Today I have a few more things that can make your weekend even more special! This time I’ve remade some syrups that will make your Sunday morning coffee awesome! [Read more...]
Guilt-Free Salted Caramel Mocha
January 11, 2013 · by · 1 Comment
Crockpot Lavender Rose Cocoa
February 23, 2012 · by · 6 Comments
I originally made this as a Valentine cocoa, but romance shouldn’t be limited to just one day. Surprise your someone special with the yummy dessert cocoa. The lavender and rose flavors blend together to form its own taste that’s not as floral as you think.
I used lavender extract which I got at Savory Spice Shop, but if you can’t find any you could fill a muslin tea bag or tea ball with 1 to 2 teaspoons of culinary lavender and add this at the beginning of cooking. This will infuse the milk with a great lavender flavor too.
I do use real sugar in this recipe, because it helps to thicken it up. The longer you cook it the thicker it will be. You can substitute stevia or agave, but the hot chocolate will be thinner.
Slow Cooker Lavender Rose Cocoa
soy-free, gluten-free
Serves 2 to 3
**Uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker**
- 3 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk, or other non-dairy milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, in disks or chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon lavender extract
- 1/4 teaspoon rosewater
Add all the ingredients and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours or on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hour.
Stir once or twice during this time with a whisk to help the chocolate mix in well. Whisk a final time and serve.
Easiest Chocolate Mousse Ever!
February 15, 2012 · by · 8 Comments
I’ve been meatless for so long that sometimes I forget to mention some of the simple things. This recipe is one of those. I made this last night for my sweetie and remembered just how much I love this stuff!
If you’ve already made a silken tofu mousse before, then you can move along. There’s not much new to add. However, if you’ve never made one before and are new to the wonders of silken tofu be prepared to be wowed.
This is my favorite impromptu dinner party dessert. It takes about 10 minutes and then all you do is stick it in the refrigerator for about an hour to thicken up.
You can make this mostly sugar-free by using grain sweetened chocolate chips, or use unsweetened chocolate and add your favorite sweetener like stevia or agave. There will be sugar in the liqueur, so you can use an extract instead to keep it sugar-free.
This is gluten-free with Amaretto, but it would not be if you choose another liqueur that has gluten.
Make sure to check out the rest of my Valentine’s dinner over at my post on Key Ingredient’s blog. I think my not-quite souffle turned pretty good too.
The Easiest Chocolate Mousse Ever
Serves 4
gluten-free (with Amaretto)
- 1 package (12.3 ounce/349g) silken tofu
- 1/2 cup sweetened chocolate chips
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Amaretto or other liqueur
Puree the tofu in a food processor, stopping a few times to scrap down the sides. When you are finished it will be silky smooth.
Melt chocolate chips on the stove top in a double boiler (or in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds).
Add melted chocolate and liqueur to the food processor and process until thoroughly mixed, scraping down the sides and processing some more.
Put in serving cups or martini glasses and stash away in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let it thicken up.
Baked Almond Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
February 12, 2012 · by · 17 Comments
I’ve been on a donut kick this weekend and this is the batch that got me started. I wanted a sweet treat with little or no white sugar and low-fat as well. Not always an easy feat. I’m not giving up white sugar altogether, but I would like to be able to use stevia instead whenever I want to.
The chocolate glaze is made with grain-sweetened chocolate chips with almond extract, coconut milk, and a touch of agave nectar. These chips may not be gluten-free, so feel free to substitute the ones you have on hand.
The base of the donut is whole wheat pastry flour and almond meal. It’s sweetened with a combination of stevia and agave. You can make them gluten-free by subbing your favorite gluten-free flour mix.
Don’t have a fancy shmancy donut pan? Use a mini muffin pan instead. Don’t want to make a glaze? These are great all by themselves too!
Baked Almond Donuts with Chocolate Glaze
soy-free
makes 12 mini donuts
wet ingredients:
- 2/3 cup unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon stevia (Nu-Stevia brand)
dry ingredients:
- 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you can use gluten-free flour mix instead)
- 1/3 cup almond meal
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Spray your mini donut pan with a little oil so they will be easier to get out.
