Mocha Tofu Pudding

It's no secret that I have a pretty bad sweet tooth. I find that it generally strikes after meals, especially dinner. A couple days ago I felt a hankering for dessert so I opened my fridge and looked for a quick fix. I didn't find any chocolate bars or anything else I could enjoy immediately but I did spot several packages of Mori-Nu silken tofu (Kroeger was having a sale; I couldn't resist). "Sweet,", I thought, "Pudding time!".

Now some of you may think that tofu pudding sounds pretty unappetizing. Well, it's actually delicious -- even Mark Bittman says so, which obviously makes it a fact. In addition to being tasty, a tofu-based pudding is healthier than it's cream-based counterpart and can easily be made low fat by using lite silken tofu. It's also a versatile quick and dirty dessert: you can enjoy during a lazy movie night or dress up and serve to guests.  Anyway, whether you believe me or not, you need to give this a try. And once you've fallen deeply in love with tofu pudding (you will), you can try this slightly more elaborate recipe. Happy dessert making!

What are some of your favorite quick and/or (relatively) healthy desserts?

Mocha Tofu Pudding
Makes 3 servings

• 12.3 oz / 350 g silken tofu, drained (I used the shelf stable kind, Mori-Nu, although you could certainly use the refrigerated variety)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond (or other non dairy) milk
• 1/4 cup espresso or other strong coffee
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or to taste
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional: Macadamia (or other) nuts for garnish

1.  Place all the ingredients in the blender or food processor and whiz until smooth.

2.  Chill for about half an hour, garnish with nuts if you'd like and serve. If you put the tofu, coffee and almond milk in the fridge ahead of time you can skip the chilling step. Not that it's absolutely essential; if you need your chocolate fix stat you can enjoy the pudding at room temperature.

Vegan Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

A couple days ago I found myself with some leftover silken tofu (from the cauliflower mac and "cheese") and a crazy chocolate craving. My first thought was to turn my predicament into cooookies, (the quickest baking chocolate vessels!) but I'd never made some with tofu before. I thought it might work well in place of the oil so I gave it a shot. First time for everything, right?

Since I was in cookies pronto (!!!) mode I wasn't thinking fancy, just soft, comforting chocolaty goodness and that's exactly what I got. I had intended to bring these into the office but Austin and I made them disappear embarrassingly quickly (ok  ok, I might have had a few more than he did). Such is life. I ate my share dunked in almond milk but I think they'd be even more delicious with some ice cream sandwiched in between them.

Vegan Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Makes about 20 cookies (more if you don't snack on the batter)

• 2/3 cup rolled oats 
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons cranberry juice (orange juice would work well too)
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease or line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Add the rolled oats to the food processor and pulse until they're pulverized. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into the bowl with the oats.

2.  Add the tofu, sugar, maple syrup, cranberry juice and vanilla extract to the food processor and whiz until smooth. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones and mix until just combined. Using a pair of spoons, place a walnut sized ball of dough onto the baking sheet and flatten it slightly. Repeat for the rest of the cookies. Bake for 10 minutes if you'd like soft cookies, 12-14 minutes (making sure the cookies don't burn) if you'd like crunchier ones.

Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sorry I've kind of fallen off the face of the earth this last week but it's been a terrible week. Our cat got sick a couple days ago and, after spending the whole day at the vet, it turns out she just has some sort of flu-like bug. I was extremely upset about Lira being sick, and it caught me a bit by surprise. Part of it was being a new pet owner, and not knowing how attached you become to your furry ones. I guess I also didn't realize how sad I actually was before Lira got sick. How is it that life often manages to land a serious right hook square in your jaw when you're already down?

Last Wednesday I received news that, after two years of declining mental and physical health, my grandmother's death seemed imminent. By Friday morning I had flown to New Hampshire and was at her bedside talking to her, reading to her, comforting her when her breathing got distressed. I'd like to think she knew I was there, and that it was ok to stop fighting and let go. When I woke up on Saturday, my uncle told me she had passed away early in the morning.

