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Posts Tagged ‘dessert’

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Treats

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on February 13, 2013 | 1 Comment »

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All I want to do all day is make Valentine’s Day treats!!

I don’t know what has come over me. Half of me is like Grr! Valentine’s Day *insert bitter single person ranting about it being a commercial holiday*

BUT, the other half of me is like, But I just want to stay home all day and bake cute red and pink heart-shaped treats. And put Valentine’s Day Sprinkles on everything. And watch the Notebook while making cute Valentine’s Day cards and crying because Ryan Gosling is probably planning something cute for his real life girlfriend, Eva Mendez, aka, not me. Actually, I’ve move on (sort of)- I’m all about Ed Sheeran right now. I desperately need to get tickets to see him with Taylor Swift this summer or I may die. Not to be dramatic or anything…

Unfortunately, for my Valentine’s day- loving, Martha Stewart-wannabe side, I have that little thing called work that fills up most of my life. So instead of staying home all day and laboring over cute cupcakes with pink hearts inside, or red velvet heart-shaped pancakes, I have to find fast easy dessert that I can do in between work and my life.

Enter heart-shaped Rice Krispie hearts. Cute, easy and able to decorate with valentine’s day sprinkles. yes, please!

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Vegan Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
from A Kind Diet but Alice Silverstone; found on-line here; heart-shapes inspired by My Blessed Life

1 3/4 cups brown rice syrup
1 pinch sea salt
3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter (Alicia Silverstone suggests all-natural, unsweetened, unsalted. I used Teddy’s which is all-natural and unsweetened. Its like Meatloaf said, “Two out of three aint bad”)
1 box brown rice crisps cereal
1 bag of vegan chocolate chips

Heat rice syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When rice syrup liquefies, add peanut butter and stir until well combined and heated through.

Pour entire box of cereal into a large bowl. Pour rice syrup mixture on top. Use your hands to incorporate everything together.

If you are cutting out shapes, line a 9 x 13 baking dish with wax paper. Press mixture into baking dish (mine fit into a 9×13 with enough left over to fill a 9×9). Wet your fingers as your press down to keep them from sticking. If you are using a cookie cutter to cut out hearts, make sure you do not make your rice krispie treats thicker then your cookie cutter. It makes it more difficult to cut. Let cool for 1 hour. Once cool, remove the wax paper from the pan and place on a clean surface (if you are just cutting into squares, just cut them in the pan). Cut out your hearts. (If you do hearts, you can roll the scraps into balls and dunk them in chocolate. I kept those for me cause they’re kind of ugly)

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or on the stove using a double boiler (I prefer the stove-top method). Once melted, pull off heat and let cool for a minute or so. Dunk the top half of your rice krispies in the chocolate. Top with sprinkles. Let cool for 30 minutes to an hour.

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I apologize that I’m getting this recipe to you so late. I started it last night and then got distracted by the President’s speech (aka, fell asleep about 10 minutes in). BUT on the plus side, there’s only 5 ingredients and it’s super easy to make. You have PLENTY of time to pull this off before Valentine’s Day tomorrow. It would be such a cute surprise in that special someone’s lunch. Or your own!

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Tomorrow morning I will be posting one more Vday recipe (if it comes out), which is so ridiculous since you won’t have time to make it but I don’t care. I’m excited for it and who knows. Maybe you’ll have time to make it after dinner or you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day this weekend.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on February 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

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It’s Snowing!!

So, I’m not sure where you are but we here in New England are hunkered down under a snow storm. We had a snow day today and it was EXCELLENT! Know what I did? I did laundry. And I watched A LOT of Food Network. A LOT. I only get like 4 channels on my TV in my apartment so I have to take advantage when I have cable.

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So, clearly, I have to watch a million episodes of Chef’s Wanted (Ugh! I hate Anne Burrell almost as much as Sandra Lee but the show is so addicting! ) and cheesy Rom Com’s on TV (why is it that I would never pay money to see a Matthew Mcconaughey movie but when Failure to Launch or How to Lose a Guy is on, I will watch it…again…for the millionth time?).