Then add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix just until it’s mixed. Divide the batter between the 12 donut molds. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully remove. If you don’t wait they will stick and break in half, so be warned!
glaze ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons grain sweetened chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar, optional
Melt the chocolate (on the stove or in the microwave). Add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dip cooled donuts into the glaze.
Tipsy Mint-Coffee Cocoa (From Your Slow Cooker!)
February 9, 2012 · by · 4 Comments
I had The Market‘s Mint White Russian the other night. (It was one of two creamy vegan drinks on their menu!) They used homemade Kahlua and mint infused vodka. If you live in the triangle you must give them a try.
I was hesitant about the coffee mint combo but I was won over. It was so good that I wanted one again. I didn’t have any mint vodka ready to go, but I decided this warm minty drink would fill in just fine.
If you don’t have mint extract you can add a mint herbal tea bag in the beginning. You could also use semi-sweet chocolate instead unsweetened, just adjust the sweetener.
Hate coffee flavors? Try substituting Grand Mariner for an orange mint twist.
Slow Cooker Tipsy Mint-Coffee Cocoa
**Uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker**
Serves 2 to 3
- 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk beverage, or other non-dairy milk
- 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, in disks or chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon mint extract
- 1/4 cup Kahlua
- sweetener of choice, to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon stevia and 1 teaspoon agave.)
Add the coconut milk, baking chocolate, and mint extract and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Whisk then add Kahlua and sweetener. Whisk again and serve.
Slow Cooker Chocolate Walnut Blondie Oatmeal
April 15, 2011 · by · 4 Comments
Cheryl loves walnuts and chocolate and wants me to make a batch of blondies or brownies. This is what I made for instead and she was actually happy with it!
Make this into a brownie oatmeal by adding a few teaspoons of cocoa in the night before. Either way it’s bound to make a Friday workday seem to go faster.
Today’s the last day to enter the So Delicious Giveaway! You can get all the details here.
Slow Cooker Chocolate Walnut Blondie Oatmeal
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
- 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
- 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sweetener
- 1 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips, whole or chopped
- 2 tablespoon walnuts, chopped
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except chocolate chips and walnuts. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Top with whole or chopped chocolate chips and walnuts.
**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS
Slow Cooker Vegan S’mores Oatmeal – The Oatmeal that Makes You Want to Go Camping
March 10, 2011 · by · 5 Comments
Here’s another oatmeal to bring out the kid in you. I have a crazy oatmeal theme in mind for next week, so stay tuned for more oatmeal madness.
I’m not sure if you know that regular marshmallows are not vegan yet, but I have to break the news. They have gelatin and aren’t even vegetarian. However Sweet and Sarah have an amazing variety of vegan marshmallows that are super tasty. If they aren’t in your area yet you can order from them directly.
Yesterday I found out that my upcoming book, The Vegan Slowcooker, is on Amazon and available for pre-order already! Of course that called for a celebration. A few friends and I went out to my favorite wine bar that serves local food – 6 Plates. They don’t always have vegan food on the menu, but they are always happy to help you veganize something. After a couple of glasses of wine and a delicious flat bread topped with a lentils, beets, and arugula, and topped with a lemon-champagne vinaigrette I had just enough energy to make some oatmeal.
I promise more dinner recipes are on the way as soon as I actually cook them. On my plan is a ginger, garlic mushroom soup that’s perfect when you have a cold, and another lasagna with lots of greens. Hopefully the weekend will be kind and I’ll the recipes for you next week.
If you’re as excited about the book as I am you can click like it at Amazon or add it to your wish list.
Slow Cooker Vegan S’mores Oatmeal
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
- 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
- 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
s’mores topping:
- 1/4 cup finely chopped vegan chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup finely chopped graham crackers
- 1/4 cup Sweet and Sarah vegan mini marshmallows
(or if you want to be more moderate – you can use less but still equal parts of each)
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, vanilla and milk. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Put a big scoop of the smores topping on and mix it in to melt the chocolate and marshmallows.
