Raspberry Tapioca Pudding

I had not eaten sago/tapioca since I was a child but a friendly recently made a batch and I found myself totally loving it!

I had a look online to see if there were any variations from the basic veganized version, and came across this one at:

 http://www.dramaticpancake.com/2012/04/sandra-vegan-raspberry-tapioca-pudding/

We found all the ingredients in the supermarket.  I guess you can substitute with different berries if you like, but we found the raspberries to be delicious.

What you will need:

2 cups almond milk, divided

1/3 cup pearl tapioca/sago

Approx. 400 ml can coconut milk

1/3 cup agave syrup

1 cup frozen raspberries

Pinch of salt

Method:

In a medium sized saucepan, place tapioca in a cup of the almond milk. Cover with a plate and soak overnight (or minimum of 4 hours) at room temperature.

Add second cup of almond milk and bring the mix to boil over medium heat. Add coconut milk and agave. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring slowly and continuously for 10 minutes.

Add raspberries and salt and cook for another 5 minutes. As raspberries soften, use a wooden spoon to crush them up a bit against the side of the pan.

Remove for heat. .Refrigerate for a few hours, and you will find yourself having a smooth, creamy cold dessert for summer.  I found that it tasted even better the next day. Or if it is winter, have it while it is still warm. 

Recipe: Frozen fudge

This recipe is from “The Raw Truth” by Jeremy A. Safron.  An easy dessert to make, with only a few raw ingredients required. The fudge is sweet and melts in your mouth.  Eat straight from the freezer  (not fridge!) and keep any uneaten portions in there too.  Some supermarkets stock nut butters in the healthfood section.  As for the raw carob powder, you are more likely to find that at a healthfood or organics store.

What you will need:

1 cup dates, seeded

1 ½ cups water

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups nut butter (I used almond butter)

1 ½ cups raw carob powder

½ cup dried shredded coconut

Method:

Place the dates in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for an hour.

Drain but keep the liquid. Place dates and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth, whilst slowly adding the water to create a creamy consistency.

Transfer the date mixture to a large bowl, add nut butter and stir to combine.

In another bowl, mix the carob and the coconut. Gradually add the dry carob mixture to the wet date mixture. Stir well.

Press into a baking tin, about 2.5cms thick and freeze for several hours. To serve, cut into small squares.

Product: Redwood 'Wot No Dairy?' Dessert

On my recent visit to PAWS, I came across a shelf full of these little tubs of yum. I grabbed the peach and apricot one to try and my partner opted for the raspberry one.

These are vegan, and do not contain any soy. I find with these sorts of products they can often be too sweet but this one hit the right balance, being sweetened by fruit juices. The texture is creamy and yoghurt like.

These are best served chilled though so long as you haven't opened the seal, can be stored in a cupboard until you are ready to chill and then eat.


The Redwood website indicates there are other flavours available, such as strawberry, black cherry and plain. I did not see these at PAWS but will keep my eyes open in case they come in, as I would like to try them too.

Product: Robern Apricot Balls

I think I must have passed this product in the supermarket (Woolworths) about a hundred times and never given them a second glance. Then a vegan co-worker brought them into work and I tried them out. OH, YUM! They taste like white chocolate with apricot and coconut thrown into the mix. I was hooked after my first one.

Like I said, these are available in Woolworths. Just look in the section that sells the dried fruit and nuts. One word of warning, though, these are NOT gluten free so vegan folk like me who have an intolerance, limit your intake. I treat myself to no more than one or two every few days.

Recipe: Coconut Creme Brulee

Whilst reading cover-to-cover an issue of the excellent Australian magazine‘Living Vegan’ I came across this dessert recipe and thought I’d give it a go. The recipe originally featured in a cookbook called

“Vegan Cooking – Recipes for a Peaceful World” by Amanda Quinn and Diipali Lilburne.

 Now, I don’t own one of those hand held mini torches you need to melt sugar over the top of each serving, to give that golden, toffee effect, so I approach this recipe as if it were a pudding.  The results were mixed.  In regards to flavor, this recipe is on a winner. It is its texture where the problem lies. I found it too be a bit too firm. The word ‘rubbery’ comes to mind, when it was ‘creamy’ that I was hoping for.

So, the next time I give this one a go, I shall aim to perhaps reduce the amount of corn flour I use and for how long I cook it for.  Below, I have shared the original recipe (with a few minor changes) but if you feel your results are like mine, perhaps try the suggestions above next time you give it a go.