And you know what goes really well with a lazy day inside watching Rom Com’s? Chocolate truffles! How cliche right?? But they work really well for Valentine’s Day too! They are super rich so it’s easy to limit yourself to one and it’s a much better quality then anything you would purchase on a whim at CVS or the grocery store. So, treat yourself to something special! Or treat your loved one to something special.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles
from Whole Living

  • 8 oz dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa), chopped (I used Chocolove, which I found at Whole Foods and knew I loved)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder, for rolling
  • Assorted toppings: cocoa powder (for an ombre effect, use a few different brands), finely chopped nuts (pistachios, Marcona almonds, hazelnuts), toasted unsweetened shredded coconut, or confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

  1. Heat chocolate, oil, and 3 Tbsp water in a double boiler, stirring, until just melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and sea salt.
  2. Transfer to an 8-inch baking dish and refrigerate until mixture is set but still pliable, about 2 hours.
  3. Using a 1-inch scoop or melon baller, scoop out chocolate mixture and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Coat hands in cocoa and roll chocolate into balls. Refrigerate on parchment-lined baking sheet 10 minutes. You don’t want to eat these right out of the fridge, though. It will be pretty solid. I keep mine at room temp.

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You are really going to want to use a high-quality chocolate for this recipe. This recipe is all about the chocolate so you don’t want to use hershey’s chocolate chips for this. Splurge for the good stuff. As I mentioned above, I used Chocolove. I thought this was appropriate for a Valentine’s Day truffle. Each bar comes with a love poem. Awwww!  Their almond and sea salt dark chocolate bar is A-MAZ-ING. I could eat those things every day. And their dark chocolate bar was no disappointment. Feel free to use your favorite chocolate, though!
 
 
 
Ok, Law and Order: SVU is having a marathon. Clearly, Stabler is calling me!
 
 

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on October 26, 2012 | 3 Comments »

First off, I want to give a shout out to anyone who is making there way here from How Sweet Eats. I’m so glad you came back to check out Wicked Vegan! Even though my recipes don’t contain Jessica’s signatures (bacon, cheese, browned butter…), I promise I still have super yummy recipes!

Anyway! T-minus 5 days until Halloween and I am so excited!

Now, if only I could get anything on my Halloween To-Do list done. Currently, I still have to:

  • Buy boots for my halloween costume
  • Buy supplies to turn said boots into rainbow-striped moonboots
  • Actually get my butt in gear and use said supplies to turn said boots into rainbow-striped moonboots
  • Decorate for party
  • Bake for party
  • make halloween cards

You know, all that super fun stuff I love to do but I just haven’t had the time or energy to actually complete. oi! Why isn’t October/Fall longer?! I need like two more week of fall awesomeness before I’m ready for Halloween.

If I could have no work for those two weeks too that would be perfect! In fact, if we could just freeze time tomorrow at noon until I get all my fun stuff done, that would be perfect!

No big deal, right??

Anyway, here is a recipe for you that would be great for your halloween get together or to help keep your sweet tooth vegan on halloween day.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
a mash up of Loveandoliveoil.com‘s truffles and How Sweet Eats‘ Pumpkin cookies

1 c. butter (2 sticks)

1/2 c. pumpkin butter (or canned pumpkin puree)

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/3 c. soy milk

2 1/2 c. flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

1 bag of mini vegan chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips)

little bit of vegan shortening

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice.

In a large bowl, beat butters and sugars with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 or 3 minutes. Mix in milk and vanilla.  Slowly add in flour mixture and beat on low speed until incorporated. Stir in 1 c. of chocolate chips. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes or firm enough to handle. If you find that the dough isn’t firming in the fridge, you can put it in the freezer.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place dough in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the rest of your chocolate chips and the vegan shortening in a double boiler or the microwave ( I much prefer the double boiler). Dip dough balls in the melted chocolate. Refrigerate in an airtight container. Truffles will keep for about 2 week, if you don’t eat them before then.

These truffles are SUPER delicious but the texture is a little different from the original cookie dough truffles. The pumpkin butter makes the dough very creamy, almost like cheesecake. I liked them best frozen. It keeps them solid. Though, they absolutely do not need to be frozen. If you make them and leave them out at a party, they will be just as delicious.

