Vegan Cookbook Review & Giveaway: More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts Naturally

(If you just came for the VEGAN DESSERT COOKBOOK giveaway click here) 

For the rest of you, On With the Reviewing! (fanfare)

The book: More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts Naturally offers a complete course in vegan, dairy-free, eggless baking, and also serves as a quick reference for when you need a fancy dessert to impress your friends and family. 

The author Fran Costigan, a graduate of the New York Restaurant School and the Natural Gourmet Institute, is a nationally recognized culinary instructor, author, consultant, recipe developer and innovative pastry chef.

Even if you don't want or need a complete course in vegan, eggless, dairy-free baking and just want a sumptuous, gourmet treat made with all natural, minimally processed ingredients, this book is a great reference and kitchen companion.

Recipe sections are:

• Gels, Creams, Puddings and Sauces
• Cookies, Bars, and Little Bites
• Cobblers, Crisps, Biscuits, Muffins, and More
• Cakes, Fillings, Frostings, and Glazes
• Pies and Tarts
• Fruit, Beverages, Frozen Desserts, and Confections

Reference sections include a list of essential ingredients and tools you will need for the recipes in this book (a huge help for making recipe shopping lists!)

There is a detailed glossary of ingredients, explaining many different types of natural sweeteners, leavening agents and vegan gelling agents. Techniques for using tofu in desserts and how different kinds of tofu are used in different recipes is addressed. A very helpful section about pan sizes and how they affect baking times and products is included. 

The section of "Tips and Techniques for Making and Baking Desserts" is full of valuable hints for beginners. Any beginning baker or even experienced baker baking vegan for the first time could learn a lot from this book.

In the back of the book the fairly detailed list of "Resources for Ingredients and Equipment", is a treasure trove of suppliers of vegan products and professional cookware, bakeware, knives and resources for information on vegan and vegetarian nutrition.

The recipes are intermediate to expert level but if you read the book you will learn a lot and probably be able to master any of the techniques presented in this book.

This review copy was graciously provided by Book Publishing Company who is hosting "Luscious Vegan Desserts"  promotion now through the end of October.

You may click here to register for a chance at winning a free vegan dessert cookbook.

Vegan Rice Pudding With Raisins

This is  my own recipe, not one that I am testing for the Blissful Chef, so I can share it with you.

I've love rice pudding so I veganized the old recipe.
Rice pudding is very versatile and can be served as a warm, filling breakfast, a side at brunch and you can serve it warm or chilled as a dessert.

Coconut rice pudding


3 c cooked br rice
1 c coconut milk
2 c water
2 tbs raisins
pinch salt (optional)

1 shot maple syrup

All ingredients except maple syrup in large saucepan.
Simmer, stirring almost constantly until very thick. Reduce heat to low, put on a lid and let it cook for about ten minutes.
Add maple syrup, stir and serve.
Adjust the sweetness to your tastes.

Makes three 1+ cup servings.

I like it just as it is but you may want to add more syrup, your favorite vegan margarine and/or milk, fruit, etc.

Rice pudding is a traditional dish that the whole family can love and a delicious way to use up leftover rice.  I used last night's dinner rice, a mixture of short grain brown rice and wild rice.
I used fresh coconut milk which is the water and soft meat of a young Thai coconut blended together.

Updated Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

I made these before but they were better this time.
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
3 tbs peanut butter
3 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tsp maple syrup
Mix peanut butter, yeast and syrup. Roll in wax paper to form a log and place in the freezer to harden.

I was blessed/cursed this week with a huge sleeve of Dagoba chocolates. Not like the ones pictured here, but individually wrapped squares, 9 grams each. Made without animal products. 65% cocoa. Vegan. Free. I unwrapped 24 of them and melted them in double boiler.

Pour half the chocolate in 3 custard cups and let harden in the fridge.
Cut the peanut mixture log into 3 pieces, flatten them and put them in the custard cups.
Pour the rest of the chocolate on top of each and shake them to get the melted chocolate to settle.
Pop the chocolate and peanut butter filling filled custard cups in the fridge to harden 1 hour or more.

