recipes
Easy yet Delicious Vegan Chocolate Truffles: A 5-Minute Recipe
Published
1 year agoon
We make chocolate truffles from a combination of cream and chocolate in the ratio of 1:1. Vegan chocolate truffles follow the same principle. However, instead of dairy milk cream, you use non-dairy milk cream. Coconut milk cream works well.
The Ingredients
- 500g coconut cream
- 500g dark chocolate – you can use chocolate chips or finely chopped dark chocolate bar
- Cocoa powder to garnish
- Brandy or your favorite liqueur (optional)
Procedure
Using a non-stick saucepan, bring the coconut cream to boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Stir until well combined.
Pour the mixture in a clean tray and transfer to the freezer to chill.
Using an ice cream scope, measure equal portions of the frozen mixture and roll them into your favorite shapes using the palms of your hands.
Now, gently but quickly, roll the melting vegan chocolate truffles in cocoa powder. Place them back in the freezer to chill until they are firm enough to handle.
Your vegan chocolate truffles are now ready.
Enjoy!
Vegan Dark Chocolate 101
For this recipe, use good quality dark chocolate for a smooth, shiny finish. The cocoa powder that you use to roll the finished vegan chocolate truffles should also be of high quality. However, please remember that not all dark chocolate bars are vegan.
Commercially, chocolate bars are a mixture of cocoa powder, sugar, and milk powder. However, they make good quality dark chocolate from cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter. The unsweetened dark chocolate doesn’t contain sugar, and this is what I prefer.
Lower quality chocolates, on the other hand, contain vegetable oils, artificial flavors and colors, and butterfat. These are not healthy especially if you’re mindful of your weight.
Dark chocolate is good for your heart. It has numerous health benefits, especially the unsweetened version.
How is Dark Chocolate Processed?
After harvesting cocoa pods, they extract their beans (seeds). These cocoa beans are roasted, and they separate the shells from the cocoa nibs (the fleshy part). They then grind the nibs to a fine liquid (chocolate liquor) from which they separate the fats (cocoa butter).
The liquid undergoes further refining to produce cocoa solids and the different chocolates we eat. They also refine the cocoa shells into the cocoa powder we use in beverages and baking.
Even though dark chocolate is made without using milk, there can be traces of dairy milk because of cross-contamination. This information is clearly indicated alongside the nutritional information. As a vegan, buy chocolate products that show zero contamination. Some manufacturers such as Trader Joe’s, SunSpire, and Whole Foods’ 365 have the vegan options readily available in the stores.
The Recipe Variations
With vegan chocolate truffles, you can add as many flavors as you want. The secret is to maintain the cream to chocolate ratio of 1:1. You can add a dash of brandy, vanilla extract, grated cardamom, or even pureed strawberries.
If you decide to use other types of non-dairy milk, (like almond milk) make sure you add a tablespoon of vegan butter for creamy truffles.
In Conclusion
Vegan chocolate truffles are a lovely dessert on their own. However, you can serve them with accompaniments or use them as ingredients in other vegan dishes including cocktails.
Rachel is a mom of two boys, a wife, and a part-time chef. By trying and testing new parenting trends she takes her motherhood to the next level! She finds that she processes things better when she writes about them, which has unleashed her passion for sharing her thoughts on life and parenting through her articles for SOLANCHA Magazine.
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recipes
5-Minute Vegan Eggnog Recipes: Tastes Better Than Traditional One
Published
1 day agoon
December 5, 2019Traditional Eggnog is high in fat because it is made with whole milk, heavy cream, and egg yolks. A significant amount of alcohol is also added. In this article, I will share with you how to make Vegan Eggnog without alcohol for the festive season. I will also include a few healthy additions and variations. This recipe serves 2.
Ingredients
- 2 cups coconut milk – you can use any thick non-dairy milk
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds – presoak them in a little water for 4 hours
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 Banana
- Spices – ½ teaspoon each
- Ground cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
- Ice cubes – you can also use frozen bananas instead of ice cubes.
- A pinch of salt
Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency.
Serve immediately.
If you don’t plan on consuming the vegan eggnog immediately, blend everything in advance except the bananas. Once peeled, bananas start to oxidize. So right before serving, add the bananas and blend again.
Why Chia Seeds?
For this vegan eggnog recipe, I use soaked chia seeds because of their “eggy” like consistency. Eggnog is all about eggs and milk (with cream of course). Secondly, Chia seeds are the healthiest natural supplements we have. Research proves that chia seeds contain twice more calcium than milk, more omega 3 than fish, more antioxidants, and the list goes on. In fact, for those of us following the Ketogenic diet, chia seeds play a significant role in boosting your health.
If you manage to get chia seeds from a farmers market, they retail very cheap. But if you can’t, buy the commercially packed ones from online stores. You can use the seeds in any recipe but don’t cook them. Add them raw just before serving.
An Alternative Vegan Eggnog Recipe
If you have more people to serve, this recipe works better. You can prepare in advance and chill in the refrigerator. We will use homemade almond milk and homemade coconut cream. If you don’t have the time, just buy some from your favorite vegan store.
This recipe serves 4.
Ingredients
- 2-cups almond milk
- 2-cups coconut cream
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (whatever sweetener you like
- Spices – ½ teaspoon each
- Ground cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Add all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency.
Serving
To serve like a barista, grind some vegan cookies or biscuits. Coat the glass with biscuit crumble and pour in the vegan eggnog. Sprinkle some of that powder and attach a cookie on the glass. Throw in two cinnamon sticks per glass and a hint of the spices you used on the serving plate. This is very important, especially when serving strangers. The hints help them identify the drink with its ingredients.