Now, off to paint some hideously ugly Ugg-like boots into awesome rainbow brite boots!

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Deep Dish Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on October 4, 2012 | 1 Comment »

To the tune of 50 cents- In Da Club

“Go, Go, Go

Go, Go Wicked vegan, it’s  your birthday.

We’re gonna party like it’s  your birthday.

We’re gonna make vegan cake like it’s your birthday

And you know we don’t give a F**k cause it’s your birthday!

You can find me in the kitchen

Baking cake thats bitchen

Look readers I got the pumpkin

if you wanna autumn snack

So good with no double chin,

you’re gonna think it’s wack

Recipe is below if you into cakes that

don’t blow.”

…sorry… that was unnecessary… but I mean, clearly I missed my calling as a rapper. Clearly!

ANYWAYS. It’s Wicked Vegan’s 1 year birthday! You know… incase you didn’t get that from my rap above. I want to thank everyone who checked out my little blog this year. Every person who visited was SO appreciated. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing someone read my ramblings.

So to celebrate, I made this delicious autumn cake/cookie to share with you. Enjoy!

Deep Dish Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie
from Chocolate Covered Katie

  • 2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) (I used garbanzos)
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin (or butternut squash or sweet potato)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything (except the chips) very well in a food processor (NOT a blender). Blend until it’s super-smooth. Mix in chips, and pour into a pan. (I used a 10-inch springform pan, but you can use a smaller pan if you want a really deep-dish pie.) Cook at 350F for 35 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

This recipe is very similar to the regular deep dish cookie cake , which as I said about 8 million times was delicious! This version is just as delicious but with a a fall twist. And we all know that I LOVE a fall twist!

Plus there is chocolate. And as I said in the last post, chocolate is must when you’re in a funk. mmmm…look how ooey, gooey that is above.

Look at me Eek plate. Isn’t it adorable?

Keep an eye out for my  upcoming rap CD. It’s called “White Vegan Girls Shouldn’t Rap”.

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Single Serving Funfetti Cupcake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on August 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »


Guess what I discovered this week? Spotify’s radio station “The Best Emo Songs of All Time”. I’m absolutely dying right now! I was all about the emo music in high school. I used to listen to Dashboard Confession and Brand New ad nauseam. This was pre-Ipod days, though. I remember sitting on the bus (ugh, if I never have to ride another bus, I’ll die happy) with my CD player and I’d listen to whichever CD I had over and over again. I saw Get Up Kids, Ataris and MXPX live in concert and I’m pretty sure my life was complete when MXPX played GSF live. Ok…maybe I still have a rather large soft spot in my heart for emo music (and Chris Carrabba…) I clearly need to get an Iphone just so I can carry this radio station with me everywhere!

Know what else I discovered this week that has nothing to do with my questionable taste in music (I actually made a Spotify playlist with Drake, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift…who am I?)? That this is Wicked Vegan’s 100th post!! YEAH! I was going to post a quesadilla for this post but I realized, um…a quesadilla isn’t celebratory at all. I need some sprinkles up in this joint!

Enter, the single-serving funfetti cupcake.

Single-Serving Funfetti Cupcake
from Chocolate Covered Katie
yields one cupcake

  • 3 tbsp flour (I used regular all purpose but you could use almost anything: whole wheat, pastry, spelt, etc.)
  • heaping 1/16th tsp salt
  • 1tbsp applesauce, oil, pre-melted vegan butter, or a combo (I used coconut because it’s all I had. You could definitely taste the coconut, which was delicious, just warning you)*
  • 1tbsp plus 1 tsp liquid (milk of choice, or water)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp sprinkles (or more or less, as desired)
  • Sweetener (Try 1 tbsp sugar or 1 packet stevia. If you use liquid sweetener, cut back on the other liquid.)

*Note: CCK says “subbing all the oil in a recipe for applesauce will give you a gummier result. Still yummy, but much denser than your traditional cupcake with oil.”

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients and pour into an oiled (or sprayed) muffin pan. Smooth top of batter. Cook for 12-15ish minutes.

