Scraps and Snippets ~ Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Crepes ~ Vegan MoFo #21

Lemon-Raspberry Cream Crepes

I'll be honest. I think I stink at Crepe making. The best I was able to do was this. I think the plating with the splat of raspberry takes away the whole crepe fail thing. However. After the first crepe fail and the second go around with Isa's Vegan Brunch Crepe study session I did. I think the inspired by Isa's Crepe-tastic wisdom I was able to make a batter that works if you have the skills/tools to be a crepemaking diva. I lack both.

I think I will attempt to do this again. But I may just go ahead and make a crepe stack that I layer with delish cream and raspberry drizzle and cut into wedges. Then the holes and mishapen monstrosities I produced just won't matter. See. Once you saw the raspberry splat you didn't even notice the holey mess of crepes.

I do have to say that these were delicious!!!!! Really.

Lemon Crepes (Makes 10 medium)

3/4 Cup non-dairy milk
3 TBSP water
1/2 Cup lemon juice
1/4 Cup agave or maple syrup
3 TBSP garbanzo bean flour
3/4 Cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1/8 tsp salt
three drops (1/2 of an 1/8 tsp measure) almond extract

Hot greased pan. This stuff needs to be a very liquid pancake batter. Thin spatula. Patience. Pour a couple tablespoons into the pan, swirl and try to make an even circle. Watch and wait. The batter will bubble a bit and the edges will begin to cook and pull away. Carefully lift once the discs appear cooked through and flip. (Develop quick plating skills and/or stacking techniques if you fail.)


Raspberry Syrup

1 Cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/4 Cup maple syrup

Blend well in processor or blender.

Coconut Whip Cream (If desired and to help mask imperfect crepes if needed. I didn't have chilled coconut on hand. )

1 Can pre-chilled full fat coconut milk. This needs to be in your fridge for 48 hours at least to cause the milk to separate into layers. You will scoop the thick layer into a bowl and begin whipping. Save the liquid watery milk for another use like smoothies or Thai cooking.
3 TBSP powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip until whipped cream consistency. Place in a ziploc and put in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Cheesecake

3 TBSP Vegan white chocolate melted
1/3 Cup non-dairy cream cheese
1 1/2 Cup powdered sugar
1 Pkge Mori-Nu Firm silken tofu
1 TBSP arrowroot
2 TBSP coconut oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract

Process all ingredients and place in refrigerator at least two hours prior to being ready to put dessert together. Overnight is the best texture, but two hours will work.

Make crepes.

Fill each crepe with dollops of cheese cake cream. Drizzle raspberry syrup over and roll (or stack. 
 :  )  ). If using whip squirt cream over crepe and drizzle with more raspberry syrup.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Bundt Cake Vegan MoFo #20

Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Bundt Cake 
(Breakfast or dessert or both) It's a plate licker.


Batter:

1 Cup pumpkin puree (room temperature)
1/2 Cup non-dairy milk
2 tsp vinegar
1 1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 Cup coconut oil (room temperature)
1/2 Cup applesauce (room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 Cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 grease and flour bundt pan. Place milk and vinegar together and allow to curdle. Leave 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, sugar, spices, applesauce oil and blend well and until thoroughly mixed. Add flour and incorporate.

Pour half the batter in the pan. Set aside remaining batter.

Maple Caramel Sauce:

1/2 Cup brown sugar
6 TBSP coconut oil

4 TBSP non-dairy milk

1/2 Cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 shakes of salt

 Melt coconut oil, add brown sugar and maple syrup. Combine until the mixture melts and begins to bubble. Add milk and stir until all is incorporated and the sauce comes to a simmer. Simmer for about a minute. Remove from heat. Add the cinnamon and salt and stir and vanilla and stir.
Add cooled sauce to food processor and then add

1 Cup pecans
1 Cup dates
 
Blend until finely combined and sticky.

Layer the caramel over the pumpkin cake batter in the cake pan. Cover the pecan mixture with the rest of the batter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Let the bundt cake cool. Then turn over onto a plate. 


Glaze:

3 TBSP non-dairy cream cheese
1 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 Cup powdered sugar

Mix together. Add a TBSP or so of non-dairy milk if the glaze is too thick. You want it thicker than glaze but wet enough to run down the sides of the cake. When the cake is completely cool cover the cake with icing and the maple sugar pecans. 

Maple Sugar Pecans:

Toss 1 Cup pecans in a pan. When fragrant toss in
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 TBSP maple syrup
pinch of salt

Coat pecans and toss until the sugar begins to melt and the glaze sticks to the nuts. Remove from heat and cool. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Grinding Down to the End Update Vegan MoFo # 19

I was going to post a bonus recipe today. One I happened on while coming up with breakfast ideas. It makes for a tasty dessert. But. After working on "Make You Cry Triple Fudgy Torte" until my eyes got bleary last night I thought I'd give an update instead. 