My grandmother and I were extremely close and her death, although expected, hit me extremely hard (like a Mack truck ran me over in my sleep, I don't feel like moving, let alone cooking, hard). We spent about two and a half months of every summer together, until my I finished my junior year in college and an internship usurped the time I usually spent with her at our family's lake home. While our summers at the lake were filled with visitors and random outings, we always found plenty of time to just sit down and talk to each other. I found it easy to chat with her for hours because she was a great listener and I always felt comfortable talking to her about anything (and I do mean anything).  She made me feel like the most loved, special, spoiled and appreciated grandchild on the planet, and often managed to do so while whipping some sweet treats.

I'm pretty sure she took pleasure in fattening my parents and me up with baked goodies -- brownies, blondies, cookies, pies, coffee cakes, spice cake... I couldn't tell you how many spice cakes I've made with her. I need to find the pictures of me licking those dripping beaters, with that caramel-colored batter running down my face. I also once made over 50 pies for a charity bake sale with her and some of her friends. And don't even get me started on the brownies, or the blondies, which my friend Mario thinks are the tastiest thing he's ever eaten. You see, my mother isn't much of a baker (her quiet rebellion against my grandmother's ways, no doubt) so I relished the time I got to spend with my grandmother amongst doughs and batters.

Maybe someday she and I will get to bake together again. If so, I might whip this recipe out of my back pocket and say "Grammie, I made these for you". She would definitely approve.

Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes about 15 cookies

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 3.5 oz / 100 g bar of dark chocolate, chopped (I used Trader Joe's Swiss Dark Chocolate)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, coconut, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.
2.  In a medium, microwave safe bowl combine the coconut oil, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla. Microwave the liquid mixture for about 30 seconds or until the coconut oil is soft enough to blend with the rest of the liquid ingredients (if it's too cold it will remain kind of chunky when beaten). Only microwave the mixture as long as you need to though; you don't want the wet ingredients to get too warm or else they'll melt the chocolate. I beat the wet ingredients until smooth using a hand mixer, but I suspect some intense whisking would also do the trick.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and add the chunks of dark chocolate. Mix using a spatula until just combined. Using your hands, roll out walnut-sized balls of dough and flatten them onto a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet. Cook the cookies 12 at a time for about 9 minutes or until they're slightly brown on the bottom.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread

When I was growing up we had fruit for dessert after every meal. For a while I got to choose what kind of fruit I wanted and I almost always picked bananas, my favorite. After a few years my father decided that I was eating too many bananas and he cut me off, forcing me to choose other fruits. He now denies ever instituting such a ridiculous prohibition but my mother and I know the truth. Since my mother continued to buy almost as many bananas as she used to, but I was rarely allowed to go near them, I had to watch sadly as they turned spotted, then brown and finally completely black. In an effort to use up this surplus of overripe my mother started making banana bread.

From the beginning of her banana bread making days until now my mother has used the same recipe --- the one found in The Joy of Cooking. I became well acquainted with the recipe myself as soon as I was old enough to bake on my own. Heck, even my banana-hating father would bake a loaf every now and then. The recipe is practically an institution in my parents' home. Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a classic recipe (after all, I am the girl who ate exclusively French vanilla ice cream for the first twelve years of her life) but I thought I could jazz up, and veganize, an old favorite. My parents and I agree this new version is as good, if not better, than the original.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread
Veganized and otherwise adapted from The Joy of Cooking's Quick Banana Bread recipe
Makes 1 loaf

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of very ripe banana pulp or about 2 medium brown-skinned bananas
• 1/3 cup Earth Balance or other non-hydrogenated non-dairy butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup lite or regular silken tofu
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon rind

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease, and optionally lightly flour, a loaf pan.
2.  Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together into a large bowl and set aside. Put the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and whiz them until they're smooth. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix using a spatula until just combined. Transfer the dough into the loaf pan, smoothing the top with your spatula.
3.  Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Once baked, let the bread sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife along the edges of the pan to loosen the loaf and then carefully flip it onto a plate.

Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins

Yes, I made muffins again this week. To be fair, I didn't get to enjoy most of the ones I made for the contest. I decided to make these to use up a couple small zucchini I had lying around in the fridge and so I could bring some to my friend Kyle. Nothing says "thank you for always being nice enough to let me hitch a ride to work while my car is the shop" better than some chocolaty goodness.

I'd had my eye on these muffins ever since I got "The Happy Herbivore Cookbook" this Christmas. I love that they're made with zucchini, banana and applesauce (that's two fruits and one veggie!, in case you weren't counting) instead of added fat. Trust me when I say that these swaps don't noticeably affect the taste and texture of the muffins: they're fluffy, moist, chocolaty and delicious. So do yourself a favor and bake a batch of these. Enjoy them guilt free because veggie infused muffins don't count as a treat, right?

Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins
Published from "The Happy Herbivore Cookbook" with permission from author Lindsay S. Nixon
Serves 12

• 1 1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (I used conventional whole-wheat flour)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ripe babna, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 to 1 cup raw sugar (I used 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (I grated it using the largest holes on my box grater)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional) (I didn't use any)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Grease or spray a muffin tin or paper liners, if using.
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together.
3.  In a large bowl, cream mashed banana with applesauce and sugar then add non-dairy milk, vanilla, zucchini and chips, if using, stirring to combine.
4.  Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture in 3 to 4 batches, stirring until just combined.
5.  Spoon into muffin cups 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Chocolate Frosted Orange Muffins

I found out from one of the million Duke email lists I'm on, and don't remember signing up for, that Duke's Nutrition Services was having a healthy dessert contest called Smart Sweets. Someone suggested that I enter so I went home, threw a bunch of stuff together and voilá, these muffins were born. (Ok, maybe it wasn't that easy, but you get the picture.) I know they look more like a cupcake, but texture wise they're more of a muffin. Whatever you want to call them, I thought they were really tasty and considered my opinion confirmed when Austin had several of them. You see, he usually ignores my alluring baked goods so I just end up bringing treats in to my lab.

In the first phase of the contest, the recipes were judged only by the description, which I've included below (it's a bit over the top but, what can I say, I was selling it hard), and the ingredient list. Since I made it though the first phase to the semifinals, I got to participate in a bake-off yesterday. Each dessert faced off against the other desserts in their category (luxury, fruit inclusive or vegan) for a chance to be in the finals. One finalist from each category have their dessert prepared by Duke Dinning Services in mass quantities to serve at the Great Hall on March 28th for students to choose the overall winner. So... guess who won the vegan category? That'd be me! I'll keep you posted on the results of the final bake-off but in the mean time, have yourselves some muffins.  

Chocolate Frosted Orange Muffins
Makes 10-11 muffins

These aren't your mama's muffins. That is, unless your mother was a baking ninja that could make delicious treats using tofu, avocado, oranges and chocolate. The muffin is so moist you won't miss the artery-clogging butter and using the whole orange (yes, peel and all) makes the muffin taste especially bright. The frosting is thick, creamy and ... made with avocado! Say whaaaat?! Yes, avocado. Trust its goodness. It's also chocoholic approved, since it has almost a full bar of 100 % cacao baking chocolate in it. Check (most of) your guilt at the door though. Each muffin has more protein than an egg, 25% of your daily dose of calcium, over 50% of the manganese you need in a day, and about 20% of your daily fiber. Too good to be true? I think not!*

Ingredients

For the muffins

• 1 whole medium orange, washed
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, light-tasting olive oil, or other heart healthy oil)
• 3/4 cup firm tofu
• 1 and 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (white sugar would work as well)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the frosting

• 1 medium ripe avocado
• 2 oz / 86 g / 1/4 cup silken tofu  (must be silken for the frosting to be smooth)
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 oz / 85 g 100% cocoa baking chocolate bar (Ghiradelli makes a good one)
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F / 175 C.