For the “frosting”, I was out of Earth Balance so a traditional butter cream was out. Plus, I wanted something fast to go with the recipe. So I just melted about an 1/8th cup of chocolate chips with a tsp of peanut butter in the microwave then swirled my cupcake in it. YUM!

 This came together so fast! I had all the ingredients and it was in the oven in within 5-10 minutes. It totally hit the spot for a fast sweet treat and the best part? You aren’t stuck with a dozen cupcakes! It’s perfect for a cheat day if you’re dieting cause you don’t have to worry about the left overs

For me? I found it perfect for when I was blasting emo music and  eating my emotions regarding my relationship limbo and uncertain future. Cupcakes make everything better. =)

You should be warned that Wicked Vegan’s 1 year birthday is coming up. As is, my birthday and the first day of fall. Expect a few more celebratory cupcakes!

Best part of this post? As I was writing this, Spotify let me know I can post a playlist on a blog. It’s like they know me! So, here’s your playlist for your single cupcake adventures!

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S’mores Truffles

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on July 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

This week, a truly amazing thing happened that left me all warm and fuzzy.

DSW and Toms sent me their fall shoe preview emails.

That’s right…fall shoes. Which means only one thing, summer is almost over. I’m getting giddy just thinking about it! Fall is right around the corner and I will be pulling out my tights, boots and scarves (and apparently my new plaid Toms…So cute!) in no time!

Just not yet.

Because today, it’s going to be in the 80s and I am still recovering from my Warped Tour sunburn which has moved from the “oh-my-god-this-hurts-so-bad-I-can’t-sleep” phase to the “oh-my-god-this-itches-so-bad-I-can’t-sleep” phase. The latter is also known as “aren’t-I-so-sexy-with-my-peeling-skin” phase. Needless to say, my upcoming beach weekend will be spent with a tshirt on At. All. Times. I imagine the only thing worse than a sunburn is a sunburn on top of a sunburn. *shudder*.

Anyway, since I can’t fire up the oven, pull out my soup pot and go apple picking just yet, I’m chowing down on these no-bake S’mores Truffles.

the “dough”

S’mores Truffles 
from The Wonder Forest, created by Catherine from Rabbit Food for my Bunny Teeth
Makes 10 kisses

2 graham crackers + 1 for outer “crust”
1/2 cup unsalted cashews
1 cup Medjool dates – pitted
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp vegan mini chocolate chips (or carob chips for a vegan option)
Optional: additional 1/4 cup of chocolate for dunking.

Place 1 graham cracker in a food processor or blender and process until finely ground. Empty the graham cracker contents into a bowl and set aside, as it will be used to roll the truffles in later. Combine cashews and 2 graham crackers  in a food processor and grind until they become very finely ground, but not a butter. Remove pits from dates. Once pits have been removed, add the dates and vanilla into the food processor. Process until the contents are evenly chopped/combined and form a sticky dough (my food processor apparently isn’t cool enough to form a dough. Instead, everything got really finely ground, which worked fine. See picture for reference). Remove dough from the food processor and fold in chocolate chips by hand or mixing spoon. Using a 1tbsp measuring spoon, scoop the dough into balls and roll evenly in your hands.

At this point, you can either: 1. Roll the ball through the bowl of ground graham cracker, coating it evenly (this will add flavor and prevent the kisses from sticking together). Or, 2. melt the additional chocolate chips in a double boiler with a tiny bit of vegetable shortening. Dip the truffles in the melted chocolate (I only dipped half of each truffle in chocolate) and then roll in the ground graham crackers.  

store in the refrigerator for 1 week, or freezer for up to 1 month.

I’ve made these both ways, with the graham cracker crust and dunked in chocolate. If you are planning on taking these on an outing such as the beach or camping, stick with the graham cracker crust. If you are munching on these for lunch throughout the week and can keep them refrigerated, make the chocolate dunked ones. Both are delicious, though!

These are definitely getting packed for this weekends beach adventure! Along with SPF 500, long sleeve t-shirts and jeans. I will not get sunburned again!!

PS. Do you like my red paper napkin prop?? Goal for next week- work on picture composition and props!

