Chow Vegan

I’ve been pretty much overdosing on sweets lately with the holidays and all. But since I recently received Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero to review, I absolutely had to try a recipe or two.

Unable to decide on which cheesecake to make, I half the recipes and made mini cheesecakes. That way I was also able to try out a couple of flavors instead of making one big 9″ pie.

Pictured above is the Chocolate Galaxy Banana Cheesecake – such a smooth and creamy texture! So very decadent-tasting, just like regular cheesecake. Unlike some other vegan cheesecake recipes, there’s no packaged cream cheese in these. The creaminess is from raw cashews, banana and silken tofu.

The other flavor was Raspberry Lime Cheesecake, pictured in the middle. Also very good. Never thought raspberry and lime go together but they do. Since I had a bit of the raspberry and lime topping leftover, I plopped some on top of the chocolate cheesecake, pictured below.

Both flavors were easy enough for me, a baking simpleton, to make. The cookbook is written in the same style as the authors’ other books – easy to understand, lighthearted, full of useful tips and suggestions. Besides the cheesecakes, there’s recipes for various pie crusts, fruit pies, creamy pies, cobblers, crisps and tarts.

When I fully recover from the overindulgence of holiday sweets, I have very high hopes of finally being able to actually make a real pie with a real pie crust and everything. I’m so excited!

Chocolate Galaxy Banana Cheesecake
Makes one 9 1/2 – inch cheesecake

1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust

Filling
1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews, soaked in water for 2 to 8 hours or until very soft
1/2 cup well-mashed banana (about 2 medium-size bananas)
1 (12-14 ounce) package silken tofu, drained
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Prepare the crust and press it very firmly into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and move the pan to a cooling rack.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Drain the cashews and blend with the banana, tofu, sugar, coconut oil, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and almond extracts, and sea salt. Blend until completely smooth and absolutely no bits of cashew remain.

3. Set aside 1/3 cup of batter and pour the rest into the crust. Melt the chocolate chips over a double boiler or in a glass bowl in the microwave. Stir the melted chips with a spatula until smooth; add reserved batter and stir until smooth.

4. Spoon dollops of chocolate batter randomly onton the cheesecake. Poke the end of a chopstick into a chocolate batter blob and gently swirl the top to creat a marble-like pattern; repeat with the remaining chocolate blobs.

5. Bake the cheesecake for 50 to 55 minutes until the top is lightly puffed and the edges of the cake are golden.

6. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, then move it to the fridge to complete cooling, at least 3 hours or even better, overnight. To serve, slice the cake with a thin, sharp knife dipped in cold water.

Graham Cracker Crust
Makes one 9- or 10- inch pie crust

1 3/4 cups finely ground graham crackers (made from 10 ounces of whole graham crackers)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted nonhydrogenated margarine, melted coconut oil, or canola oil
1 tablespoon plain soy milk or almond milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the oil or melted margarine. Use a spoon to blend the mixture thoroughly to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the soy milk and stir again to form a crumbly dough.

3. Pour the crumbs into the pie plate. Press crumbs into the sides of the plate first, then work your way down to the bottom. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until firm. Let the crust cool before filling.

From the book Vegan Pie in the Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2011. www.dacapopresscookbooks.com

Disclosure: I received the book free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the book expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

This post also contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

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While down south for the holidays, I picked up take-out from Bliss Cafe. They’re a tiny, all vegan place in downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. The “yogi style, karma free” menu offers wholesome raw and cooked food, sourced locally and organically whenever possible and as close to zero-waste as possible.

Since I couldn’t decide on what to get, the Peace Plate ($10) seemed like a great choice. I got to try a little bit of everything – eggplant parmesan, grain of the day with a chutney, curry vegetable and a side salad.

The eggplant parmesan was delicious – the flavor of the marina sauce and eggplant really comes through. The grain of the day by itself was nicely seasoned with bonus spiciness from the chutney.

The side salad wasn’t your typical pile of lettuce with a token piece of tomato thrown on top. It’s like a real salad – lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, red cabbage in a creamy dressing with a bit of nutritional yeast taste.

I also couldn’t resist trying a dessert – a pecan banana cream pie ($6). I’m not exactly sure of the name but it sure tasted good. Light and not overly sweet, it’s more than enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Very reasonably priced for the amount of food received, I had enough for two meals. The people working there are also super nice. So happy to have such an awesome vegan option in SLO town.

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Today, I guinea-pigged for you my hare-brained idea of Chinese food leftovers as a topping for savory oatmeal. I will now be eating all of my leftovers like this. It’s tasty, quick and so simple and easy.

Enjoy your favorite Chinese food the day before, something with a flavorful sauce. Either dine-in, take-out or homemade. I had a lunch special (I’m lazy like that) – fried tofu sautéed with vegetables in a spicy sauce at Crouching Tiger Restaurant in Redwood City, CA. Bring home the leftovers, make sure to get every drop of sauce into the box.

Make a serving of Trader Joe’s Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats or other oatmeal, zap the Chinese food leftovers in the microwave. If there’s big pieces of vegetables or tofu, cut into smaller bite size pieces.