What you will need:

Quarter cup soy or rice milk

Quarter cup corn flour/starch

2 cans coconut milk

Half cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Half tsp ground ginger

Half tsp ground nutmeg

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (Or a drop of two of vanilla essence – that is what I used.)

Method:

Mix together soy/rice milk and corn flour/starch. Use fork and be thorough.

In a saucepan, whisk together coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and  heat over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat and slowly add corn flour/starch mixture. Whisk continuously as mixture cooks and thickens. This should take no more than 5 minutes. Turn off heat and mix in vanilla.

Place into serving dishes/glasses and let cool for about 15 minutes.  Then place in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight before serving.

If you are going to do the torching step, read on:

One hour before serving, remove from fridge. Sprinkle small amount of sugar onto each serving and give a little shake so the sugar grains spread evenly. (About 2 tsp for each dish should do.)

Hold torch 5-7 cms away from surface and melt sugar until it bubbles and turns slightly golden in colour. Move torch back and forth continuously so that brulee does not burn.  Let cool for a few minutes and then serve.

Better-than-cheesecake

I didn't even know vegan 'non-cheesecakes' existed until I became a vegan. And when I found out, I just assumed that they were made from tofu. When I tried one, I was amazed at how creamy and smooth it was. And it wasn't even made of silken tofu!

A vegan friend made one and shared it with me and some friends, recently. For a lot of us, it was our first time trying a vegan non-cheesecake. ALL were blown away with the texture and the flavour!

This friend got the recipe from another vegan friend. (Vegans are caring, sharing types.) And she in turn has shared it will all on her blog.

You can find the recipe here!

Recipe: Date and walnut truffles

This is a pretty simple raw vegan dessert...well, simple if you have a food processor. I do not, so had to use my blender. I think that is why I didn't get the right consistency (ie smooth enough) to be able to roll them into balls. The best I could do was to roughly shape them into 'sort-of-balls'. Me thinks a food processor would be a very good addition to my kitchen hardware.

I got this recipe from "Livwise: easy recipes for a healthy, happy life" by Olivia Newton John. This isn't a vegan or vegetarian cookbook, but there are a few recipes in there that are suitable for vegans.

A word about some of the ingredients. Coconut oil (yes OIL and not cream) was not available in the supermarkets I checked but I did find it in a health food shop. Same deal with carob powder. Everything else was super easy to find. Oh, and by the way, this recipe is gluten free.

What you will need:

2 cups of walnuts (about 200g)

1 cup pitted dates (about 185g)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2-3 tbsp carob powder

quarter cup desiccated coconut (about 25g)

Method:

Put all the ingredients except the coconut, into a food processor and process until smooth.

Take 1 tsp of mixture at a time and roll into a ball. Roll each ball in coconut to coat all over. 

Refrigerate. 

Truffles will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

LEDA - all vegan, all yummy!

It comes as no surprise to me that a lot of the 'allergy-free' and 'gluten-free' brands and companies out there, are also great for vegans. LEDA is one of them and they state the "entire facility is Vegan, with all of our products suitable for vegan consumption."

They create quite a good range of goods but I shall just mention a few here that I have tried and liked.

We MUST start with their Chocolate Rum Balls which do actually taste like rum and that is because they ARE made with rum. They also contain chocolate and roasted macadamia pieces. Yum!

Mintons are dark chocolate biscuits with a peppermint filling, which I LOVE and Chocolence is just like a TimTam....though BETTER!

Their gingernut and coconut cookies are also delicious and crispy.

The best thing is - LEDA products are available from Coles, Woolworths, some IGAs and from health food stores.

Product: Orgran Chocolate Mousse

Found this one in a health food shop and I have to say the simplicity of its preparation appealed to me. You can eat this as a sort of pudding/mousse or you can use it as a cake filler or topper. For my first try at it, I gave it a go as a pudding. The pack says you can eat it straight away, but I opted to eat it after it was refrigerated. The texture is nice and smooth and creamy. Taste-wise, if you prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, you will probably like this better. I found the texture and flavour more appealing after 2 days in the fridge. Next time, I will have to try it out as a alternative to a cream filling or topping to a cake.
This product is dairy and gluten free. Also egg free, so it is suitable for us vegans. Quick and easy to prepare and 98% fat free.