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Patriotic Popsicles and July 4th Roundup

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on July 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

One more day until we get a mid-week day off! I have to say, even though I’d rather be on vacation this week with everyone I know, the lack of traffic in Boston is beautiful! It took me 7 minutes to get to work. 7! It usually take me at least 20. I am way too excited about this.
 
So what are everyones plans for the 4th? I foresee some serious sleeping in and laziness occurring for me. Maybe a mid-day BBQ, definitely a margarita and overall just enjoying the day I have off while secretly praying my 6-930 shift at my retail job is cancelled.
 
One things for sure- I will be concluding my BBQ lunch with these Popsicles, which I am a HUGE fan of. I’ve been craving popsicles like crazy lately but I haven’t been able to find popsicle molds anywhere. Popsicles are like the new cupcake. Come on, stores! Instead, I went the old fashion route- dixie cups, popsicle sticks and a spring form pan to keep the cups from rolling around in my freezer. Success! I imagine a lot more popsicle recipes in the future. Chocolate mint? Strawberry margarita? Cookie dough? oh yeah!
Patriotic Popsicles
from Taste of Home
  • 1 1/4 C sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 3/4 c (14 oz) vanilla yogurt divided (I used Soy  Delicious vanilla coconut-milk yogurt)
  • 1 1/4 c blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 6 popsicle molds or paper cups (app. 3 oz. each)*

Place the fresh strawberries and 2 TBSP yogurt in a blender and process until fully combined. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

In the blender, process the blueberries and 2 TBSP yogurt until full combined. Set aside.

Layer approximately 1 1/2 TBSP of strawberry mixture, 3 TBSP yogurt and 1/2 TBSP blueberry mixture in each mold or cup. Top with holders or cover plastic cups with tinfoil then insert popsicle stick. If you are using plastic cups, place the cups in a deep pan to hold them together in the freezer. I used a round springform plan and it worked perfectly!

*The original recipe said this made 12 popsicles by doing a 1:2:1 ratio of fruit, yogurt, fruit but when I tried doubling it to 2:4:2, I barely got 5. This 1.5:3:1.5 ratio I provided above should comfortably give you 6 popsicles.

 

And know for some great vegan recipes that should please everyone at your BBQ, or at least give you something to munch on!

Recipe Round Up:

appetizers/drink:

Black Bean Salsa

Blueberry Strawberry Salsa- My friend Amelia said this salsa changed her life. She could be exaggerating. Then again, maybe she isn’t…

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Strawberry Margarita- Best. Cocktail. EVER

Meals/sides:

Nuts and Oats Burger (make ahead of time and bring to the party that way they are ready to get thrown on the grill when the time comes. Also freezes well)

Peanut Pasta Salad with Fried Tempeh


Strawberry Chickpea Salad with Cinnamon Dijon Dressing- A change from the heavy pasta and potato salad, this dish would work as a side or as a full meal for those not interested in grilled meat.

Desserts:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

Cookie Dough Truffles

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes- Though these are chocolate and not white, which would be more ideal for the holiday, they are the perfect not-too-sweet cupcake that has always gotten thumbs up when served. You can go crazy with the frosting and sprinkles to make them more festive!

Fruit and Chocolate Dessert Pizza

Funfetti Cake Balls- these would look adorable with red white and blue sprinkles

Strawberry Margarita Cupcake

Trailmix Seven Layer Bars

Whole wheat Cherry Pecan Cookies- Cookies are great because they go together easily and are great for all ages

This round up has made me realize two things: 1. I have A LOT of dessert recipes and 2. I have A LOT of strawberry recipes. Good things 4th of July cook outs are perfect for both!

Have a safe 4th of July everyone!

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Chocolate chip cookie dough truffles

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on June 19, 2012 | 7 Comments »

Happy Tuesday, Everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and a Happy Father’s Day.

I asked Dad if he’d help me make a coffin table for halloween one year. I envisioned a cheapy plywood table- he took my idea and ran with it. And it came out awesome!

