Tag Archives: dessert

Super Easy Raw Mini Blood Orange Cheesecake Bites!

Posted on March 28, 2013 | 2 Comments

I was poking around the fridge looking for a snack when I spotted a cup of raw cashews soaking that I had completely forgot about! I didn’t have any plans for the cashews when I soaked them; I more or less was clearing out room in the pantry and I figured that I’d think of something good to do with them- so I did! I took stock of what was in the fridge and found medjool dates, raw almonds, and blood oranges, so I decided to take my first stab at raw cheesecake!

Blood Orange Mini Cheesecake bites

Makes roughly 16 bites

Filling:

1 c raw cashews, soaked overnight for best results, or at least 6 hours

1 tbs agave nectar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract, or the seeds from 1/2 of a vanilla bean

the juice and zest of one tennis ball sized blood orange

1 tsp coconut oil

Crust

1 c raw almonds

6 large pitted medjool dates

pinch salt

Toss the almonds into the bowl of your food processor and start grinding them down into a coarse meal. Slowly rip your dates into pieces and toss them in, one by one, until lightly sticky, and finely ground. You may need more or less dates depending on how large they are. Ps- don’t throw in the pits! Add a nice pinch of salt before stopping the machine and scraping your crust into a bowl.

Wipe out the work bowl and toss in the cashews (drained). Start processing until a smooth paste forms, and add in the coconut oil, vanilla, and slowly stream in the orange juice. Puree until as smooth as humanly possible, and pulse in the zest at the last second.

Take a mini muffin tin and grease it’s cavities with coconut oil- or really any oil. Place about a tablespoon of crust mix into 16 (or so) of the cavities, and use your fingers to press it down into the center, and up the sides. Now, take your cheesecake filling and drop a tablespoon on top of each little crust, and go back and smooth the filling down. You can also tap the muffin tin on the counter to make sure there aren’t any air bubbles lurking about.
Pop the cookie sheet into the freezer and let the cakes firm up, and let them rest at room temp for about 15-20 minutes before serving.

I mixed 2 teaspoons of chia seeds with more blood orange juice and agave to make a little syrup for on top.

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Posted in Gluten Free, Uncategorized

Tagged agave nectar, blood orange, cashews, cheesecake, citrus, dessert, food, gluten-free, medjool dates, raw, raw almonds, raw cashews, raw vegan, vegan, vegan cheesecake, vegan desserts

Ch-ch-ch-chia!

Posted on October 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

i have a new obsession; CHIA SEEDS! i scored a huge bag of them at costco and i’ve been finding tons if great uses for them. chia seeds are the same goopy little pellets that you adhered to terra cotta heads as a child- who would have thought to eat them back in the 80′s? so far i have found them to be an amazing egg replacer in pancake batter (1 tbs chia + 2 tbs water = egg), a nice snack suspended in coconut water, and a super nutritious breakfast pudding when mixed with fruit, nuts, and unsweetened almond milk. to make a pudding, combine roughly 1/4 c chia with 1 c of any liquid- coconut milk looks divine as it reminds me of tapioca.

Breakfast Pudding

3 tbs chia seeds

3/4 c almond milk

1 tbs pure maple syrup

1 banana, sliced

1 handful walnuts

mix the chia with your milk and let stand for 15 minutes. top with virtually anything, and enjoy! each 1/4 c of chia packs 20g fiber, 12g protein, and roughly 240 calories making it super filling and sustaining.

maple banana walnut chia breakfast pudding

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Posted in breakfast, can be Gluten Free, Gluten Free, health and well being, snacks

Tagged breakfast, chia, chia pudding, dessert, egg replacer, gluten-free, pudding, vegan

Snake Bite Ice Cream

Posted on July 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

my ice cream kick is holding out longer than my use of capitalization in sentences, and i’m totally ok with it! pinterest, and the internet as a whole has been turning up so many inspiring flavor combinations to help cool me down; i might even try dabbling in sorbets next for when i really want an intense fruit flavor!

this weeks experiment; Snake Bite. i have no idea why i chose to name it that, maybe it’s for the heat of the jalapeños as they sneak up on you? and yes, theres jalapeños in this treat, and they are divine! after being caramelized and chilled, the true pepper flavor shines through sweetly, leaving a faint tingle on your tongue. you can absolutely add more peppers to increase the heat, and i plan on making different sweet vs hot combos to see how far i can take the concept. the other star of the show are the roasted strawberries. fresh berries have too much water, resulting in too many little icy bits in your ice cream. roasting helps intensify their flavor as well, and keeps all of the flavors in balance.

Roasted Strawberry Jalapeño Ice Cream- aka Snake Bite!

