Tag: vegan

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pretzel Sandwiches

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Sweet, creamy cookie dough. Crunchy salty pretzels. Smooth silky chocolate. Everyone will love these bite-sized sandwiches. For a soy-free batch, I used crispy plantain chips instead of the pretzels… which was a truly awesome experiment.

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pretzel Sandwiches

1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup vegan buttery spread, such as Earth Balance
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
2/3 cup icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
About 64 knot-shaped pretzels (I use Snyders Gluten-Free)
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Fine sea salt (optional, but recommended)

Put the maple syrup, vegan buttery spread, and vanilla extract in a bowl or a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or the stand mixer, beat until well combined. Add the flour, icing sugar, and salt. Beat until fluffy and well-mixed. Add 1/3 cup of the chocolate chips and beat until combined.

Lay a piece of waxed paper on a large plate. Use your hands to roll the mixture into truffle-sized balls (about 32). Squish each ball to about 1-inch thick between two pretzels to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining balls and pretzels. Put in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Nearing the end of the 15 minutes, put the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30 second intervals on medium-power, stirring between each one, until melted and smooth.

Dip half of each sandwich into the melted chocolate, then put it back on the waxed paper. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Freeze or refrigerate until chocolate is set. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer.

Spicy Apricot Tofu

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A spicy marinade has a kick of cayenne, along with sweet apricots and a tang of Dijon. You can also fire up the grill, cut the tofu into chunks and spear it on skewers for a barbecued version of this easy protein- and flavor-rich dish.

Spicy Apricot Tofu

Spicy Apricot Tofu

For the marinade:
6 medium apricots, stoned
2 to 3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 to 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (depending how potent your brand is, add it to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch fine sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

To finish:
2 (170g/6oz) packages super firm tofu, squeezed of excess moisture

Put the apricots, garlic, water, maple syrup, Dijon mustard and cayenne pepper in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Slice each block of tofu into six slices. Pour a little marinade into a long container. Add the tofu in a single layer, then top with the remaining marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and fry until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve warm.

Stovetop “Baked” Beans with Peaches

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The addition of sweet, local peaches in these homestyle baked beans makes for a comforting dish that everyone will love. Add a few shakes of cayenne pepper for an unbeatable mix of spicy sweetness.

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Stovetop 'Baked' Beans with Peaches

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups cooked navy beans (see Note)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (156mL) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably amber
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons wheat-free tamari
5 fresh medium peaches, stoned and cut into small chunks
Sea salt, to taste
Fresh parsley, for garnish
2 to 4 green onions, chopped, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Mix in the navy beans. Add the water, tomato paste, maple syrup, mustard and tamari to the bean mixture, stirring until well combined. Mix in peaches and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.

Check the seasonings, adding salt to taste. You don’t want to add the salt too early—the beans will toughen. Continue to simmer for an additional 25 to 45 minutes, until reduced and flavours have come together.

Note: Cooking the beans from scratch—as opposed to using canned—will give you the best flavor. If you are using canned beans, lower the cooking time by at least 20 minutes, as the beans will become mushy. You may also need to add less tamari and salt if the beans are already salted.