These come out of the cups easily, just stick a flexible blade down one side and they pop right out, ready to eat. I cut mine in quarters for ease of munching.

Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I managed to make them semi decent. The photo doesn't look to good but they were tasty as heck. The boy didn't like the peanut butter filling.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

2 tbs peanut butter

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 3oz bars of vegan chocolate.  I used Endangered Species, one cacao nibs and one coffee beans. The bat and the tiger, I can't remember which was which.

Mix peanut butter,  yeast and sugar. Spread them on a plate about a 1/2 inch thick and put in the freezer to let it get a little hard. You will cut it in pieces later to put in the center of the cup.

Melt the chocolate. I used an old enamel pot and submerge it halfway in warm water. The chocolate melts slowly but it doesn't scorch that way.

Pour chocolate into glass custard cups, enough to cover the bottom
Take your hardened peanut butter mixture and cut off a piece the size you want. I went with about a 50c piece.

Place it on the chocolate in the cup.
Pour the rest of the chocolate on top
Pop it in the fridge for an hour or more so it sets up.

When you are ready to eat them, fill a pan with 1" of warm water and put the cup in the water. Leave it for a minute or two and the peanut butter cup should pop right out with the help of a bread knife.

Frozen Banana Pie Vegan Dessert

This dish is great for using up ripe bananas. It comes together quickly, freezes in 2-4 hours and serves 4-8 people.















Crust:

In food processor with s-blade, chop
1 cup walnuts
1 cup dates
pinch of salt

chop until crumbly, do not over process

Press the walnut/date mixture into a 9" pie pan evenly, being sure to press hard where the sides of the pan meet the bottom.
Set aside

Filling:

5 very ripe bananas
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

In food processor with S-blade process bananas, lemon and salt until very creamy, about 5 minutes.
Pour into prepared crust and freeze.

Slice and serve. Store covered in freezer.

How to Make Date Paste

Adapted from Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet

16 dates
1.5 c water.

Soak dates for 20 minutes
Drain and reserve soak water
Process dates and 1/4 c soak water in food processor with s-blade until a paste
Store in air tight container up to 1 month.

Makes 1 cup paste.

Coconut Banana Soft Serve RAW VEGAN Ice Cream Summer Frozen Dessert Idea

This is banana soft serve but I added









The meat and water of 1 young thai coconut
7 dates
1 tsp raw vanilla powder

Talk about creamy. We had it for a late night snack last night but it would be good for lunch, brunch, snack, dessert or even in a smoothie.



Today's smoothie














1 cup banana coconut vegan soft serve
4 leaves curly kale
1 banana
the usual supplements
water

Raw Vegan Soft Serve Ice Cream :: RAW Summer Snack Idea!

With inspiration from Gena and she is right, this will change your life!

this is about 2 and a half frozen bananas, half an inch of vanilla bean and 4 tsp of lemon juice in the food processor with the s-blade.
















Process until smooth
















Soft serve ice cream!










You won't believe how easy and good this is!



It's raw and vegan and you can have it for breakfast, brunch, lunch dinner or dessert. The sky is the limit. Dairy-free, Soy-free, Gluten-free and no preservatives. And Cheap? With bananas as low as 29c a lb sometimes, yeah, it's cheap-ola :)

You're welcome :)

Thanks, Gena! Once again you not only change but IMPROVE my life.

RAW VEGAN Summer Dessert Ideas! Chocolate Refrigerator Cookies

Even if you aren't a raw foodist, these cookies are perfect for summer. NO oven! NO heating up the kitchen!

The log of dough waits for you and you just cut off as many cookies as you need, no mess or waste!


I adapted this from the brownie recipe at imsorawkin

Chocolate Freezer Cookies

Makes about 12 cookies, depending on how thick you cut them.

1 cup of any nuts you prefer. I used a mix of walnut, pecan, almond, cashew and brazil
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup dates
2 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs grated coconut meat (optional)
1/8 tsp salt (optional, of course)
Put all ingredients in Food Processor and pulverize. You should be able to press the mixture together and form a ball.