**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS
Slow Cooker Snickers Oatmeal – the Oatmeal of Cheryl’s Birthday
March 7, 2011 · by · 5 Comments
I do have at least one or two savory surprises this week, but I just had to share the birthday oatmeal I made for Cheryl. She’s been asking for this oatmeal the past 3 weeks. I had trouble wrapping my head around a vegan, oatmeal sub for the nougat. But then it came to me – almond butter mixed with the vanilla So Delicious yogurt. It tasted exactly like nougat to me, so Cheryl got a bowl of birthday oatmeal instead of a cake! (That’s what she wanted, so don’t think I was being mean.)
This oatmeal has a base of vanilla yogurt layered with almond butter nougat and topped with chopped peanuts and chocolate chips. Feel free to drizzle some brown rice syrup or agave to mimic caramel.
I didn’t want the chocolate to overwhelm the nougat so I put it on top instead of adding it to the oatmeal. Just add 1 tablespoon cocoa to the oatmeal if you want to amp up the chocolate flavor.
Slow Cooker Snickers Oatmeal
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
- 1/2 cup Country Choice Organic steel-cut oats
- 2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
nougat topping:
- 4 tablespoons Vanilla So Delicious Coconut Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
other toppings:
- 1 tablespoon vegan chocolate chips, whole or chopped
- 1 tablespoon peanuts, whole or chopped
- 1 tablespoon agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup to drizzle like caramel
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add oats, pineapple, cinnamon, and So Delicious Coconut Milk. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours). You can mix the nougat topping ingredients now and store in the fridge overnight.
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Layer each serving with the nougat topping and top with whole or chopped chocolate chips and peanuts.
**See Page Link on Menu Bar to get to Slow Cooker Oatmeal FAQS
Happy Sunday and a Link to Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Oatmeal
March 6, 2011 · by · 3 Comments
As you all know by now I take the weekends off blogging to catch up on my freelance writing (and to be lazy if I can manage it). I’m also hard at work on another vegan blog I’m going to launch soon (more about that later).
This morning Amy Butler of The Grody Gourmet emailed me letting me know that she came up with an inspired oatmeal. It sounds super tasty and I didn’t want any of you to miss out on it. After all, it could be your cheery breakfast tomorrow morning. Head on over to take a look at her Chocolate Raspberry Brownie Oatmeal complete with sprinkled chocolate and walnuts on top. She also uses a 4 quart slow cooker in her recipe and doubles the amount of liquid and oatmeal. It’s a perfect recipe to look at if you are toying with the idea.
Thanks Amy!
German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal – The Oatmeal of Incentive
February 22, 2011 · by · 1 Comment
It’s day 7 of love your oatmeal week! This has some elements of the Almond Joy oatmeal, but this time we’ll be topping our oatmeal with a decadent pecan, coconut, caramel ‘icing’. If you need to have a lower key (or calorie) breakfast just sweeten with your favorite sweetener and top with chopped pecans and coconut.
I wasn’t feeling very good yesterday so this is my sweet treat for going back to work. That’s why it’s the oatmeal of incentive to me!
Slow Cooker German Chocolate Cake Oatmeal
2 to 3 servings
**This recipe uses a smaller slow cooker that’s 1 1/2 to 2 quarts
- 1/2 cup steel-cut oats
- 2 cups unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk (only 50 calories a cup!)
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tablespoons finely shredded unsweetened coconut (I used reduced fat organic)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
‘icing’ topping
- 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons finely grated coconut
- 2 tablespoons brown rice syrup
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
The night before: Spray your crock with some oil to help with clean up later. Add everything except icing ingredients to the slow cooker. Now mix together the ‘icing’ in a small bowl and store in the fridge until the morning. Cook on low over night (7 to 9 hours).
In the morning: Stir your oatmeal well. It may seem watery at the top but if stirred it should become a more uniform consistency. Top each serving with a few tablespoons of the icing, making it as sweet as you like it.
