“Chocolate Dipped Strawberries” Pie

I made this pie for my husband on Valentine’s Day, inspired by the idea of chocolate dipped strawberries. I had fresh strawberries on hand, but didn’t want to simply dip them in chocolate… and, I had this notion to include fresh strawberries in a chocolate truffle sort of pie. While this pie is somewhat unconventional (folding fresh strawberries into the chocolate filling), it is exceptionally tasty!

1 160 ml can coconut milk (see note)
3 tbsp brown rice syrup
3/4 tsp agar powder
1 1/2 cups chopped dark chocolate (about 8 ½ oz)
1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced in small pieces
1 chocolate cookie pie crust (I use Wholly Wholesome brand), or other pie crust of choice (see note)

In a saucepan over medium heat, add coconut milk, brown rice syrup, and agar powder, and extract (if using), stirring through until the brown rice syrup and agar is dissolved and the coconut milk is hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat, and pour milk over chocolate (in a glass or metal bowl). Fold through until chocolate is melted. Set in fridge to cool slightly (about 15-20 mins). Remove from fridge, and fold in strawberries, taking care not to over mix (to not mush berries). Pour mixture into chocolate pie shell, and refrigerate until completely cool and set.

Note: This pie is best served the same day you make the pie. Make it earlier in the day for a dinner party, or in the morning for an afternoon dessert. The strawberries begin to breakdown the next day, and while the taste is still fine, the appearance of the pie is not quite as pretty.

Note: I use Earth’s Choice Organic Coconut Milk, and this brand is available in small 160ml cans. If you cannot find this brand/size, 160ml is the equivalent of about 2/3 cup, so simply measure this out from a larger can.

Note: If using a pastry pie crust, be sure to prebake pie crust before filling.

Note: If you’d like to enhance the berry flavor of this pie, you can try adding about1/4 - 1/2 tsp of cherry or almond extract when warming the coconut milk mixture.

Recipe copyright 2009 Dreena Burton

White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme and Basil

Recipe from eat, drink & be vegan.

The fresh thyme and basil add a fresh and vibrant taste to this hummus. The pureed cannellini beans are creamy white, which together with the green flecks from the fresh herbs, make this hummus pretty to look at... and scrumptious to eat!

MAKES 6–7 SERVINGS (ABOUT 2½ CUPS). WHEAT-FREE

2 cups cooked cannellini (white kidney) beans (drained and rinsed if using canned beans)
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini
1 small to medium clove garlic, sliced
1 – 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (see note)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar (see note)
½ tsp dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
2½ - 3 tsp fresh thyme, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped
1-2 tbsp water (may not need, just to thin dip as desired)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except water, thyme, and basil. Purée until smooth, gradually adding water as desired to thin dip and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add thyme and basil and purée briefly to incorporate ingredients.

Notes:

1) This dip tastes lovely even with just 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. For a richer flavor, use 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, or more if you like.

2) I have used a raspberry-flavored red wine vinegar in place of the lemon juice in this dip, and it adds a beautiful flavor.

3) You can make this dip look very elegant. As described in the chapter introduction, pipe the dip into mini-bell peppers (cut in half), halved grape tomatoes, or endive leaves. Alternatively, spread it thinly on slices of bread with a layer of “shaved” cucumber (using a vegetable peeler to remove thin strips lengthwise off cucumber, before reaching the seedy portion). Cut crusts off bread and slice in strips or cut in shapes with cookie cutters.

Super-Charge Me! Cookies

I created these cookies after one of our daughter's soccer games. All the kids were given an enormous commercial cookie that was full of hydrogenated fats, white flour, white sugar - and the cookie weighed 1/4 lb! Looking at the nutritional information on the cookie, I thought "we don't need to super-size our kids' food... we need to super-charge it! I got to work straight away, and then gave our kids these delicious AND healthy cookies.

Makes 11–12 cookies. Wheat-free (using spelt flour & oats).

1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 –1/3 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
3–4 tbsp carob or chocolate chips (optional; or use more dried fruit, nuts, or seeds)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flax meal (not flax seed)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp almond butter (may use cashew, peanut, hemp seed butter)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp organic canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, raisins, and carob or chocolate chips, sift in baking powder, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir until just well combined (do not overmix). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon batter onto baking sheet evenly space apart, and lightly flatten. Bake for 13 minutes (no longer, or they will dry out). Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute (no longer), then transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe © copyright Dreena Burton (eat, drink & be vegan)

Chocolate Thrill Ice Cream

Chocolate Thrill Ice Cream

2/3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
1 can (400 ml) coconut milk (regular, not light, I use Earth’s Choice organic brand)
2 tbsp coconut butter (at room temperature so softened; not coconut oil, see note)
1 cup chocolate almond milk (or other chocolate non-dairy milk)
2 tbsp brown rice syrup (see note)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
few pinches sea salt

Add in’s:
1/3 cup broken cookie pieces (chocolate coconut macaroons, chocolate chip, or other cookies of choice)
3 tbsp vegan chocolate syrup

First melt the chocolate in a bowl fitted over a saucepan with simmering (not boiling water). Stir through until just melted. Meanwhile, in a blender, add the coconut milk, coconut butter, almond milk, brown rice syrup, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt. Once chocolate is melted, add to blender and puree ingredients until well combined (stopping to scrape down blender jar as needed). Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker (following manufacturer’s instructions). Once mixture has reached a soft-serve ice cream stage, add the cookie pieces, and let mix through for just a minute or so. Get a container to transfer mixture for storage in freezer. As you scoop/ladle mixture into container, drizzle in some chocolate syrup, without stirring through (work in a few layers). Once all ice cream/syrup is transferred to container, store in freezer until more firmly frozen and set.