Dump the nut mixture on a piece of parchment or wax paper and roll it into a log.
Place in freezer for one hour or more.
Slice off 1/2" wide cookies as needed and store them in the freezer or fridge until ready to serve. Don't worry if the slices crumble a little, just reform them with your fingers and chill...

Serve chilled.

Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies

Good morning everyone!
What a beautiful day juice feasting yesterday!



Shown with Roastaroma tea. These would be so good with coffee!






This morning I bring you my recipe for Raw Vegan Carrot Cake Cookies. The cookie/cake isn't very sweet but the pecan date topping is. Serve these for breakfast, brunch or dessert. I had mine for breakfast this morning with a cup of roastaroma. I ate the garnish, too :)

The cookie is

1 cup of carrot pulp from juicing
1 apple cored and chopped
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 tbs flaxseed oil
Water if needed to blend

Chop in Food Processor with s-blade until smooth.
Spread on dehydrator sheet about 1/2" thick or as thick as you want your cookies to be.
Dehydrate at 120F for 2 hours or until you are able to flip it onto the rack.
Continue to dry at 95-112F overnight or until it's stil flexible but not crumbly.
Freeze the big cookie for two hours and then cut it into the size and shapes you want your cookies to be.

Topping
I didn't measure but
A bit handful of pecans
12 or so dates
In FP with s blade chop it until it's a lumpy paste
Press the lumpy paste to the top of a frozen cookie and shape it with your hands. Allow to thaw in the fridge and serve with hot tea or coffee.
















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For dinner last night I had a huge salad made from greens that I grew woot, sauerkraut that I made aw yeeah, and raw leeks and celery. I had a bowl of the potato leek soup slurp! and TWO slices of bread with brazil nut cheese nomnomnom.


Playing with my food













I was full but it felt good. I like juice feasting one day a week, but I really like to prepare food and eat it with my family, not just chop and juice and clean the juicer and repeat all day. One day a week is enough for me now. That could change in the future.

Pelicans

Raw Food Snacking Happens! Raw Banana Avocado Pudding

Whole food goodness and sweet, delicious raw food nutrition at it's simple best


















Banana Avocado Pudding
1 avocado
2 bananas
2 tsp lemon juice
Serves 2
Peel the bananas, cut the avo and remove the seed and scoop out the meat. Cut them both into pieces in a bowl mash them together with a fork.
if you like, add vanilla and nutmeg or cinnamon
The lemon juice prevents it from turning brown right away. If you are making this to eat immediately, you can leave out the lemon juice.

Works as breakfast, snack, lunch, Sunday brunch buffet or even dessert!

Super quick to make, no equipment necessary.

Raw-ish Chocolate Cake with Avocado Mint Frosting!

Dinner tonight was red lettuce and some of the greens from my little garden, sauerkraut and salad made from cukes, avo and orange bell pepper, dressed with finely chopped garlic, a pinch of salt and lime juice. On the side is a stuffed bell pepper, just regular bread stuffing with carrots, celery, onion, potato and zukes. I also stuffed an acorn squash with the same mixture and fed that to the guys.
















Inside my stuffed pepper


















Ok, I made a raw-ish chocolate cake

first I made a chocolate cake














1 sm banana
5 dates
1/2 zucchini, peeled
1 1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup baking chocolate (unsweetened)
2 tbs ACV
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup water

Process in FP with S-blade until almost the texture of mousse. Spread on a sheet, about 1/2" thick in a square or rectangle shape. Make the edges as straight as you can but don't obsess over it, you can trim the cake later.

Let freeze for 2 hours or so. In the mean time make frosting

2 avocados
2 bananas
1/2 cup mint
5 dates
1/4 tsp salt

Process until very smooth















Take the still frozen cake out of the freezer and trim the rough edges so they are straight then cut into approx 2" square pieces. Put the frosting on half of the pieces and stack the rest of the pieces on top of the frosted pieces. Frost the tops of all the cakes and freeze for another hour or more.
