Lazy? Lame? Hoping it will be worth the wait. All of these. 

This was the dessert menu I posted at the beginning. And here's what's left and the status.  I merged two redundant chocolate fudge concoctions. And I've added the Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Bundt Cake. 
 
Make You Cry Triple Fudgy Torte (Currently, the parts and pieces of this bad boy are in my fridge and chilling, waiting to be all put together.)

Caramel Pecan Fudge Truffle Pie (This is a sad story. I made this over the weekend but forgot one of the layers. So we ate it in it's unfinished glory and didn't take pictures. I'll need to make it again. Hang in there. The missing layer will take it over the top. )

Black Forest Cherry Supreme Pie (Haven't even begun. It's in my head and should be delish. But, my head is not always the best place to hang out.)

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake Crepes (Another weekend fail. Oh my. The creamy goodness and raspberry syrup, coconut whipped cream combo, oh so good, but the crepes were a major fail. Sad. So. Going to work on it. )

Strawberry Pie (Fresh Strawberry Fudge Pie. Gotta work on the crust. Hang in there.) 

So there you go. Six more recipes coming at you. And while I've been desserting all month I have managed to throw together a couple tasty dinner ideas, too. Those will be appearing in November. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Margaritaville Mojito Mousse ~ Vegan MoFo #18

I set out to create the equivalent to Applebee's Shooters. 

My final Shooter knock-off....my Vegan version of the Key Lime Shooter. 

I've tweaked it a bit to make it more interesting and hopefully flavorful. 

Introducing the Margaritaville Mojito Mousse Dessert. 

Forgive the pictures. In the flurry of activity I'm afraid this one didn't get adequate pictorial coverage. Picture a layered dessert that looks pale and delicious in rows in a glass loaf pan, trifle bowl or individual glass cups. This will also work as a pie.

Pretzel Crust:

1 1/2 Cups crushed pretzels (about three cups of intact pretzels)
1 and 1/2 TBSP powdered sugar
2 TBSP coconut oil 

Blend all together until it sticks together slightly when pressed.

Place half of the crumbs in the serving dishes/pans you will be using. Reserve half for the next layer. 

Lime Cream :

1 silken firm or extra firm tofu (Mori Nu)
2 TBSP arrowroot powder
3 TBSP lime juice
1 and 3/4 Cup powdered sugar

Combine fully in food processor. 

Layer one half the cream over the pretzel crust. Reserve half for the second layer.

Coconut Mint Cream:

1 Can Coconut Milk (this needs to be refrigerated for two days ahead of time and the thick layer needs to be skimmed off and placed in a mixer bowl. You can save the watery layer for smoothies or cooking etc)
Whip the cream
Add 3 TBSP powdered sugar
and 1 to 3 drops of mint flavoring. Start with one. You want the mint to be just a hint unless you really love mint. 

When it is the taste you want and whipped, place 1/2 of the coconut cream over the lime layer. 

Repeat all three layers. 

Refrigerate at least two hours, overnight is better and even a full 24 hours even better.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Gingerbread Pumpkin Pecan Pie ~ Vegan MoFo #17

This Gingerbread Pumpkin Pecan Pie inspired folks to eat pie for breakfast and even lick plates. Okay. The plate licking was the other pumpkin dessert but I'm pretty sure she licked this platter clean, too. I don't even like pumpkin pie and I must say it was pretty tasty.

You have to make this the day before or at least 6 hours in advance for it to be nice and set up. You also need to plan ahead and soak your cashews at least an hour.

You can grind up other Vegan ginger cookies, but I'm kind of a cheapo and try to do it myself where I can. So. This is what I did. I made my own, let em cool and processed them into crumbs and added a TBSP or two of coconut oil and pressed it in the pie pan.

Ginger Cookie Crust:

350 degrees, 10-12 minutes

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup sugar
2 TBSP molasses
1 Cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

Mix. oil, sugar, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, salt and almond extract together. When well incorporated add flour. Divide dough into 12 -16 cookie sections, Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool. When cool place all the cookies in a food processor and whir. Add 1 TBSP coconut oil. Blend together. Press mixture between your finger and thumb. If it holds together it's ready and needs to be pressed into the pie pan. If too crumbly add 1 more TBSP of coconut oil and repeat. Once ready, refrigerate until needed. .

Pecan Pie Layer:

1/4 Cup maple syrup
20 Dates
1 Cup pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 pinch of salt.

Whir this in a food processor until incorporated. Leave it a little textury  Dollop/dump this into the bottom of the pie shell and replace into the fridge to cool.