Notes:

1) I use the Artisana brand of coconut butter. It is not the same as coconut oil, since it is a puree of raw (and organic) coconut meat. If you cannot find it in your local store, it is worth ordering online (ex: veganessentials.com). You can also try substituting raw cashew butter or macadamia butter.

2) After blending the ice cream mix (before churning), test taste for sweetness. If you think you’d like the ice cream sweeter, now’s the time to add another tablespoon or two of brown rice syrup, or even agave nectar. I like the level of sweetness with the specified measurements, but you may want it sweeter (or less sweet). Keep in mind that the mix will actually taste a little less sweet to your tongue once frozen, so the blended mix should taste a touch sweeter than you might expect.

3) You can add other goodies to this ice cream, including toffee pieces, toasted nuts, non-dairy truffles, etc!

Recipe © copyright 2009 Dreena Burton

"Vegveeta" Cheese Dip

Warm “Vegveeta” Cheese Sauce

This warm ‘cheesy’ dip has a mild flavor that can be used to accompany many foods… and also combines very well with salsa to mimic the velveeta/salsa dip from years ago. I make this without nutritional yeast, but if you like it, feel free to add in the nooch!

1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp tahini (or 1/8 cup pine nuts)
1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup + 1-3 tbsp plain unsweetened almond milk (see note)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
1/2 tsp (little scant) paprika
1/8 – 1/4 tsp turmeric (for color)
1 tbsp light-flavored (not extra-virgin) olive oil (or other neutral-flavored oil of choice, such as organic canola or safflower oil, see note)
optional: 1 ½ -2 tbsp nutritional yeast

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until very, very smooth (start with 1 cup + 1 tbsp milk). Transfer mixture to a small/medium saucepan, and heat over low/low-medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until mixture is starting to slowly bubble and thicken (stir frequently through heating). To thin sauce slightly, stir in another 1-2 tbsp of milk. Avoid thickening sauce over high heat (or increasing heat too quickly), since this sauce can scorch easily. Once sauce has thickened, transfer to a serving dish… and get dipping!

Notes:
1) I prefer to use plain unsweetened almond milk (by Blue Diamond) in this cheese dip. It has a more neutral flavor than soy milk, and isn’t sweet-tasting as rice and hemp milks can be. Try using the almond milk if you can.

2) Be sure to use a neutral oil (not extra-virgin olive oil) so that the mild cheese flavor is not overtaken by any particular oil essence.

3) The color of this dip will deepen with heating. When first blended, it is quite light without much color, but with heating, more yellow/orange color develops.

Options:
1) For a nacho “Vegveeta”-style dip, try stirring about 1/3 – ½ cup of your fave salsa into the heated sauce.

2) Other add-in’s to consider (add after blending/warming sauce):
- a handful of sliced green onions
- chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed, drained) or fresh chopped tomatoes
- sliced olives
- chopped parsley or cilantro.
- for heat-lovers, a few tablespoons of chopped jalapeno peppers or a few dashes of hot sauce.

Recipe © copyright 2009 Dreena Burton

Gingered Pear Crisp (wheat-free option)

From Vive le Vegan! (photo courtesy of Sanja from the Coconut and Raspberry blog)

A festive twist on a fruit crisp that combines sweet pears with the tang of cranberries and the mild heat of fresh ginger. While warm, serve topped with a little vanilla non-dairy ice cream or Celestial Cream (scroll down recipe for cream recipe) for a distinctly delicious dessert.

Pear Base:
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp arrowroot powder
5 fresh pears, peeled, cored and cut into thick slices or cut in chunks (roughly 4 1⁄2 cups)
3 tbsp dried cranberries (see note)
2 - 21⁄2 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄8 - 1⁄4 tsp ground cardamom
1⁄8 tsp sea salt
1⁄8 tsp allspice

Topping:
1⁄2 cup quick oats
1⁄4 cup ground oats (see Cooking Notes, p.<>)
1⁄4 cup spelt flour (for wheat-free version), whole-wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup toasted almond slivers (or other toasted nuts) (optional)
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). For the pear base: in a large bowl, combine the maple syrup with the arrowroot and stir until arrowroot is dissolved. Add the remaining pear base ingredients, and toss through until well combined. Transfer to a lightly oiled 8"x8" baking dish. In another bowl, combine all the topping ingredients, and use your fingers to work the mixture until just crumbly. Sprinkle the topping over the pear mixture, distributing evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden and a little bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Note: Dried cranberries are ideal for a seasonal touch during Christmas or Thanksgiving. However, other dried fruit can be substituted at other times of the year (or if preferred), such as raisins or dried cherries.

Pureed Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Recipe from The Everyday Vegan.

1 large butternut squash (to yield 6-7 cups of flesh when cooked, see note)

2-3 large sweet potatoes or yams (orange-fleshed tubers) (to yield about 3 cups when cooked, see note)

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

few pinches sea salt

few pinches freshly ground black pepper

2-3 medium-large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 1 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake squash and sweet potatoes (on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper) for 55-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Prepare other ingredients while squash/potatoes are cooking and cooling. Once cooled enough to handle, slice squash and yams and scoop flesh from the peels (discard seeds and string from squash). In a large soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, celery, salt, pepper, garlic, curry powder, coriander, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, adding a few drops of water if need (if onions are sticking). Add vegetable stock, 1 cup of water, and squash and sweet potato flesh. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add ginger (and extra water if desired to thin soup). Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with extra salt and pepper if desired, and serve.

Note: Instead of 1 large squash, you could use 2 smaller ones, to equal roughly 4 1/2 lbs total. Similarly, you can use smaller sweet potatoes, equalling roughly 2-2 1/2 lbs total.