recipe

Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Pie

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chocomac pie

Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Pie
Adapted from Pies and Tarts with Heart by Dynise Balcavage.

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 cups roasted macadamia nuts ( I have also made this with pecans when I didn’t have macadamia nuts)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt unless your nuts are already salted
3 tablespoons vegan butter; you can also use coconut oil.
Up to 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk

For the filling:
2/3 cup dried, unsweetened coconut flakes or shreds
1 cup non dairy cream cheese (I always use palm oil free)
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour, gluten-free is perfectly fine
2 teaspoons coconut extract or vanilla, if you can’t find the coconut
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup coconut milk from the can (light works well)
1 cup nondairy chocolate chips (I use Equal Exchange)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325.

To make the crust: Use your food process to process the nuts, sugar, and salt until almost flour like in consistency.
Pulse in the vegan butter or coconut oil. You don’t have to wash the processor out at this point. The dough ought to hold together so if it doesn’t add small amounts of milk, until it does. Press into a pie pan. It helps to have slightly floured hands to do this.

To make the filling: Process all of the filling ingredients until creamy.

Pour the chocolate chips into the crust and even them out. Pour the creamy filling over them, and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the top is just starting to turn golden and the creamy filling is wobbly but holds together. It will firm up as it cools.

Let cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating overnight.

Enjoy!

– Linda Nelson

Stuffed Peppers

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Why not stuff a pepper for lunch or dinner? It is easy enough to do, and there are endless possibilities. I stuffed mine with a combination of:

3 cups millet
3 cups chopped spinach
1 can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans
1 diced onion
3 cloves garlic
spiced with chili powder, cumin, paprika, and black pepper

I sauteed the onion, garlic, and spinach, added the spices, threw in the cans of tomatoes and beans, and mixed in the millet before cutting off the tops of five peppers, removing the seeds and ribs, and stuffing them to the brim. Since the millet had already been prepared, this all took about 15 minutes.

When all are stuffed, place them in a casserole or other pan, cover with foil, and bake at 375 for 25 or 30 minutes, or until the peppers are soft. Enjoy hot!

– Linda Nelson

Crispy Rice Treats

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Crispy Rice Treats

I am sure most of us fondly remember Rice Krispies Treats from pre-vegan days. When I was a teenager, my cousin and I would regularly make  a big pan of the gooey goodies and scarf down the whole thing, long before it had cooled.

Now my diet and my tastes are totally different, but it is still a lot of fun to make and share veganized crispy rice treats with others. They are quick and easy to prepare … which is handy when you do not want to wait 12-15 minutes for cookies to finish baking or to bother icing cupcakes.

– Justin Van Kleeck

Crispy Rice Treats

Ingredients:
1 10 oz. bag (approx. 3 cups) vegan marshmallows
½ cup vegan butter or coconut oil (use refined coconut oil if you do not want a coconut flavor)
4 cups crispy brown rice cereal (we use Erewhon brand)

Directions:
Lightly oil an 8×8 pan. Combine marshmallows and margarine in a saucepan. Cook over medium
heat until marshmallows are completely melted. (If using coconut oil, use a lower heat setting to avoid burning the oil.)

Add rice cereal and stir until combined.

Transfer mixture to the pan and press down to make an even surface. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Pretty in Pink Cookies

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Why not make Mom some Pretty in Pink Cookies for her special day? You can tell her they are extra special because no other mother had to suffer for her treat.

PRETTY IN PINK COOKIES

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened (check out the easy recipe on our website)
1/4 cup canola or sunflower oil
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cream the vegan butter and oil together in a large bowl. Slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth. Add the juices, the almond extract, and the zest.

Sift the dry ingredients in with the butter mixture, and stir until all is combined.

Use a spring loaded cookie scoop for uniformity or drop by the tablespoon onto a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper. Bake about 12 minutes or until the cookies are firm and the bottoms are a golden brown.

Pipe cherry buttercream on top and top with an undyed maraschino cherry.

