Funny things happen when you have kids. For me one of these things was deciding to join a mommy and me group; a gathering of women with new born babies who share war stories, swap tips, and learn a tremendous amount from a moderator who in the case of this group was lovely, warm, and understanding. Yes that was a run on sentence, and I had to force myself to stop writing because there is oh so much I could talk about when it comes to that subject. Lets just say that group activities are not quite my thing. I am quieter in group settings, more observant, and typically wouldn’t opt to be a ‘joiner’ on any given day. I will say that ‘joining’ that mothers group was one of the best choices I made in my first year of parenting. I met a best friend for life, Elaine, who has been my rock and my idol for the past five years. This is a woman who lights up a room from the the moment she enters it. Her wit, charm, and beauty is unlike anything I have ever been around. She is different, irreplaceable, ,amazingly smart, well read, salty, … this could go on for a long time. Lets just say, she is my old same.
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(elaine)
When I met her and her beautiful then two month old baby Riley, I stalked her, and quickly we became friends. I learned that Elaine was part of a book group, a gathering of a handful of women that got together every couple months to talk about a book. The host would create an experience (with food) at their home inspired by the book. I begged (literally) Elaine to let me in. It sounded like something I would love to be a part of, and I really just wanted an excuse to spend more time with her. Sadly, her tight knit clan is so iron clad that they don’t allow new ‘members’ in. I loved it, and exclusive book club. It lit a fire under my behind, it was time to start my own, and Elaine was going to have to be a part of it.
I sent an email to a group of women, each who I adored and admired, and quickly our eleven was born:
So many wonderful people are part of this group. A beautiful woman Kathy was also part of the original mommy and me is someone I had let slip off my radar. I hadn’t connected with her as closely as I would have liked to have over the past years and I thought this would be a wonderful way for us to stay in each others worlds. I was just developing relationships with some other mothers from Isaac’s preschool. I really wanted to get to know them better. Now two years later Carrie, Lori, Melissa, and Llyswen have all become a integral part of my life and my community. And of course Erin, my other half who I need not say anything and she understands it all, she too I wanted to be there. Jamie who I had met through yoga, and who I quickly knew I adored for so many reasons, Jennifer a close friend of some of the moms from Isaac’s preschool and now a close friend of mine who’s strength and conviction blows me away, Australian Hailey, a writer and a voice that I always look forward to hearing. This was also the first meeting of our new member Greg who took Llyswen’s hot seat. I was so looking forward to meeting him and having him contribute to our night.
Eleven meetings later it was back to my turn. I selected “Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It” – a title I found so powerful that I was desperate to read it. I loved that it was comprised of 11 short stories. I wanted each member to be assigned a story, and help create a portion of the meal and experience.
My story was ‘Nine’, and without giving too much away, I will say that there was a woman, a garden, an Italian man who liked maple donuts wrapped in newspaper for breakfast, and a duality reflecting the nature of the title. I wanted my portion of the meal to celebrate the idea of a spring garden. I decided on a layered ‘Italian’ salad served in mason jars. I roasted spring vegetables, used fresh butter lettuce, huge italian white beans, tomatoes, farro, large olive croutons, and served with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Although I wasn’t in charge of desert I wanted to send my guests off with something sweet they could enjoy for breakfast the next morning. It seemed like a great excuse to give Vegan Donuts a try, and maple ones at that. I am a Canadian, I do love maple donuts, and the main character in my story did too.
It turned out to be such a lovely meeting. People’s reviews of the book were all over the map. The conversation was fast paced and really interesting. Everyone’s contributions to the meal were so wonderful, (compassionately vegan) and a really nice way to bring us all together as we begin our second round of reading.
Vegan Maple-Glazed Donuts
makes 8 donuts
For donuts:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (if its your thing)
1 shake of cinnamon
1/2 cup soymilk
1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Egg replacer equivalent for 1 egg
4 Tbsp. Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
1. Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients with a whisk to mix thoroughly.
2. In a small saucepan, combine wet ingredients over medium low heat & mix until margarine is melted. Take care not to overheat mixture.
3. Add wet to dry & mix until just combined, forming a soft spongy dough. Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out dough into an ungreased nonstick donut pan & smooth out the tops of them. If using a regular sized donut pan fill them until just below the rim. Make sure not to overfill them.
4. Bake them for 12-14 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Invert the hot pan over a cooling rack to release the donuts & allow them to cool completely before decorating.
For topping:
3 Tbsp. maple sugar
2 Tbsp. non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
Coconut bacon (optional)
Sprinkles (optional)
1. Add maple sugar and creamer to small saucepan over very low heat. Whisk until sugar dissolves (this will happen very quickly).
2. When maple crystals have dissolved, add powdered sugar and continue to whisk over low heat, breaking up any lumps, until mixture is completely smooth. Remove from heat and use to glaze donuts immediately. If glaze begins to harden, place in microwave for 10 second interviews while whisking in between until it is smooth and ready to use.
3. Dip top half of donut into maple glaze, then transfer to a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath, so excess glaze & toppings can drip through. If using coconut bacon, sprinkles, or other toppings, you can either dip the still-wet donut glaze-side down into the toppings, then transfer to the wire rack, or you can dip the donuts into the glaze, transfer to the rack, and throw the toppings on top. That’s what I did. You will probably have to press the toppings down a little into the glaze to help them stick. Either way, make sure you quickly add the toppings before the glaze hardens. Pour yourself a cup of coffee/tea/chai and enjoy!
