Saturday, July 28, 2012

Lemon Poppy "Cheesecake"

This woman has the most incredible recipes on her site: mouthwateringvegan.com (where I got the chocolate coconut bars for fathers day). Everything she posts looks insanely good and although I haven't yet tried to make this, I trust it's divine. Enjoy~
INGREDIENTS
17 vegan Digestive biscuits (You may use any plain, sweetened wholemeal biscuits that are vegan, if you are unable to find vegan Digestives)
½ cup walnuts
½ cup vegan butter, or coconut oil melted
zest of a lemon
juice of half a lemon
a pinch of salt

METHOD FOR BASE
So, first grease an 8 inch tin, and line the base with greaseproof paper.
Then break the digestive biscuits into a processor, and process until crumbs are formed.
Add the melted vegan butter or coconut oil to the biscuit crumbs, and process for a half a minute.
Next, add the walnuts and process until chopped into small bits.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, and process again for a few seconds.
Your base is now ready. Spoon the mixture into your lined container, and flatten evenly with your fingers and the palms of your hands, and place in the fridge for an hour or so, until cooled.
Now it’s time to make your filling.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING
1 packet (349g) Firm Silken Tofu
1 heaped tsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp icing sugar, or confectioner’s sugar
½ cup of soya cream or other vegan thin cream
2½ tablespoons of cornflower with ¾ cup water or vegan milk
the juice of a large lemon
sliced kiwifruit for decoration



METHOD FOR FILLING Place the tofu into your processor, and add the poppy seeds, agave syrup, icing sugar and soya cream. Process gently for a minute or so, until the ingredients are blended and smooth.
Next, make up a paste with the cornflour, lemon juice and water, then stir on a low heat until thick. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then add the cornflour paste to the tofu mix in the food processor, and process for a few seconds until blended – but don’t over-process.
Spoon the lemon filling onto the biscuit base with a plastic spatula, and even out as best you can. Now add the sliced kiwifruit on top, to decorate. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.
TIP : I served mine from the tin with the greaseproof paper, which remains intact. The advantage of this is that the tin doesn’t get scratched, and no paper gets stuck on the biscuit base.

from mouthwateringvegan.com

Sunday, July 15, 2012

***~Vegan Quesadilla's with Spinach and Zucchini~***

God, i love my child. The other day, while grocery shopping at Whole Foods, this went down...
Almost 4 year old son-"So cows milk comes from mommy cows but what body part?"
Mom- "Well, the 'breasts' of the female cow."
Almost 4 year old- "So people drink cows breast milk?"
Mom-"Yep."
Almost 4 year old-"That's disgusting!!" (loud enough that two customers turned around)
Mom-"I agree with you."
Almost 4 year old-"And it's stealing. You shouldn't steal."
Mom-"That's true too."

He's been mulling this around in his head for many, many months and it's so adorable to see him piece it all together so easily. Of course, I think he got his impressive streak from my side of the family with all the lawyers, judges, and rebels.....

So in the spirit of stickin it to the man ie: the horrific dairy industry and celebrating really cool, compassionate companies like DAIYA and Follow Your Heart, my hubby created this recipe in about, ummmm - 2 minutes. I don't know what's going on with Daiya cheese and this sell-out they seem to be having but it's been at least 75% off for the past two weeks so I've been buying them out every time I do a Whole Foods run. My massive appreciation for this non-dairy cheese continues. I present to you some really awesome, easy vegan quesadillas........


.....Enjoy~


Ingredients:
Organic Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Tortillas
Daiya cheese
Organic Refried beans
Organic zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
Organic frozen spinach
Avocados/or guacamole and or salsa (optional)

(Served two adults and 1 child)
Directions:
Sauté the frozen spinach, zucchini and any other veggies you want to throw in or you have laying around you want to use up. Sauté until done or all water from spinach is gone. Set aside.
Slice daiya or spread on top of one of the tortillas. Spread refried beans over another tortilla, add sauteed veggies onto cheese side tortilla and fry in pan. Place lid on top to melt cheese faster. Top with guacamole or salsa~