MidwestVeg.com

Posted on: November 23, 2011 at 4:02 AM

Filed under: Homemade, Recipes, Sweet Tooth

With: 2 comments

When I first heard about So Delicious Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk and Coconut Nog I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them! I’m a huge fan of their products so I just knew these two would be amazing. I was right. I mostly drink the mint chocolate milk warmed with some instant espresso. I heat a 1/2 cup of it along with 1/2 cup of the unsweetened coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of instant espresso. It’s seriously amazing! But after seeing lots of people experimenting with the stuff I wanted to have a little fun myself.

First you need to whip up some coconut cream. I suggest following this quick and easy how-to. Then get 2 brownie squares (store bought or homemade) and crumble them. For the mint chocolate pudding pour 1 cup of So Delicious Mint Chocolate Coconut Milk in a small saucepan with heat on medium. Then in a measuring cup add 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch; mix well. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the mint chocolate milk. Bring to a boil continuously whisking the mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once completely cool I popped the pudding in the freezer for a few minutes (flash chill FTW?). Now time for the fun stuff! I used 2 8 oz mason jars. Start with a layer of brownie, then a layer of pudding, and top with the whipped coconut cream. Continue until the jars are full. I had just enough to fill the 2 jars. Garnish with some crushed mint candy and/or your favorite vegan marshmallows. I used Dandies! I swear those things are tiny pillows of deliciousness!

Oh and I actually added the 1 teaspoon of instant espresso to the milk before whisking in the cornstarch. I wanted more of a mint mocha type of pudding. I also used this same method with the nog. Instead of crumbled brownie I used crumbled gingerbread cookies. That was also delicious, but I sort of ate it before taking decent photos. Oops?

Posted on: November 9, 2011 at 6:45 PM

Filed under: Holidays, Homemade, Recipes

With: 5 comments

If you know me, then you know that the closer it gets to Thanksgiving the more anxious I get. I start planning out my Thanksgiving feast and eventually decide I can’t wait for Thanksgiving dinner. Then I end up caving in and making a cheater version beforehand. Maybe you remember me talking about this last year when I made those awesome Thanksgiving taquitos? See? I told you! This happens EVERY year!

Well, this year I decided to try something different. Something not fried and on the healthier side. But equally comforting and delicious! I made the guys a traditional shepherd’s pie and while I was at it my version just sort of came to me. I took 2 of the Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y(s?) I had saved in the freezer and cooked them according to the instructions on the package. Once they finished cooking I sliced them up into chunks. I tossed it into a 9×9 inch baking dish along with 1 cup of frozen mixed veggies. Since I didn’t have the gravy packet that came with the turk’y (I used it last time I made them… I seriously eat more gravy than food, it’s sad) I had to make my own. My quick and easy go to gravy is this brown gravy from Happy Herbivore. I took 1/2 cup of the prepared gravy and tossed it into the baking dish and mixed it all up. Then I topped it all off with some mashed sweet potatoes. All I did was bake 2 medium sweet potatoes until tender. Then mashed them up with a 1/2 cup So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 1 tablespoon Earth Balance and a dash of cinnamon. Then bake the shepherd’s pie for about 20 minutes at 375°. Serve with the remaining gravy.

This was definitely enough to keep me satisfied until Thanksgiving. Seriously good stuffs!

Posted on: October 30, 2011 at 4:34 PM

Filed under: Homemade, Recipes, Sweet Tooth

With: 1 comment

Oh how I loved these with my Starbucks coffee weekend mornings. I’d be standing there in line staring into the pastry case debating on whether or not I should. Most times the scone won. But really. Who CAN resist the combination of maple, oats and pecans?

Yesterday the craving hit. I wanted a maple oat scone. BADLY! I had this recipe bookmarked from way back. I’ve been meaning to make them, but scones sort of intimidate me. I’ve made a few that turned out great, but I can’t say they were ‘perfect’. I guess I just didn’t want to be disappointed. Well, with a few tweaks here and there I can honestly say, these bad boys WERE perfect! All 8 of them are gone! Not a single one left. And I was already asked to make more.

Ingredients

1 cup oats, toasted (I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Rolled Oats)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp maple sugar (you can use regular sugar, I just happened to have this on hand)
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
3 tbsp Earth Balance
1 cup pecans, toasted
1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water
3/4 cup Silk Pure Almond Milk Unsweetened
1 tsp maple extract

For the glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 tbsp Silk Pure Almond Milk Unsweetened
1/2 tsp maple extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.
In a small pot combine the flax meal and water. Simmer until the mixture is thick and syrupy. Set aside.
In a food processor, process the toasted oats until almost finely ground. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and maple sugar. Pulse a few times until well combined. Add the maple syrup and Earth Balance. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is coarse and resembles sand. Add the toasted pecans and pulse a few more times.
Dump the oat mixture into a large mixing bowl.
Grab your pot with the flax meal. Add the almond milk and maple extract. Whisk until well combined. Pour the flax mixture into the oat mixture. Using a rubber spatula, mix until just combined. Don’t over-mix!
Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat into an 8–10 inch circle with lightly floured hands. Cut into 8 pieces. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before glazing.

It looks like a lot of work, but I assure you it’s not. Toasting the oats and pecans adds so much more flavor to these scones. The maple sugar is a nice touch too. I was lucky enough to find some in the baking section of Whole Foods a while back. I topped my scones off with some streusel I had left over after making a batch of pumpkin loaf. Some chopped toasted pecans would be great too!

And now the fun stuff. The original Starbucks Maple Oat Pecan Scone contains 440 calories, 18 g fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 490 mg sodium, 24 g sugar and 8 g protein. My version contains 341 calories, 15 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 22 g sugar and 6 g protein. Not too shabby, eh? Of course it would be a lot better without all of that sugar on top. But where’s the fun in that? Nothing a little extra cardio won’t cure!

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