Cocoa Almond Truffles

This is a dairy-free, gluten-free truffle recipe that is almost good for you, but your family will never know! I found it on Lilly's Table, but I didn't have the cocoa nibs so I made it without. Delicious!

1-1/2 cups raw almonds (soaked in water and drained)
3/4 cup cocoa, plus a little extra for dusting
2-1/2 cups dates, pitted
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs water (more or less as needed)

Place the almonds and cocoa in a food processor. Pulse until the almonds are finely ground. Add the dates, almond extract and salt, and pulse until a soft paste is formed. Add water if needed if the mixture is too dry to stick together.

Scoop out about a teaspoon of paste and roll into a ball. Roll them or dust them with cocoa powder.

Chef Lilly recommends storing them in a tightly-sealed container in the refrige for a couple of weeks, or in the freezer for a few months.

June's Diary-free Tiramisu

This is a recipe that my dear friend June perfected on my behalf. (And I was oh so happy to taste all of the "mistakes" along the way!) I think that this recipe is better than the dairy version. It takes a little time to prepare this recipe, so plan ahead, but it's well worth the work!

Dairy-free Pastry Cream
Ingredients
2 cups coconut milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs cornstarch
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Directions
Combine coconut milk and salt in a large sauce pan and bring to boil.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar on medium-high speed until mixture is light yellow and thick, about 3 minutes.
Turn mixer to low and add cornstarch. Be sure to scrape sides of bowl.
Still mixing on low speed, slowly add hot coconut milk to egg mixture.
Pour mixture back into sauce pan and cook over medium heat until thick. Do NOT let it boil, stirring constantly with a spook or whisk. Continue cooking 1-2 minutes, but do not cook more than 2 minutes or the cornstarch will lose its effectiveness. If it looks curdled, whisk it until it is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almond extracts.
Strain into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream.
Refrigerate 2-3 hours. Whisk again before using if needed.

Dairy-free Tiramisu
Ingredients
4 egg whites
4 egg yolks
1-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 batch of Dairy-free Pastry Cream (see above), approx. 3 cups
7 oz ladyfingers
1 cup freshly brewed, strong coffee*, cooled
zest of 1 lemon (*add lemon zest to coffee grounds when brewing)
grated dark chocolate
unsweetened cocoa powder & cinnamon, for dusting

Directions
Stiffly whisk egg whites in a grease-free bowl.
In a separate bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Gently fold in Dairy-free Pastry Cream and then the egg whites.
Make a layer of ladyfingers on the base of a deep, rectangular serving dish and brush them evenly with coffee.
Cover with a layer of the cream and sprinkle with a little grated chocolate.
Continue making layers until all of the ingredients are used, ending with a layer of Dairy-free Cream.
Dust with cocoa and cinnamon, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night.

Thanks June!!!

Coconut Flan

This is another easy and delicious dairy-free version of one of our favorite recipes. The most difficult part is working with the hot water bath.

You can make one big flan, or individual servings in ramekins. The traditional way to serve it is to invert it onto a platter and let the golden syrup run all over. Or if you don't have the time to let it cool, just scoop it out of the pan and be sure to spoon a little syrup on top.

Ingredients
4 large eggs (we like it slightly more eggy, more like an egg custard so I use 5 eggs)
14 oz of Coco Lopez
14 oz of water
1 1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1/2 c white sugar

Also, you will need a smaller baking pan that fits inside a larger baking dish.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Boil water for the water bath.

Using a mixing bowl and beaters, or a blender, blend the eggs, Coco Lopez, water, and vanilla.

Take the smaller baking pan and melt the sugar on the stove top on medium-low heat, until the sugar turns golden brown.

Place the smaller pan (with the sugar syrup) inside the larger pan. Pour the egg mixture on top of the sugar syrup. Place both pans on the oven rack, then add the boiling water to the larger pan. The level of the water should be at least as high as the egg mixture in the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, then carefully test with a knife. The egg mixture will remain jiggly, but it's done when the tester comes out clean. Keep checking the flan every 5 minutes until it is done. Be careful not to over cook; the eggs will set up as they cool.

Being extremely careful, lift the two pans out of the oven. The water in the larger pan is HOT! Carefully lift the smaller pan out of the boiling water and let it cool completely.

You will want to make this ahead of time so the flan has time to completely cool. If you're making it a day in advance, be sure to refrigerate it over night. When you pull it out of the refrigerator, you will want to soak the bottom of the pan in hot water to warm the syrup.

