Straight From the Heart

I used to have a shirt that said "Down With V-D" on the front. On the back, in parentheses, it said "valentine's day."

It was black. The font was bleak. I thought I was very edgy; all anti-love, anti-relationship, and all the jaded, teenage cynicism that comes with it. That way, just in case I didn't get anything for V-Day (which was often the case, discounting gifts from my parents), I had a persona of indifference to fall back on.

I'm slightly less indifferent to the yucky love stuff these days, but I still don't get too excited about V-D. The way I see it, I'd rather get a present because you want to give me one, rather than because the calendar day is marked in red.

Of course, if you really wanted to give me a present on Valentine's Day, I wouldn't have turned it down.

And so, as my gift to you, friends and enemies, for no reason at all, here are two, ready-to-give recipes (that are also, felicitously, heart-healthy).

Drunk On Love Red-Wine Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use half dark cocoa for even deeper love)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks vegan margarine, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon hot water
3 tablespoons whole flax seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 1/4 cup dry red wine (I used Yellow Tail Shiraz)


Mix the flax seeds and hot water. Set aside until the mix becomes thick and Goo!-y. Note that this may take up to an hour, so either mix the seeds the night before or morning of your cake baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-cup bundt pan.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar until pale and fluffy, at least 4 minutes.
Add the egg mixture by halves and beat until well combined. Add the vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes.
With the mixer on low-medium, alternately add the dry ingredients and the wine, scraping the bowl if necessary.
Pour the mixture into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let sit no more than 10 minutes in the pan, before turning out to cool completely on a wire rack.

Serve your better-half a slice covered with powder sugar, ice cream, body paint, kisses, etc. Half-less? Finish off the bottle of wine.

Heart-of-Gold Oatmeal Cookies
adapted from "Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar"

1/3 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a few cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the soy milk and flax. Add the sugar and oil, whisking until the mixture thickens. Mix in the vanilla.
Mix the dry into the wet, stirring until well-combined. Fold in the raisins.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the paper-lined trays, about 2 inches apart. Pat the scoops down and shape into hearts.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the trays half-way through the baking. The edges should be a little brown.
Allow to sit for about 5 minutes on the trays before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Serve to your sweetie in bed with a champagne glassfull of soymilk dyed pink (with a drop of red food coloring). All by yourself? Break the cookies in half and dye the milk black.

Isn't it romantic?