Slice, arrange artfully on plate and serve frozen















The boy will eat almost any bread I make but he won't eat a vegetable. Once we saw a documentary about hiding veges in food for kids. He said I should do that so today I made my regular soda bread but instead of using oat milk, I blended a peeled zucchini with water and used that as the milk. He loved it and he ate zucchini without even knowing it.

Success.

Dinner Last Night with Banana Nut Cake and Bliss

Juice this morning was carrot, beet, celery.














I'm going to use that pulp to make some Beet Your Meat Raw Vegan Burgers for dinner



Dinner last night was tempeh baked in tomato sauce with onion and potato.














I didn't write down the recipe but it was really good. A sweet sauce made with tomato, zucchini, onion, garlic and grape juice. I am always trying to make barbecue flavor. This one was ok. The man put more barbecue sauce on it :)

Also featured are side salad of corn, tomato, cuke, zuke, onion and fresh thyme, red leaf lettuce with sauerkraut and horseradish and some bread that didn't seem to want to rise. I may or may not have forgotten the baking powder or something. It still tasted good, it was just... thin. and dense. The boy loved it, ate three pieces before I caught him :)

I also made a banana cake with banana nut raw frosting that I was happy with.

Banana Layer Cake

Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a loaf pan

In blender:
1 cup grape juice
3 ripe bananas
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 tbs oats
2 tbs ACV
Blend well and set aside

In large bowl:
1 cup white flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix dry ingredients well and add liquid banana mixture

Pour batter in greased and floured pan and bake at 350F for 1 hour. Cool completely.

Frosting or filling

In food processor:
1.5 cup Brazil nuts
2 ripe banana
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs vinegar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Process with S-blade until positively creamy. Chill while the cake is cooling.

When cake has completely cooled, cut the cake in half, cutting the top off of the cake.
Put the bottom back in the pan and spread the frosting all over the bottom half of the cake. Put the top half of the cake back on and chill the cake for an hour before serving.















Shown with Cherry Amaretto Coconut Bliss
which I would never buy but the man brought it home. He said I deserved a treat. Thank you, baby. I like treats. I really don't need any ice cream but I love you for thinking of me. The reason I look sadly at your bowl when you have ice cream is because I am thinking of how bad it is for the cows. I never liked ice cream very much, it's too damn cold :)

Mashed Banana Breakfast

Organic bananas were 29c lb. I got them all. I can't find the receipt. I was going to tell you how many pounds. There were more we ate bananas last night and I had some today for breakfast. mmm bananas...












Here is the empty bowl. I had mashed bananas for breakfast.











Chore today will be freezing some bananas :)

Raw Banana Pudding

2 or more bananas, mashed in a large bowl
2 tsp lemon juice per banana
vanilla to taste
a shake of cinnamon if desired
Stir well and eat.

This can be frozen for a tasty treat. Stir every half hour in the freezer until it's a soft serve consistency and enjoy!

Raw Vegan Dessert Ideas! RAW Strawberry Shortcake

This is sweet and light. A refreshing raw dessert.

Inspiration from Rediscover Raw Food

Serves 3

Cakes!

1 cup pecans
5 dates
5 figs
2 tbs flaxseed, ground
2 tbs lemon juice
1.5 tbs coconut oil
Vanilla to taste
Puree until a dough is formed. Make 6 small cakes and dehydrate on parchment until firm enough to flip off the paper on to the rack.

Dehydrate until they are firm but not crumbly, About 8 hours at 115F.

Sauce!

1/2 cup berries
1 tbs sugar
1 med banana
1/2 granny smith apple
2 tbs lemon juice

Blend until positively saucy.

I made two sauces for extra color on the plate.

Put one cake on a plate, pour a bit of sauce and arrange some berries. Put the second cake on top and add more sauce. Garnish with blackberry sauce and serve immediately.

Meatless Tempeh Meatballs

Armed with a load of inspiration from HappyVeganFace, an 8 oz package of tempeh and nothing to lose, I made these "meatlessballs" from tempeh. mmm.
















Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a medium wok saute in 1/2 cup vege broth:

1 med onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced


When onions are translucent add and mix in well:

1 tbs peanut butter
1 tbs sesame seeds
1 tbs dried mint
2 tbs vege pulp

Add more water or vege broth if needed to make something like this:














Then add:


1 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 oatmeal, ground almost to flour
1/2 cup water

Mix well, cook over low heat in your wok, stirring constantly until onions are mushy and mixture is very thick.

Then add:

8 oz tempeh, steamed, cooled and ground with S blade in FP until a crumbly paste. Add to your thickened mixture and mix well.

Form balls, or patties and bake covered at 400F on a greased baking sheet for 60 minutes. Carefully turn the balls and bake covered for 30 min more at 400F.

They were big balls, almost more like patties. They were 1/3 cup each and I made 8 of them.













The man said they were good but I should have made more.

Clockwise:
Beans on vege bread, quinoa, curry carrot salad, leftover potato casserole and balls of tempeh with seed cheese on top.















And for dessert, applesauce cake, sliced, toasted and buttered with buttery vegan spread.















Left is the applesauce cake, right is a vege bread.

Both are basic soda bread recipe. Applesauce cake adds 20 oz of applesauce, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and vanilla and 3 extra tbs of sugar. Vege bread is just regular bread with a half cup of vege pulp added.

A Boring Vegan Dinner Redeemed with Raw Vegan Banana Cream Pie for Dessert

The Spread
A nondescript celery soup, green salad, that is a glass of wine. Not mine, sadly. There in the corner you can see the not vegan mac n cheese for the boy. There is some sliced bread and a casserole and in the middle is a raw vegan banana cream pie!
















Casserole was leftover carrot soup poured between layers of potato with a thick layer of tomato on top covered with rye bread crumbs which is just my normal bread recipe with 1 cup of rye flour and one cup of whole wheat flour in place of the white flour the recipe calls for.









It was pretty good.





The bread was my regular bread recipe but I mixed it up in my new food processor. tax refund money well spent.















It came out fluffier some how. I guess over mixing made the air bubbles all tiny instead of large bubbles, I don't freaking know but this was the best bread I made ever. Same recipe, same pan, same oven, same cooking time. different mixer, different bread. Whew.
And the pie. The pie. The lovely, easy RAW pie. I wish there were some left but I don't even dare look, I'm sure it's gone, gone, gone. I had two pieces of six I guess I got my share. I might make individual banana pudding cups for dinner. I still have a few banan' left.















Here is my plate. I like taking a picture of my dinner every night. It's fun.














On the salad is kiwi and tomato salsa and sauerkraut. On the bread is Earth Balance.

Raw Vegan Dessert Ideas :: VEGAN Banana Cream Pie with Walnut Crust :: NO Tofu!

The man looked at the pile of bananas turning brown on the counter, then he looked at me and said "you should make a pie"






I adapted this recipe from John Tobe's No-Cook Book. (1969)


Crust

2 cups finely crushed raw walnuts pressed in a pie plate. place in 115F dehydrator while making

Banana Pudding for the filling

4 ripe bananas
5 chopped dates
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tbs sugar or natural sweetener of choice (optional)
Water to blend
Blend until a pudding consistency
Pour in crust
Continue to dehydrate at 115F while making

Sweet nut cream topping

1/2 cup Brazil nuts
2 tbs sugar or natural sweetener of choice about 5 chopped dates work fine in this
1 tbs lemon juice
Water to blend
Blend until very very creamy. There will be small brown flecks.
Pour on top of the banana filling and garnish with walnuts if desired















Dehydrate for 6 hours longer if you want it firmer, at 115F. Serve warm or cold. Keeps well in the fridge but eat fresh for best taste.





























The lemon juice makes it light and fresh. This delicious raw vegan dessert comes together rather quickly. About 15 minutes prep time and 6 hours in the dehydrator.
Yummm!














The lemon juice makes it taste lighter and the added sugar, while totally unnecessary, makes it sweeter. I could have eaten the whole pie but there were others and I had to be polite. I might make banana pudding for lunch today :)