Before serving, you can flip the pan onto a plate with a lip (remember the syrup will run every where).

NOTE: If the flan is not completely cooled it will lose it's shape when you remove it from the pan. It still tastes yummy, but it doesn't look as pretty.

Dairy-Free Coconut Tres Leches with Caramelized Bananas, Pineapple and Mangoes

I know, I know... Dairy-free "three milks" cake sounds impossible. But this one is really, really good.

Ingredients

1 white cake with almond extract added
1 can (14 oz) of Coco Lopez
1 cup almond milk, silk creamer, or coconut creamer
1 can coconut milk

For the topping
sliced bananas, pineapple, and mangoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP dark rum

Directions
Make your favorite white cake recipe. Or if you're running short on time, you can make a dairy-free boxed cake mix. Be sure to add a teaspoon of almond extract to the white cake before baking. You can also add pureed banana to the cake batter if you like. Bake the cake in a pan with tall sides. Once baked, turn the cake out of the pan and let it cool.

Mix the three milks in a bowl, and beat together until well mixed.

Cut the top (the side that formed the top crust when baking) off of the cake. (You can nibble on the crumbs as you work!) Then poke holes in the cake using a skewer.

Pour some of the milk mixture over the cake. Then put the pan back over the cake and invert it back into the pan. Poke more holes in the cake and pour milk on this side.

Let the cake rest and soak up the milks for at least a day. Add more milk to the top of the cake as needed, until all of the milk has been absorbed.

Before serving, add sugar and rum to a small pan. Warm on medium low heat. Add sliced bananas and pineapple to the syrup and let them caramelize (about 2-3 minutes). Serve each piece of cake with caramelized fruit, mangoes, and syrup. If you like, you can sprinkle toasted coconut on top.

This recipe is modified from the recipe from Lake Austin Spa as posted on Epicurious.com.

White Cake

This is my grandma's recipe for a basic white cake. Then she would add ingredients to make it a chocolate cake, banana cake, strawberry cake, pumpkin with chocolate chip cake, walnut cake... you name it!

For the Tres Leches recipe, I added almond and vanilla extracts.

Ingredients
2-3/4 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c non-dairy margarine
3/4 c almond or soy milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
other flavors (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar.
Sift together the rest of the dry ingredients, then add to the butter. Mix together until crumbly.
Add half of the liquid and one egg. Beat until creamy.
Add the other half of the liquid and two eggs. Add any flavoring and beat until creamy.

Pour batter into a greased and floured a cake pan.

Bake in a 9 x 13 pan for approximately 1 hour.
Bake cupcakes for approximately 35 minutes.

Let it cool completely before frosting.

Almond Macaroons

I made these cookies while visiting a friend in Albuquerque. These are so easy to make and so yummy that I just had to share! Also, they are gluten free!

Ingredients
3 cups blanched almonds (measure without packing cup)
1-1/2 cups white sugar
3 large egg whites
1 tsp almond extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place almonds in a food processor, and process for 1 minute. Add sugar and process for 15 seconds longer. Immediately add the egg whites and almond extract and pulse until the paste wads around the blade (10-12 pulses). Scrape the bowl with a spatula. Pulse until the mixture turns into a stiff but cohesive, malleable paste (similar in consistency to marzipan) about 5 seconds longer.

The size of the eggs and the amount of oil in the almonds can change the consistency of the dough. If the mixture is crumbly or dry, turn the machine back on and add water drop by drop until the proper consistency is reached.

Scoop slightly less than 2 Tbs of paste for each macaroon, and roll into balls. Place on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets. When the dough starts sticking to your hands, rinse them off to ensure that the cookies turn out smooth and pretty.

Bake the macaroons until golden brown on the bottom, 20-25 minutes. If over-baked, the macaroons will dry out when stored.

Leave the macaroons on the parchment paper until completely cool. Store in airtight container or freeze cookies.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

In honor of my birthday this month, I am eating as much chocolate as I can! The darker the chocolate the better!

I've been looking for (and unsuccessfully trying) to make a dairy-free chocolate mousse that's as good as the full-cream version. This recipe was originally for vegan chocolate mousse pie, but the filling is delicious by itself. It's deliciously chocolaty and smooth, and between the protein in the tofu and the antioxidants in the dark chocolate, it's practically good for you! But you don't have to tell anyone that it's vegan.