I’ve never understood why some restaurants won’t cut their veggies into easier to eat pieces. Especially when using chopsticks and it’s extra slippery with the sauce and all. The worst is baby bok choy but I digress.

Scoop/pour the now ideal bite-sized Chinese food onto the oatmeal, see top photo. Stir to combine if desired. Breakfast is served.

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It’s that time of year for visions of sugar plums dancing in little heads. Only to be surprised to find there’s really no sugar or plums in said sugar plums. It’s actually a dried fruit and nut ball rolled in coconut. Apparently, way back when, “plum” used to mean any dried fruit.

Super easy to make since there’s no baking or cooking involved. With the dried cranberries and apricots, orange zest, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg, there’s a taste of the holiday season in each bite. But you can use pretty much any combination of dried fruits, nuts and spices for a healthy sweet treat.

Sugar Plums
Makes about 14 balls

1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried unsulfered apricots, chopped
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the dried fruit, orange zest and spices, pulse until well-combined. Add the orange juice 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between until the mixture sticks together.

Scoop out about a tablespoon, press together and roll into 1″ balls. Then roll the balls in the coconut. Keeps covered in the fridge for a couple of weeks or so.

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After a prolonged hunt for Cleo’s Peanut Butter Cups and a comment about making homemade ones from Jes over at Eating Appalachia (one of my favorite blogs), I turned the kitchen into a little candy workshop.

Ever since I made the Chocolate Candy Cups from Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet, I like the raw version of chocolate better than regular candy chocolate. And since I’m making my own, I also tried other nut butters.

And not just any ol’ nut butter but Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and Maple Almond Butter. They’re both really good on their own but super good inside of a chocolate covering.

Easy enough to make but sadly, I had a casualty early on. I had filled the silicone cups to the brim. On some of them, I had a heck of a time popping the candy cup out. I stupidly used a knife and accidentally sliced one of the silicone cups in half. It was a blue one. I would not recommend this method of extraction.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Makes about 16 candy cups
Adapted from the Chocolate Candy Cups recipe in Raw for Dessert

4 large medjool dates
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup barley syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
Peanut butter or other nut butter (chilled for easier handling)

Pit and chop the dates, place in a bowl. Add the coconut oil and soak for 30 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, add the soaked dates, cocoa powder, maple syrup, barley syrup and salt. Process until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.

Set out 16 silicone or foil baking cups on plates or a baking pan. It’s easiest to put the chocolate mixture into a sandwich baggie and cut off a bottom corner. Pipe the bottom layer of chocolate into each of the cups.

Place a hunk of peanut butter or other nut butter in the middle of each cup. Try not to have the peanut butter touch the sides, you’ll want the chocolate to enclose the peanut butter. Pipe the chocolate on top to cover but do not fill to the brim.

Chill the cups in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator where they’ll keep for a few days.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

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For the last couple of years, I’ve managed to find something new and different to try for my holiday meal. It’s usually some sort of heat-and-eat thing as the kitchen as always busy.

Last year it was Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y, the year before it was Smoked Vegetarian Goose from Sogo Tofu, a small, local deli/shop that makes all sorts of vegetarian meat and soy products in San Jose.

This year I swung by Sogo Tofu and picked up gluten rolls that look vaguely like roasted chicken. They don’t particularly taste like poultry but they do have a nice flavor and a firm, chewy texture.

I prefer the gluten rolls to any of the store bought stuff, probably because it’s freshly made and closer to something homemade (if you knew how to make those sorts of things). Still, I’m thankful that there are so many yummy and easy options nowadays. And extra thankful for all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!

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With the end of fresh summer fruits, I’ve been wondering what to put on top of my oatmeal. I can’t eat it plain. I had heard about savory oatmeal being similar to jook (also known as congee or rice porridge), and with cooler weather finally setting in, it’s time to give it a whirl.

But it’s going to have to be something very simple, super quick, and easy enough make half-awake. I’m thinking leftovers.

I had extra roasted trumpet mushrooms and carrots. There was red potatoes too but I ate them while waiting for the oatmeal to cook. It wasn’t even a long wait – 8 minutes, using Trader Joe’s Quick Cook Steel Cut Oats.

Warm and tasty for wintery mornings, savory oatmeal beats out the sweet version, at least until summer rolls around again. I’m already thinking ahead to other toppings like leftover Chinese take-out, especially those dishes with a lot of sauce. Savory oatmeal with Kung Pao Tofu, anyone?

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Welcome to Chow Vegan! Now serving for an unlimited time, the Veggie McRiblet.

A MorningStar Farms hickory BBQ veggie riblet in a sweet and smoky sauce on a lightly toasted, freshly baked vegan hoagie roll from Zest Bakery. Topped with sautéed onions and bread n’ butter pickles that cover the entire riblet (not just the stingy two you normally get at other places).

Substitutions available, swap out the veggie riblet for another sort of patty. Of course, it wouldn’t be a vegan McRib anymore. But it’s really the flavor combination of the BBQ sauce with the onions and pickles on a bun that makes the sandwich so tasty.

Extra napkins upon request. Thank you and please come again.

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