To make the buttercream:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup vegan shortening or refined coconut oil
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Cream the butter and the shortening together using a stand mixer or a hand mixer.

Add the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing it in well.

When it is almost all incorporated, add the cherry juice and beat until fluffy, about seven minutes.

Pipe the buttercream onto the cookies, and top with a cherry.

Smoky Garbanzos

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It took me 15 short minutes to whip up a batch of these, and then I burned my tongue digging in a little too soon. They are that good!

– Linda Nelson

Smoky Garbanzos

Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 450. Spray a 8 inch baking pan with the cooking spray. Add all of the other ingredients to a medium bowl and toss to coat the garbanzos.

Pour them into the baking pan in a single layer, and bake for five minutes. Open the oven, toss the garbanzos again, and spray lightly with the cooking spray. Return to the oven, and time again for five minutes. Continue in this way until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are golden brown. It took me 15 minutes, but ovens vary, and these are too good to burn. Watch them carefully!

I made these after feeling a hankering for coconut bacon. Having no coconut, I used a little imagination.

Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk

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It is cool and cloudy today, so I decided to make something that would warm me and the house up.

This Red Lentil Dal with Coconut Milk did the trick!

I don’t quite remember where I got the inspiration for this recipe. I’ve been making it for years. It is very easy and very filling. Enjoy!

– Linda Nelson

Ingredients:
two small diced yellow onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil or water
2 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 can coconut milk (I used the light which makes this dal plenty creamy and rich)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Melt the coconut oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and soften, stirring often, for about five minutes. You can substitute water for the oil.

Add the lentils, coconut milk, water, and spices to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then lower to simmer for about 35 minutes or until the lentils fall apart.

I often add a chopped potato after I’ve softened the garlic, onion, and ginger, and I sometimes add chopped spinach at the very end.

Serve over rice or eat on its own.

Classic Banana Bread

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bananabread

Banana bread brings back memories of childhood for Rosemary and me. We both remember having slices with butter as kids. Nowadays, banana bread is pretty easy to make vegan, and we found a delicious recipe for marbled banana bread in Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s newest cookbook, Isa Does It.

The entire book looks amazing, but we were in the mood for something sans chocolate (believe it or not, neither of us are big chocolate fans), so I fiddled with Isa’s recipe a little and came up with what serves as a pretty darn good version of your classic banana bread. (I could have also called it “Rosemary’s Favorite Banana Bread EVER,” but “classic” does the job.)

– Justin

Classic Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup well-mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup vegan sugar (add 1/4 cup if you prefer sweeter items)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas with sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and gently mix until well combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour the batter into a lightly oiled 4″ x 8″ loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean. (It might appear a little sticky, but as long as it is not coated in batter the bread is done.) Let cool on a cooling rack … if you can.

Be sure to try some homemade vegan butter with your bread!

Simplified Vegan Butter Recipe

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The first time I looked over the recipe for vegan butter at www.veganbaking.net, I was completely intimidated. I set out on the daunting task of reading through the many paragraphs of instructions before realizing that something very simple had been made to look hard.

Now I don’t blame the recipe developer. If I was clever enough to come up with such a superb recipe, I’d want people to know the thought and the skill that went into making it, but all I wanted was a good substitute for butter for baking without resorting to the popular commercial brand made with palm oil.

I realized after my first scary time making this butter that it would be fast, simple, and far, far, far less messy, if I tripled the recipe.

I bake a great deal for vegan outreach and as a means of fundraising so I use each batch of butter up quickly, but even if you bake once a year, this will work for you. This butter freezes beautifully.

Here is my demystification of Mattie’s superb recipe:

Decide what mold you will use for your butter. I use a Tovolo extra large mold since it measures out to six 1/2 cup cubes. This makes it so easy to measure for recipes. I have also used star and heart shaped molds and emptied vegan cream cheese containers.

Ingredients.