It's also one of the simplest recipes that I've seen.

Ingredients
1 14oz package silken tofu
1-3/4 cups chocolate or 8.8 ounces dark chocolate (it recommends 70 percent, but I like to mix in a little extra dark too)

Directions
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat.
Place the tofu in a blender and blend for about a minute until smooth. Keep the blender running and pour in the melted chocolate. Blend until smooth.

Pour into serving dishes and refrigerate at least an hour.

Original Source: Kripalu Recipes online.

Cranberry-Ginger Muffins

I fell in love with the cranberry sauce recipe from Lilly's Table. The combination of tangy cranberries, spicy ginger, and sweet and bitter orange is mouth-wateringly delicious. I eat it by the spoonful!

Then one day I thought, "I wonder if I could use the cranberry sauce to make muffins." Voila, the cranberry-ginger muffins were born. They've received rave reviews, including, "This is the best muffin you've ever made!" I hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.


Making the Cranberry Sauce
12 ounces cranberries, standard size bag
1 whole orange, thin skinned
3/4 cup sugar (to taste)
1/4 cup candied ginger, roughly chopped
1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely minced
1 tsp ground ginger

Rinse the cranberries. Cut the orange into eighths and remove any seeds. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse lightly until everything is well chopped.

Ingredients for Muffins
1 cup cranberry sauce
1/2 cup of non-dairy butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
1 cup cranberries halved

Ingredients for Crumble Topping
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup non-dairy butter
orange peel and ginger to taste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugars and eggs together. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, powder, soda, and salt (if using). Then add flour mixture to egg mixture, until most of the lumps are gone. Stir in the cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries. NOTE: The cranberries will turn the batter pink/red the more that you mix it, which then turns blue-ish when you bake it!

Start by using a fork to cut the butter with the other ingredients for the crumble topping. Remember the goal is large crumbs for the topping, so I like to use my fingers to ensure that I do not over mix.

Pour the batter into lined muffin cups. Sprinkle with crumble topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

If you like this cranberry sauce recipe, check out Chef Lilly's other delicious recipes at Lilly's Table. It's $12 per month to sign-up, but it's totally worth it!

Ginger Chocolate Chip Biscotti

These deliciously crunchy cookies are perfect for dunking in a "cuppa" (Australian for a cup of coffee or tea).
Apparently I'd printed this recipe many years ago (2002 to be exact) from the Cooking Light web site. To my surprise it was dairy-free already!

Ingredients
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 TBS chopped crystallized ginger (can sub finely chopped fresh ginger, or ginger juice to taste)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together eggs, egg white and vanilla in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add flour mixture to egg mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and crystallized ginger.

Divide dough in half and roll each piece in your hands to make a 12" log. Note: the log will spread out and become wider during baking. Place the logs on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes. Then remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, but leave the oven turned ON.

Once the logs have cooled enough to touch, cut each log into slices. Place the slices on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Turn the oven OFF immediately, but leave the biscotti in the oven until the oven is cool. The biscotti will become dry and crunchy.

You can also try adding different flavors, chips, nuts, etc. such as almonds, pistachios, lemon, orange... use your imagination!

Rice Crispy Treats

So simple and gooey, who wouldn't love 'em?!? Just substitute non-dairy butter for the real stuff. I used to make these regularly for my old boss. (Bribery, who me?)

Ingredients
1 package marshmallows (10 oz.)
3 TBS non-dairy butter
6 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions
Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the rice crispy cereal. While still warm, use your hands to press the sticky goodness into a pan lined with wax paper.

Note: You may want to spray your mixing spoon and hands with cooking spray.

Anyone out there?

Hi friends and readers!
I've been working on this blog for a couple of years now, sharing some of my favorite non-dairy recipes, baking tips, and family stories. If there is anyone out there reading this, would you please leave me a comment, suggestion, complaint, or something. Pretty please!
Thanks,
Jessica

Carrot Souffle

Don't let the name scare you. Yes, carrots can be dessert with delicious results.

This recipe was my first attempt at making a souffle and as my fav foodie friend said, "I hit it out of the park!"

Ingredients
2 pounds carrots, chopped
1/2 c melted non-dairy butter
1 c brown sugar (note: I substituted 2 Tbs of maple syrup for some of the brown sugar for more flavor)
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, beaten
2 Tbs powdered sugar, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash the carrots. (You can use a blender, mixer, potato masher, or ricer if you have one.)