            2. Break the chocolate up into pieces and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until all the chocolate has melted. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

            3. Let’s put those sweet knife skills to use. Carefully cut off the orange peel, trying to get as little pith (the bitter white stuff) as possible. Next, cut off the pith of the orange until all you have left is juicy orange goodness. Cut the orange up into chunks and toss into the food processor along with the orange part of the peel. If your orange has very thin skin (or little to no pith), you can avoid all this hassle and just cut up the whole orange.

           4. Put the brown sugar, oil and vanilla into the food processor along with the orange. Blend until smooth, using a spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.

           5. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder and baking soda.

           6. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until just combined.

           7. Grease a muffin tin with some vegetable oil or cooking spray. Alternatively, use cupcake liners. Fill the cups until they’re almost full.

           8. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

           9. While the muffins are baking, make the frosting.  Put all the frosting ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth. This will take at least a couple minutes .

     10. When muffins are done, cool in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

     11. Once muffins are room temperature, top them with the frosting. If you want to get fancy, you can put the frosting into a plastic bag, snip off a corner of it and use it as a piping bag. If not, you can always use a spoon to plop some of the frosting on each muffin, then use a knife or spatula smooth it out.

*Nutrition facts calculated using this website. Daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet.

White Chocolate Chip Chai Cookies

I was sixteen and at WPI nerd camp when a fellow camper gave me my first taste of chai. Relatively uninitiated in the world of tea, I found the slightly spicy drink positively exotic. Looking back, I realize that I got hooked on the drink by a bastardized chai-like beverage that was a far cry from the traditional Indian blend of black tea and spices. Authentic masala chai is only slightly sweet and is usually prepared with just a bit of milk, unlike the concoctions most of us know as chai. The truth is I love chai in all of its versions, which is why I set off to make cookies reminiscent of it.

I confess that these cookies don't contain any actual chai tea. They do, however,  contain a mix of spices that gives them a similar taste and aroma. The addition of white chocolate and vanilla lends the cookie the richness that characterizes more Americanized chai. These cookies will be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside if you bake them for the time I indicated in the recipe. If you prefer crunchy cookies, bake them for a couple more minutes, watching them closely so they don't get too brown, and if you want them softer, decrease the baking time by a couple minutes.

White Chocolate Chip Chai Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose white flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup soy or other non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3.5 oz / 100 g / 3/4 cup chopped white chocolate
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• Generous pinch ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C. In a large bowl, mix the flour, spices, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, oil and milk together until combined. Add the chopped white chocolate to the liquid mixture and stir until evenly distributed. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix using a spatula until the dough comes together.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease it. Using your hands, roll the dough into golf ball sized portions and place them on the cookie sheet 12 at a time, flattening them slightly. Bake for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack as soon as they come out of the oven.

Date Night Pudding

What's a girl to do when her boyfriend calls her and says "Babe, don't cook dinner. Let's go out"? Well, if you're me, and you know that the desserts at Mellow Mushroom won't satisfy you (even if the tempeh hoagie will), you just whip up some pudding. This dessert is best enjoyed curled up on your couch with your loved one while killing brain cells with American Idol, I mean, staring into each other's eyes.

 Chocolate Coconut Pudding
Makes 3-4 servings

• 6 oz / 170 g bittersweet chocolate or about 1 1/2 chocolate bars
• 6 oz / 170 g light coconut milk or about 3/4 of a cup. (You can also use full fat coconut milk, some other non-dairy milk, cream, etc. The richer the liquid the more decadent the pudding.)
• 6 oz / 170 g silken tofu (shhhh, nobody needs to know!)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or agave
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional: coconut flakes and mint for garnishing.

1.  Break the chocolate up into pieces and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until all the chocolate has melted. 

2.  Stir in the coconut milk, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla and stir until well combined. Set mixture aside to cool until room temperature, stirring occasionally. 

3.  Break up the tofu into pieces and put it in the food processor. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture. Blend until completely smooth, which could take several minutes, scrapping down the sides with a spatula if needed.

3.  Serve in bowls or fancy glasses. Garnish with coconut flakes and mint if you'd like.  Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving or just enjoy immediately if you need pudding NOW!