4 c chilled full fat coconut milk

1 large jalapeño, seeded and diced small

2 cups sliced strawberries

sugar

3/4 c agave, to to taste

1 tsp vanilla extract

first, start by placing the strawberries in a single layer on a foiled baking sheet. dust with roughly 1/4 c sugar, and place in your oven/toaster oven and roast at 400 until syrupy and tender- about 20 minutes or less. pop in the freezer to chill down.

while those are cooking, place the jalapeños, 2 tbs water, and 3 heaping tablespoons of sugar in a sauce pan. bring to a simmer, and let bubble without stirring until the sugar just begins to change color. remove from the heat and immediately dump onto parchment paper or a silicone mat. pop in the freezer to chill down. break into pieces once cool.

place the vanilla, 1/2 c agave, 2 cups coconut milk, and the jalapeño candy in a food processor. pulse until the jalapeño pieces are in tiny bits, but not completely pureed. now, add in the strawberries and their syrup, and pulse until macerated, but not smooth. mix this with the rest of your coconut milk, and taste for sweetness keeping in mind that once chilled, the heat, and the sweetness will be dampened. add a pinch of salt and process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions. once at the soft-serve stage, pack into a freezer safe container and let harden for 4-6 hours before enjoying!

fresh strawberries

jalapeños

roasted

candied

roasted strawberry and candied jalapeño ice cream

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Posted in Gluten Free, ice cream, Uncategorized

Tagged candied, coconut milk, dessert, food, gluten-free, ice cream, jalapeno, roasted, strawberry, vegan, vegan ice cream

Fat Elvis Ice Cream

Posted on July 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

greetings! i’m on an ice cream kick over here! seriously though, i have 2 flavors in the freezer, and one in the ice cream machine as we speak. i have some tweaking to do on one of them before i share it, but last nights was pure gold. if you’re feeling sassy, you could easily top each bowl with pieces of faux bacon, but that kind of weirds me out. this recipe is comprised of a few small, simple steps that really come together to create a big flavor. smooth, banana ice cream gets studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips and generous swirls of crunchy, salted peanut butter ‘caramel’. we ate our little reserve so fast last night that i forgot to take a picture!

Fat Elvis Ice Cream

aka ‘banana chocolate chip with salted peanut butter caramel swirls’

4 small green-ripe bananas- they should be ‘just ripe’ with no brown flecks

2 15 oz cans regular coconut milk, chilled

1 tsp vanilla extract- you could do 1/2 banana 1/2 vanilla for more of a pronounced banana flavor

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/2 c + 1/4c agave, divided

3/4 c chocolate chips

1/4c natural peanut butter- chunky preferred

coarse sea salt

fine sea salt

first, we’ll prep and chill all of the ice cream components.

start by slicing the bananas into coins and arranging them in a single layer on a baking tray and pop them into the freezer. next, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove top, or in the microwave at 30 second intervals until completely smooth. place a large piece of parchment paper onto another baking sheet. once smooth, pour the chocolate out onto the parchment paper and spread into a thin layer. place the chocolate into the freezer to firm up. finally, mix together 1/4 c each of peanut butter and agave until nice and smooth, and add coarse sea salt to taste. pour the ‘caramel’ into a plastic baggy, and push into one corner.

to assemble. combine the frozen bananas, vanilla, remaining agave, xanthan gum, a pinch of salt, and the coconut milk in a blender and process until smooth. process this mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. while it’s freezing, remove the chocolate from the freezer, and roll up the parchment to shatter the chocolate inside. you may need to use a dough scraper or metal spatula to break up any large pieces. when the ice cream is about to be finished, add in 1/2 – 3/4 C of the chocolate pieces, depending on your preference.

once everything is combined and the consistency of soft-serve, you are ready to add the peanut butter caramel! i found that the best method was to pipe swirls of peanut butter in between layers of ice cream, rather than adding it into the ice cream machine while running; grab whatever container you plan on freezing your ice cream in and fill it 1/3 of the way with your banana-chip ice cream. now, grab your makeshift pastry bag that you made before and snip off the corner. pipe one big swirl from the center of the ice cream out to the edge and cover with another layer of ice cream. repeat until you’ve filled the container to within an inch of the lid. now, grab a chopstick and drive it through the center of your ice cream, and make a zig-zag motion through to break up large deposits of peanut butter. tap the container on a counter to release any air bubbles, cover, and freeze for 4-6 hours before eating!

Fat Elvis Ice Cream

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Posted in Gluten Free, ice cream, snacks, Uncategorized

Tagged banana, caramel, coconut milk, dessert, peanut butter, sea salt, vegan, vegan ice cream

Cinnamon Glazed Donut Holes

Posted on April 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

i’ve been under the weather for that past few days, but today i was feeling well enough to pad around the kitchen. i had a hankering for scones, but somehow i found myself baking donut holes. same difference, right?

i followed the batter recipe, swapping 1 tsp xanthan gum for the egg replacer, banana for the applesauce, sugar for the sucanat, and coconut oil for the safflower oil to suit what i had on hand.i also tweaked the topping to make a rich, syrupy glaze. a dollop of white icing, or cream cheese frosting would undoubtedly turn this into “cinnamon roll donut holes”. divine.

cinnamon sugar glaze.