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 rounded teaspoon salt

1 jar 14 FL. oz. jar refined coconut oil (it is fine to use unrefined though it will have a very coconutty taste)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon liquid soy or sunflower lecithin
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Directions:

Curdle the milk by adding the vinegar and salt, and set aside for about 10 minutes.

Warm the jar of coconut oil in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Please make sure to remove the metal lid first! When it is softened enough to be easily removed from the jar, add it along with the canola oil to a food processor. Process until smooth.

Add the curdled soy milk, the lecithin, and the xanthan gum to the processor, and process for two minutes, scraping down the sides half way through.

When the butter is smooth, pour into your mold, and freeze for a couple of hours. Pop the butter out of the mold, and store in freezer proof bags or closed containers.

Your butter will last for about a week in the refrigerator. It will last for a year in the freezer.

– Linda Nelson

The Grass Is Always Greener at TCA Cookies

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Since my vegan, organic sugar isn’t really white (no bone char filtering for me!), I decided to make these Black and White Cookies into The Grass is Always Greener at TCA Cookies.

Here is the easy recipe:

For the cookies
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 canola oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper or a silpat.

In a large bowl, whisk all of the dry ingredients for the cookies. In a different bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, and pour this wet mixture into the dry mixture. Whisk until almost smooth.

This is a thick batter that I like to scoop up with an ice cream scoop to make uniform cookies. Oil the scoop first so that the batter falls out nicely, or use a 1/4 cup scoop. These cookies are large! Drop the scoops of batter on the cookie sheet with 3 inch distance between the scoops. Flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, and let cool on the pan.

To make the icing:
In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Transfer half of the icing to another bowl, and add the cocoa powder plus the remaining tablespoon of water a bit at a time. Add the lemon juice to the remaining icing along with food coloring of your choice. I use India Tree. If the icing is too thick add small amounts of water. If the icing is too thin, add small amounts of powdered sugar to achieve the right consistency.

This recipe was adapted from Chloe’s Vegan Desserts.

– Linda Nelson

Coconut-Encrusted Tofu Cutlets

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It is hard to believe, but there was a time in my life when I had no idea what to do with tofu! Now we enjoy this versatile food all of the time.

If you’re where I used to be, I’d highly recommend this quick, easy, and delicious recipe. You’ll find yourself making it again and again. 

– Linda

Coconut-Encrusted Tofu Cutlets 

Ingredients:
14 to 16 ounces regular tofu, drained. Don’t use silken tofu, and do use extra-firm or even super firm.
2/3 unsweetened dried coconut — shredded is best.
1/3 cup oat bran, or wheat germ, or, or ground macadamia nuts (my last variation)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking sheet or unbleached parchment paper.

Cut the tofu into 12 or 24 pieces, depending on how many pieces you want for each person.

Whisk together the coconut, wheat germ or other ingredient choice, turmeric, and cayenne. Pour the soy sauce or tamari into a bowl. Dip each cutlet into the soy sauce, and immediately dip it into the coconut mixture. Coat the tofu pieces well. Put the tofu cutlets on the prepared baking sheet.

Tent a piece of foil over the cutlets, being careful to keep the foil from lying on the top of the pieces. I place a metal tea strainer in the middle of the sheet as a foil tent pole. Bake for 35 minute. To have golden, crunchy cutlets, remove the foil, and bake until the cutlets are golden and crunchy. This will vary with taste and ovens, but I baked them for an additional 15 minutes.

Adapted from Jazzy Vegetarian Classics by Laura Theodore. Hmm…everything in the book is vegan, so why not say so?

I made a dip with 1 can Great Northern beans, 4 tablespoons macadamia nut butter, 4 tablespoons of my homemade grainy, white wine mustard, 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and about 1/4 cup water. Blend until smooth.

I’ll admit that my fellow Triangle Chance for All board member, Rosemary, and I ate an entire batch while discussing our plans for future rescues. Vegan food is the only possibility when saving lives is the goal!