Mix the carrot mash and the non-dairy butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, vanilla and eggs. Mix well and transfer to an ungreased 2-quart baking dish, or ramekins for individual servings. Sprinkle with 1 Tbs of powdered sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes. Dust with remaining powdered sugar before serving.

A big thank you to my mom's friend Lloyce who sent me this recipe!

Angeletti with Orange Frosting Cookie Bouquet

These cake-like cookies were a big hit at Valentine's Day! After a day or two, the cookies became a little crunchy on the outside, but they remained soft on the inside and were perfect for dunking.

Ingredients
1/2 cup dairy-free butter
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup dairy-free milk (I prefer almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder (NOTE: Tablespoon, not teaspoon)
1/4 tsp salt

2 cups confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
3-4 Tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1/2 Tbsp grated orange zest

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk butter, sugar, almond milk, vanilla and eggs. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture until evenly blended.

Cover dough and let stand for 5 minutes.

With floured hands, shape dough into balls (or hearts, etc.) and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake cookies 7-8 minutes or until the cookies puff and turn light brown on the bottom. Let cookies cookies cool on a wire rack.

Mix the powdered sugar, orange juice and orange zest together to make a thick icing or glaze. You can add color to the icing at this time, if desired. Also, you can substitute lemon or other flavors for the orange.

Once the cookies are completely cool, gently spread a teaspoon of icing on each cookie and sprinkle with colored sugar. Allow iced cookies to dry on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper.

To make the cookie bouquet, place each cookie on a skewer. Place a piece of Styrofoam inside a tall vase (found in the floral decorating section at the arts and crafts store), then carefully place cookies on a stick in the Styrofoam. Fill in with tissue paper, ribbons, etc.

Oatmeal Pecan Lace Cookies w/ Chocolate

My aunt and uncle sent their favorite "personal cookie baker" a few cookie books for Christmas. This is one of the recipes, with a little chocolate added for good measure. Chocolate makes everything better!

This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and it tastes good!

Ingredients
1-1/4 cups uncooked quick oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup dairy-free butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla (I prefer Mexican vanilla)
Dark chocolate melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix oats, sugar, baking powder and pecans together in a large bowl. Add butter, egg and vanilla to oatmeal mixture and mix well.

Drop teaspoonfuls of batter onto parchment paper-lined cookies sheets. Leave at least 2 inches between each cookie because cookies will spread while baking.

Bake 8-12 minutes until the edges turn golden. Let cookies rest on cookie sheet for a couple minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool. I turned the cookies upside down on the rack, so as they cooled I could carefully peel the parchment paper off of the bottom of the cookies.

Melt dark chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat. Drizzle across the top of cookies and let set. Cookies will remain soft, particularly if you put them in an air-tight container.

Candy Cane Ice Cream

Who says that you can't eat ice cream in the winter?!? For our Christmas dinner I made this homemade candy cane ice cream that was to die for!

Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1-1/4 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
1-1/4 cup almond or soy milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1-1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4-5 candy canes, plastic removed and crushed

Directions
Beat the eggs, milks and sugar together. Then heat on medium heat, stirring frequently until nearly boiling. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in peppermint extract and then strain into an ice cream maker. (Or you can freeze it in a shallow pan, mixing it at least once during the freezing process.)

Once the ice cream begins to thicken, add the crushed candy canes. Let the ice cream solidify in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.

Apfelkuchen (Apple Cake)

This apple crumb cake is adapted from a recipe that my Oma makes. It is a delicious, not-too-sweet cake that you can serve for breakfast or with coffee or tea. Although, a friend made it for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a favorite at the party!


Cake (bottom layer)

1/4 cup non-dairy butter

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp almond extract

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Filling
5-6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced - any variety of baking apples will do
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar (more or less to taste)

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup non-dairy butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the cake ingredients in a bowl. Then press into a greased spring-form pan, being sure to press the cake up the walls of the pan. Then mix the apples, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Line the cake with apples. If you use at least two different varieties of apples, you can layer them like in the photos. Using your fingers or two butter knives, coarsely mix the crumb topping, leaving large crumbs. Lightly sprinkle crumbs on top of the apples.

Bake the cake covered for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for another 45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. Let the cake cool before removing the sides of the spring-form pan.