The Bottom Line
For the best vegan eggnog, make your almond milk fresh at home. It is more creamy and frothy compared to store bought milk. It is easy to extract milk from fresh almonds, but you need to be patient as the nuts soak in water. If this is not your forte, buy high-quality milk. A mark of good quality vegan products is in the list of ingredients. The shorter the list, the better the quality!
Use any vegan eggnog leftovers to make cinnamon rolls or eggnog French toast.
recipes
Vegan Pies Shouldn’t be Boring: Try This Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Published
1 week agoon
November 27, 2019Baking a vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie can be challenging especially if you don’t know which ingredients to use and their ratios. The key challenge with vegan pies is usually the crust. That is where all the calories and gluten rest. If you are in a rush, you can use the store bought vegan piecrusts. However, in this recipe, I will share with you the healthy version.
This recipe serves eight, but you can double the ingredients for a larger serving. And we are using a 9″ round pie tin.
To Make the Piecrust
Most piecrusts use any form of fat and flour plus a little liquid to tie it all together. Non-vegans use lard, butter, and milk. In this vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe, we will use vegetable shortening, gluten-free flour, and almond milk. You can, however, substitute the milk with any non-dairy milk, and use other healthier flour options like a combination of cassava flour with oats flour.
The Ingredients
1½-cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
½ cup vegetable shortening
¼ cup almond milk
A pinch of sugar and salt to taste
The Procedure
Just like with any other piecrust, chill the vegetable shortening, bowl, spoons, rolling pin, and any other tool you will be using in the fridge a few hours before prep.
Sift in all the dry ingredients in the cold bowl.
Add the shortening and using a fork, break it down in the flour to form a crumbly texture.
Add the milk and use your hands to knead until well combined. Because our flour lacks the binding gluten, the dough will not hold or stretch for long. So you have to work with it carefully but quickly.
Let the dough rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
Then roll it out into a circle. If you like a crisp piecrust, then roll it thin and precook before adding the pumpkin filling. If you prefer the thick, chewy piecrust, roll out thick. I prefer medium sized piecrusts because even without pre-cooking they cook fully without burning in a short time.
Transfer to the baking tin. Cut the excess pastry and firm the edges using a fork or your fingers.
Put it back in the fridge as you prepare the pumpkin filling.
To Make the Pumpkin Filling
The Ingredients
2-cups pumpkin
½-cup coconut milk
¼-cup maple syrup
1-tablespoon pumpkin pie spice – You can use the store-bought ones or make yours from scratch
A pinch of salt
The Procedure
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 F)
In a blender, puree all the ingredients until they form a thick but smooth consistency
Pour this mixture into the piecrust and bake for an hour or until the vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie is well done.
The pie will be a bit delicate once you remove from the oven. Let it cool and then chill overnight to set firmly.
To Serve
Whip up some coconut cream until it forms soft peaks. If it’s too thick, add a little coconut milk to get your desired consistency.
Pipe this cream over the vegan gluten-free pumpkin pie, Portion into eight slices and enjoy.
recipes
Craving Some Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cookies This Season? Try This Recipe
Published
2 weeks agoon
November 25, 2019Vegan pumpkin spice cookies are a quick breakfast and dessert addition. They make good use of leftover pumpkins too. In this recipe, I will share with you a simple yet delicious and healthy vegan pumpkin spice cookies recipes that even your kids can make this season. I will also show you how to make healthy cookie frosting the vegan way. Let’s get started!
The Ingredients
For the Cookies
½-cup all-purpose flour – Purchase the gluten-free version
1-tablespoon corn flour
½-cup pumpkin puree
Maple syrup – ¼-cup (optional if you don’t like them too sweet)
½-cup coconut sugar
A pinch of salt
½-cup cocoa butter (you can use coconut oil or any vegetable oil you prefer)
Pumpkin spice mix (1 teaspoon of each):
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Allspice
- Nutmeg
For the vegan cookie frosting
½-cup organic shortening
¼-cup coconut sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond extract
A pinch of salt
Note
To prepare the pumpkin puree, steam your pumpkin with its skin on until tender. Puree in a blender for silky smooth vegan pumpkin spice cookies or mush with a fork if you prefer tasting the pumpkin chunks in your cookies.
You can use the brown coconut sugar. It’s less refined and, therefore, concentrated with more minerals which makes it healthier.
The Procedure
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 C)
In a wide bowl, sift in the dry ingredients.
Make a well at the center and pour in the wet ingredients.
Mix with a wooden spoon until incorporated but avoid over-mixing. It is ok to have a few lumps.
Leave the mix in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. This allows your mixture to bind properly with the oil. Otherwise, if you bake directly, the two will separate, and you’ll end up with oily cookies.
Also note that with this recipe, the mixture might look a bit wet. Don’t worry. It will thicken once you let it sit in the fridge.
Using an ice cream scoop, portion the mixture onto a lined cookie-baking tray. You can also use a spoon to measure walnut-size batter portions and then shape into neat rounds using your hands. The spoon is rather messy that’s why I prefer using an ice cream scoop.
Bake the cookies for 15 minutes until lightly browned.
Meanwhile, to make the frosting, combine all the ingredients with a wooden spoon until the mixture is light and creamy. Feel free to use food coloring if you prefer colored frosting. Pipe the frosting on your cooled cookies and sprinkle some coconut spice mix.
You can as well add sprinkles or granulated sugar.
In Conclusion
Because of the pumpkin, these cookies will have a softer texture. If you love crunchier vegan pumpkin spice cookies, leave them in the oven for a little longer. For fluffier and spongy cookies, add a tablespoon of cream. I must mention that with pumpkin, don’t try rolling out the cookies as we do with simple cookie dough. The result will be a hard and unpleasant cookie. Scoping a softer batter works best.
Enjoy your vegan pumpkin spice cookies!
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