test it on, and prepped the dough for an overnight rest.

The very next morning, there were two wonderful things for me to be happy about: The starter was most definitely still alive, and I had a stack of delicious sourdough waffles to dig into!

Adapted and veganized from a recipe by King Arthur Flour, these waffles were nicely crisp on the outside while the interior remained soft and tender. Drowned in maple syrup as is mandatory in this house, it’s admittedly difficult to detect any “sour” notes, but I’m not complaining here. They’re a delight to wake up to, and an excelling starting point for those who are sourdough-shy.

Sourdough Waffles

1/2 Cup (4 Ounces) Unfed Sourdough Starter
1 Cup Soymilk
1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Flax Seed
2 Tablespoons Water
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

The night before you’re planning on making your waffles, take your sourdough starter out of the fridge and measure out 1/2 cup into a large bowl. It might be easier to measure by weight in this case, so if you have a food scale, now is the time to break it out. Combine the soymilk and vinegar together separately and let it sit for 5 minutes or so to curdle, and then add it in to the bowl, along with the sugar. Stir well so that the sourdough has “dissolved” into the mixture. Add your flour, stirring just to combine, and loosely cover the bowl. Kiss it goodnight, leave it out at room temperature, and let it rest until the morning.

When you wake up, grind the flax seed down to a flour in a spice grinder and briefly whiz that together with the water to form a loose paste. Start heating up your waffle iron now because things move pretty fast from here on in. Add the flax goo into the bowl of now bubbly starter, as well as the oil, salt, and baking soda. Stir to thoroughly incorporate everything, but just don’t go crazy and overdo it. When your waffle iron is ready, lightly spray it with cooking oil and add in as much batter as your machine needs to make a nice waffle. This differs depending on which iron you use, but check with the manufacturer if you’re unsure. With my cute heart-shaped iron, I got 4 full waffles, so if you want more than that (you can freeze them, too!) you might want to double the recipe.

Reposted from Hannah’s personal blog: Bittersweet Blog

Event: Meet & Greet with Hannah Kaminsky, the author of My Sweet Vegan

When: Grand Opening Event, from 4pm on Friday May 30, 2008

Where: Borders Bookstore, Southbury Plaza

Store Address: 100 Main Street North, Southbury, CT 06488

Store Phone: (203) 262-9419

For more information on the new Southbury Concept Store, visit http://www.bordersmedia.com/seenewbordersstore/southbury.asp.