Pumpkin Layer:

1 Cup drained soaked cashews
1 12ish ounce package Mori nu silken tofu
3 TBSP coconut oil
10 dates (reg sized if you use Medjool use less)
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 TBSP cornstarch
3 TBSP powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 Cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
3 tsp cinnamon (this is cinnamony but is balanced by the pecan layer. If you want to cut back on the cinnamon you can) (Vietnamese is so good)

Whir all this in a food processor. Feel free to use the same one with the pecan dregs still within. When it's incorporated and smooth pour it over the pecan layer and return to refrigerator.

Serve with Vegan ice cream or whipped cream. (Coconut whip is amazing...just sayin) This little sucker will be attending Thanksgiving dinner with me.

Scraps and Snippets ~ White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse ~ Vegan MoFo # 16

White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse

Makes a small trifle bowl, 8 x 11 pan, a loaf pan, or individual ramekins.


Raspberry Syrup:
 
2 pints raspberries
1/4 Cup maple syrup

Wash and keep 20 or so for garnish and place the rest in the food processor and add 1/4 cup maple syrup. Blend into a syrup and set aside.

White Chocolate Layer:

1 Mori Nu firm or extra firm silken tofu
1 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
2/3 Cup non-dairy cream cheese
1 TBSP lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 Cup plus 1 TBSP Vegan white chocolate chips (reserve a tablespoon for drizzle)

Melt chips, place remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend well. Add melted chocolate and incorporate. Layer one half of white chocolate into serving dish/dishes. Set aside remaining.

Pour 1/2 the raspberry syrup over the white chocolate layer and refrigerate while you prep the whip cream.

Whipped Cream:

I can of coconut cream (full fat milk -- chilled for at least 48 hours).
2 TBSP powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Place half of the coconut whip on the white chocolate and raspberry layers. Repeat layers. Top with the full raspberries and a drizzle of melted white chocolate.

Scraps and Snippets ~ Maple Pear Galette with Almond Biscotti Crumble ~ Vegan MoFo #15

Maple Pear Galette with Almond Biscotti Crumble 

(This dessert was nick-named "More" by an omnivore friend because that's what she wanted - more.)

First make the Biscotti (or find your favorite Vegan biscotti and crush them to save this step...however, these are tasty.)

Almond Biscotti

Preheat oven 350 makes 16-24 biscotti depending on size etc.

2  Cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup applesauce
3 TBSP coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 Cup chopped, toasted almonds (chop and then place in 350 oven for approx 10 minutes)

Combine sugar, coconut oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond extract. Add salt, baking powder, mix well. Add flour and incorporate. Add the toasted almonds.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Form two long loafs with the batter (like small bread loaf size). To make it easier (Oh She Glows, thanks for the tip) to cut your biscotti after baking, score the loaves. Cut through the dough every half inch or so.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Turn oven down to 300 and cool your biscotti dough for 15 minutes. Slice along the hash marks you cut into the dough and lay the biscotti on their sides. Bake at 300 for 12 minutes. Remove and turn the biscotti. Bake another 12 then shut oven off but leave the cookies in the oven until they cool. Enjoy the batch but save 5-6 smaller biscotti to crush and mix with your remaining crust to top your galette.


Crust:  (This is not a roll out crust, it's a press in the pan one, you can sub out a favorite crust recipe if you'd like).

3/4 cup coconut oil
3 c flour (plus 1 TBSP)
4 Tablespoons coconut milk
1 tsp salt
4 Tablespoons sugar

Mix all dry ingredients, working coconut oil into dry until mixture is uniform. Add liquid then mix with a fork just until it comes together.

Press crust dough into pie pan. (reserve some crust for crumbles on top, 3/4 cup or so.) And sprinkle a TBSP of flour into bottom of crust. Or make 10-12 individual ramekins (depending on their size). 

 Filling:

(Individually/ramekins you will use approximately a heaping half cup of diced pears and 1/3 cup of caramel).

Peel and slice approximately 5-6 pears to get 3-4  cups of fruit (depending on how big your pie plate is and how heapy you like your pies). Place in a bowl and sprinkle just a bit of sugar over them. (I did make another one of these using apples. I don't know if pears are a drier fruit or I had extra juicy apples but my pie turned out a little wet when I used apples. So if you want to make that substitution try really draining the bowl of fruit before adding to the caramel or adding another TBSP of flour over the fruit and under the topping)

Maple Caramel Sauce:

1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup maple syrup
3/4 Cup coconut oil
1/2 Cup non-dairy milk
2  teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a saucepan melt coconut oil then add brown sugar and maple syrup. Combine and cook until mixture melts and begins to bubble. Add milk, stirring constantly bring to a low rolling boil. Boil I minute. Remove from heat and add the cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Stir well.

Add the pears to the crust and pour caramel over them. Crumble remaining crust dough mixed with 5 of the biscotti crushed into chunks over the top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 for 45-55 mins. If you are using ramekins 25 minutes or so should do it.