I know that I definitely had a rockin’ weekend. Since my Dad is the bestest Dad ever (I mean, come on…how many Dad’s would make their daughter a life-size coffin to use as a beer pong table for their halloween party??), I decided for Father’s Day to take him and my mom to the SoWa market in Boston. It has a farmer’s market and food trucks that I thought my Dad would get a kick out of. (I also bought him some Croc’s because he was practically begging for them. They’re so ugly though, I made him swear he wouldn’t wear them in public!)

We got free samples, we ate lunch out of food trucks (Clover’s is SO good!) and we OD’ed on craft tables (my Dad just adored that part as you can imagine). I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t more veggies in the farmer’s market area but it is still early in the season and I did walk away with some amazingly awesome strawberries (expect some strawberry recipes in the futures) so I can’t complain too much. Plus, Dad seemed to really enjoy it so that’s all that mattered! (Though, I think we walked away with matching Father/Daughter  sunburns so check back in with me tomorrow- We may be singing a different tune.)

Some of my favorite booths were Nella Pasta (I bought a frozen box full of sweet potato apple raviolis, which were awesome when I tried a sample), Soula’s Salsa (their black bean and corn fiesta salsa was super flavorful!) and Emrys Fynery, which was a jewelry table that had all this great, victorian- inspired, off-beat jewelry. Their etsy page doesn’t do them justice- they had a ton of stuff on display. SoWa is such a fun market. If you are in Boston and are looking for something not-so-touristy, I would definitely check it out.

Anyway, I also went to a porch party this weekend and I brought these super yummy truffles along. They went so fast! In fact, I went to check on them at one point to see if there were any left (because apparently the one hundred I ate while making them and on the way to the party weren’t enough…), and not only were the truffles gone but even the tupperware holding them was gone! I sort of imagine some super drunk kid huddled in a corner licking the crumbs out of it…they were seriously that good!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
from loveandoliveoil.com
makes about 3-4 dozen…if you don’t eat the dough as you go…

  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Earth Balance, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/3 cup soy milk
  • 1 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (or regular sized if you can’t find the mini chips. I only found some at Shaw’s and they were so expensive I opted not to get them)
  • 14 oz vegan chocolate chips for the outside shell
  • 1 tsp vegetable shortening

directions:

Beat Earth Balance and sugars and in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add soymilk and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed (or by hand) until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cover and chill dough for 1 hour.

When dough is firm enough to handle (it may help to lightly flour your hands), form dough into 1″ balls and arrange on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Place sheets in freezer and let chill for 30 minutes.

Melt chocolate and vegetable shortening in a double boiler. Using forks or a dipping tool, dip cookie balls into chocolate. Tap fork on side of pan to remove any excess coating, and return to waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill until set. Store, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

PS. these do have chocolate chips in them. For whatever reason, the one above just doesn’t. And I mean, I couldn’t very well bite into another one because I’d already eaten three!

 Loveandoliveoil.com came to my attention when I discovered the new book, The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook, which was written by Lindsay Landis, who writes the blog Love and Olive Oil. I MUST find this cook book and try more recipes because these truffles were so addicting. They were legit cookie dough without the eggs. I don’t know why I have never thought to roll up my vegan cookie dough, dunk it in chocolate and call it a new dessert. I mean, DUH! But Landis beat me to it so I gotta give her props! These were super delicious! And everyone at the party who tried them seemed to agree.

Dad and me a few years ago.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a good start to their week! And Happy Father’s Day again, Dad! (and if anyone sees him wearing those Croc’s anywhere besides his garden, let me know ASAP! Because that is definitely not allowed!)

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Strawberry Lime Granita

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on June 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Last week was a really weird food week. I was in a major food funk.  For the first half of the week, I was completely unmotivated to make anything. One night, I walked into the kitchen and just stood in the middle of it. I unenthusiastically opened cabinets and refrigerator doors but just could not figure out what I was in the mood to make and eat.

I settled on a banana dipped in pb. Then I curled up in bed and caught up on Girls. I may have had an additional spoonful (or two) of peanut butter before I was done my tv marathon. Maybe… And that was my dinner.

Another night, I had some leftover blueberry salsa lying around so I baked a tortilla shell (one of the huge ones) and just ate that and the salsa. Except, there was maybe ¼ cup of salsa left and it was gone before I was even half way through my tortilla. So I just ate a plain, baked tortilla. And that was my dinner for that night.