1/2 stick earth balance

1/4 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

3 tbs cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

almond milk

melt the earth balance in a small pan over medium heat. add in the vanilla, sugars, and cinnamon. stir until the sugars are melted completely and starting to bubble. slowly whisk in enough almond milk to make a thick glaze that runs in thick ribbons off of your whisk. cool while the donuts bake.

gluten free vegan donut

gluten free vegan cinnamon glazed donut holes

gluten free cinnamon glazed donuts

adapted from adashofcompassion.com

1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp flaxmeal
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup nondairy milk
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
3 tbsp pureed banana
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Lightly oil two mini doughnut pans and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, sugar, flaxmeal, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the nondairy milk, oil, banana, xanthan gum and vanilla.
Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and stir to combine, making sure there are no more large clumps.
Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared doughnut pans, filling each about 3/4 full. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a doughnut comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the cinnamon sugar topping, simply dip each doughnut in the warm cinnamon syrup and allow excess to drip off. place on a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the topping.

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Posted in baked goods ect, breakfast, Gluten Free, snacks

Tagged cinnamon, dessert, donut, doughnut, gluten free vegan, instagram, vegan

Fancied Up Lemon Bars!

Posted on April 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Oh Lemon Bars. They remind me of sunshine, grass, and family gatherings. oh, and summer too! well, we did the easter thing with my hubby’s side of the family today, and i wanted to bring a sweet that didn’t call for any “odd replacements” and was familiar to everyone. i originally wanted to bring carrot cake, but after looking at the price of pineapple, (6.99 lb for organic. eek!) i went with the next best thing: Lemon Bars! I wanted to fancy them up, and the recipe i found via vegweb.com suggested a layer of sweetened cream cheese between the crust and the lemon. Brilliant! I doubled the recipe to fit into a 9×13 cake pan, and although my oven somehow jumped to 400 degrees while baking, these little gems persevered! Fresh lemons with their zest will taste the brightest, but if you can’t find any organic ones, i also gave a substitution for lemon extract/juice. heres the original recipe with comments http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6558.0 if you want to go traditional, you can skip the faux cream cheese without having to modify the rest of the recipe.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

makes 24 squares

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Filling:
6 egg equivalents, prepared (I use Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon real vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of 4 fresh juicy lemons (three if on the dry side)

*or use 5 tbs lemon juice plus 1/2 tsp lemon extract

1 tub Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, mixed with 3 tbs sugar

powdered sugar

Preheat Oven to 350, cross your fingers that it doesnt change it mind and jump to 400

Using a pastry cutter or food processor, blend the crust ingredients together until if forms coarse crumbs. press into a cake pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes. let this cool while you make the filling. using an electric beater, or upright mixer, whip the egg substitute until very foamy. turn the mixer to medium and add the rest of the ingredients except the cream cheese. now take the cream cheese and spread it evenly across the cooled crust. pour the lemon filling over the cream cheese and place in the oven. bake for 20 minutes? i say ? because after my oven snafu, i opened the door and my filling had rose up 3 inches and became this bubbly mass, which according to vegweb comments, isnt supposed to happen. well, once mine cooled they tasted just fine but had a sort of weird, white bubbly layer on the top. so i guess you can bake them for 20-25 and if they bubble, they will still taste ok! anyways, once their cooled dip a knife in powdered sugar to cut them into 24 sqares, dust with more powdered sugar and serve!

Vegan Lemon Cream Cheese Bars!

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Posted in baked goods ect

Tagged cream cheeze, dessert, lemon, lemon bars

Sexxay Nom Nom Nom….part?

Posted on February 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

january catch up edition.

i don’t know what i’ve been up to, or why i haven’t been posting. i think it was the whole “post-holiday-i-dont-wanna-do-nuthin” phase or something. but, none the less, i have been cooking, just not blogging. oops.

so, without further ado, heres the usual “post-8-million-catch-up-photos-with-no-recipes-dead-beat-vaygun-dad-syndrome” with a tasty birthday cake recipe! vayguns have birthdays too!

A Very Vaygun Berfday Cake w/Ganache and Berries

Vanilla Cupcakes

from VCTOTW

(doubled cupcake recipe, in case you were curious)

1 c vanilla soy yogurt

1 1/3 c vanilla soy or almond milk

1/2 c applesauce

6 tbs canola oil

1 1/2 c granulated sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

1/4 c cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

preheat the oven to 350

grease and flour two 9″ cake pans

whisk together the yogurt and everything up to the vanilla. now sift together all of the dry ingredients and mix into the wet, without beating it to death

pour the batter equally between the pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. about 25-30 minutes. let cool before decorating.

Filling/Topping/Ganache

1/2 c seedless raspberry or strawberry preserves

1/3 c chocolate chips (non dairy of course)

2 tbs pure maple syrup

1/4 c almond milk

1/2 c sliced strawberries

heat the milk over medium heat until bubbles just begin to break around the edges. remove from the heat and whisk in the chocolate chips until smooth. now add the maple. set aside to cool down.

assemble!

spread the jam between the 2 layers, and stick the cakes together. spoon, drizzle, and spread the ganache over the top and sides of the cake-dont worry about perfection. now, dust w/ confectioners sugar if you’re feelin fancy, and dot with the berries!

*i’m actually not a huge frosting/buttercreme person-i scrape it off- so this was my pared-down, “not too sweet”but super yummy birthday request.