HookedOnPlants

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vegan dessert

No-Bake Spicy Chocolate Cream Pie

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Creamy and decadent with out the whole cream, butter or egg yolks.

YES. It’s possible. You’ll see.

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American friends! If you want to impress your Thanksgiving guests (or yourself) with a lighter, healthier, vegan alternative to something usually seen as a sinful, ‘I’ll just have one bite’ type of dessert, this will do the trick.

Don’t even tell them it’s vegan. See what happens.

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The sneaky chipotle really gives this pie a unique kick of flavour.

This one is inspired by Rouxbe Culinary School. I’m more than half way through my plant-based cooking course and am loving the kitchen creations of 100% vegan recipes and experiments they have me doing. But, what I’m loving even more is that I get to share the delicious-ness with all of you!

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Benefits:

–Tofu is a health food, when you buy organic, non-GMO! There is a myth about soy products leading to ‘man boobs’ or breast cancer by raising estrogen levels. This just isn’t the case. In comparison to dairy and animal products, soy is a major upgrade. It’s easily digestible plant-based protein. For more about the myths check out this article. And for more research check out Dr. Gregor here.

–Chocolate in it’s dark form without dairy isn’t so bad! It releases endorphins, and has antioxidants to ward off cancer and disease.

–Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, including magnesium for all those anti-inflammatory benefits.
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Serves 12

Time 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1  1/2  cups raw pecans
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1  1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Filling:

  • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
  • 2 packages organic silken tofu (260g packages), or soft block tofu (300g packages)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch sea salt

Topping:

  • Organic raspberries
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

Directions:

  1. Make crust: Pulse the sugar and pecans in food processor until a meal forms. Then add rest of crust ingredients and pulse to combine.
  2. Spread crust layer out on bottom and up the sides of pie plate (about 8″ diameter).
  3. Make filling: Melt chocolate by using a double boiler. While it’s melting, add tofu, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to food processor and blend until smooth. Add melted chocolate, blend until combined.
  4. Pour filling over pie crust.
  5. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes.
  6. Serve with raspberries and a sprinkle of cacao powder.

 

Puffed Quinoa Dessert Bars

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Simple, no-bake, mouthwatering, chocolate-y, fudge-y dessert bars.

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Totally a go-to for any day of the week.

This recipe is adapted from on of my favourite food bloggers, Dana at the Minimalist Baker.

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I was lucky enough to grab a signed copy of Dana’s book at her book signing at Nourish Cafe after her and the lovely Erin Ireland‘s cooking demo! It’s an amazing new cookbook, Everyday Cooking. Every single recipe is simple and drool-worthy. She and her husband, John are both over-the-top inspiring.

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These bars are perfectly scrumptious snacks or desserts. Just sink your teeth into them once.

You’ll see.

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Here are the changes I made:

I used quinoa puffs as well as rice puffs, pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower seeds, maple syrup instead of agave syrup, and a mixture of sunflower seed butter and almond butter instead of peanut butter.

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Benefits:

–Quinoa, AKA the mother grain, contains all 9 essential amino acids that our bodies can’t produce themselves. So these bars are packed with plant-powered protein and nutrient-dense energy.

–Maple syrup is one of the least processed liquid sweeteners you can use. It’s packed with antioxidants and has a low glycemic index compared to most other sweeteners. This means you avoid the sugar spike, and inevitable crash like you would get from more refined sugars. And it’s Canadian, yo!

–Raw almond butter has healthy unsaturated fatty acids and fibre. In treats like this, go for it, but I don’t recommend over-eating nut butters because of the high saturated fat content, but the un-roasted, organic, raw versions do carry fibre and vitamins, and can be a small part of a healthy diet 🙂

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Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 12-14

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of nut or seed butter of choice (raw almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or tahini)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup chopped dates (medjool or bahri)
  • 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 2 cups quinoa puffs
  • 1 cup rice puffs
  • 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Prepare about a 6″x 8″ cake pan by spreading parchment paper or plastic wrap on bottom and over edges.
  2. Add almond butter, PB2 paste and maple syrup to a small pot. Heat on low heat and stir until mixture is smooth.
  3. Add almond butter mixture to a bowl with chopped dates. Stir to combine.
  4. Add quinoa, rice puffs and pumpkin seeds. Mix with wooden spoon until evenly combined.
  5. Spread out mixture in the prepared pan. To flatten evenly, use parchment paper between your hands and the mixture and press down firmly.
  6. Remove the top parchment paper, and place pan in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.
  7. While the deliciousness is freezing, prepare your chocolate sauce.
  8. Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on the stove, or in 30 second increments in a bowl in the microwave (stirring each time), until you have a smooth sauce.
  9. Take the bars out of the freezer, and drizzle chocolate sauce over with a fork.
  10. Throw that pan of goodness back into the freezer and wait (the hardest part) for 10 minutes until it is set.
  11. Cut into shapes of your choice and gobble up.

 

Cacao Mint Black Bean Hazelnut Brownies | Vegan

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Melt in your mouth, oil-free, plant-protein packed with that feeling of decadence. Yup, these brownies pass the test.

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