Nothing says a well rounded meal like a plain, baked tortilla covered in sea salt! oh yeah!

Truthfully, I think my weird food phrase may have had to do with the weather. I had planned out a menu of grilled items and light salads but then it got cold and rainy. Suddenly, curling up in my pjs, eating a banana and pb for dinner and watching hours of Girls seemed way more fun then trying to get my grill lit for a measly veggy burger..when it’s cold…and rainy.  Yuck!

Thankfully, the blogs I follow posted some amazing looking food last week and by the time Saturday rolled around, I was ready to cook again!

The first thing I had to make was Strawberry Lime Granita that Angela posted over at Ohsheglows.com. We all know that I’m obsessed with lime recently (especially when mixed with strawberry) courtesy of my Strawberry Margarita addiction. For breakfast one morning last week I had hot water with lime because it was 10 degrees in my office, I had no tea and because, well, I’m addicted to limes. I’m hoping this dessert will feed my Strawberry Margarita addiction without me having to reach for the booze. That handle of tequila is disappearing a bit faster than I would like!

Strawberry Lime Granita
from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled
  • 5-6 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste*
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup water

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust agave or lime juice to taste.

2. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square pan (or equivalent non-stick pan) and place into freezer for a couple hours, uncovered is fine. After a couple hours, scrape the mixture with a spoon or fork to break it up a little. You can repeat this process in another hour. It should be ready after 4-5 hours of freezing, but this may vary based on your freezer.

3. When it’s firm enough, scrape/shave it with a fork or spoon and serve. Cover and freeze leftovers in the freezer until ready to enjoy.

*As I may have mentioned, oh…8 times?…I’m really into lime so I added the full 6 TBSPs of lime juice. It turned out very sour and almost overpowers the strawberry. I’m clearly ok with that as I’ve been practically squirting lime juice directly into my mouth but you may want to start with 3 or 4 TBSPs and work up. Just a little warning

This dessert is perfect for the summer! It’s cold and refreshing but doesn’t have the heaviness of ice cream. Plus, won’t ruin any diets your on. Win all around!

Now can someone please tell me what I’m supposed to think of Adam and Hanna on Girls? I can’t decide how I feel about their relationship.

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Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2012 | 2 Comments »

My Memorial Day weekend consisted off:

- Tudors marathon on BBC America (seriously, Natalie Dormer made the best Anne Boleyn! All the other wives were so dull. And Henry Cavill…yes please!)

- Doing ALL my laundry, which took forever

- Celebrating a belated Mother’s Day. I baked Mom some Strawberry Margaritas Cupcakes. Dad made us some yummy grilled veggies and pasta. It was the only grilled food I had this weekend. Bummer! I’m remedying that tonight though

- Working

- Watching the new Underworld. What’s this? Underworld 5? Bring it!

- Cooking and baking…a lot! I made almond joy cake balls for Melinda’s birthday (she’s been telling me she wanted these for her birthday since I made them the first time- I’m not exaggerating). And I made these yummy cupcakes!

I know they are a bit of a cop-out because I’ve made the chocolate cupcakes before BUT the mint frosting and chocolate glaze are so yummy! I had to share them with you.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

cupcake:
My Perfect Chocolate Cupcake recipe found here

Mint cream:
from easybaked.net

  • 2.5 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract
  • 1/4 c. melted butter
  • water
  • green food coloring (optional)

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 6 oz vegan chocolate
  • 2 TBSP butter

Prepare the cupcakes according to the recipe. Allow to cool completely.

For the mint cream, mix the confectioners sugar, butter and peppermint extract together. If the mixture is not coming together, or is too dry, add a little water until it is a spreadable consistency. Add food color if you want. Spread on the cupcakes and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes- 1 hour until the mint cream has hardened.

For the chocolate glaze, melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler (or a microwave). Once melted, spoon the chocolate on the cupcake.

Tonight, I party it up with Melinda and crew. We’re hanging out, grilling, eating and going out drinking- all the things that make a good party! Pictures (and recipes, or course!) to come.

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