Precious Heaven Cherry Dessert

By Pam Hadder

Sometimes in life you meet such lovely souls with whom you immediately connect on a profound, spiritual level.

These moments are rare and  are a good reason for a celebration!  This recipe was  created for a dinner party with my friends Sharmila, Vijay, FC, and family.  It is a vegan fruit crisp that is sure to be a hit at your next get-together with favourite people.  It is easy to prepare with no exotic ingredients.  My version is made with cherries and apples, but you could combine other fruits in season to put your own stamp on your version of "precious heaven."   xoxo!!!

Precious Heaven Cherry Dessert

Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegan margarine
1 large can cherry pie filling
2 large Ambrosia (or other favourite)apples
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp.baking soda
1 cup quick oats
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Topping:
Light Cool Whip with a few tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur stirred in.

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a 9" x 12" Pyrex cake pan by greasing it with 2 tsp. of vegan margarine (I use Becel). Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, baking soda, oats, sugar, salt, and spices in a medium bowl - cut in the coconut oil to form a crumbly topping; set aside.

Pour the cherries into the prepared dish.  Wash, core and slice the apples - mix the apples in with the cherry filling in the cake pan - there is no need to peel the apples; be sure to cut the apples fairly thinly (no more than 1/2" thick, and in bite size pieces).  This allows for even cooking and a more pleasurable eating experience.  Spread the crumb topping over all, sprinkle the pecans on top, and pat down lightly.  Bake for 35 - 45 minutes.  Scoop into dessert dishes while warm, serve with a dollop of boozy Cool Whip - simply stir Amaretto into a tub of Light Cool Whip.  Just like the divine company of dear friends, the almond and cherry flavours are truly a match made in heaven!  Enjoy xox

Vegan Coconut Curry

By Pam Hadder

I love anything tofu, anything curry, and anything with coconut and/or coconut milk - these things spell comfort for me!  The beauty of this recipe is that it combines all of these flavourful and satisfying ingredients in one delightful synthesis for your taste buds (and tum)!

The recipe is easily halved, but I find the full batch disappears quite readily - it's great to pack up for a healthy lunch or dinner.

xox!

Vegan Coconut Curry

Ingredients:
1-350 g package of firm or extra firm tofu, sliced in bite-size strips or cubes
2-3 Tbsp. of Asian Sriracha sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1-2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil, for frying
1 large onion, cut in strips
1 large red bell pepper, cut in bite-size pieces
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins, finely chopped
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. green curry powder
1 tsp. dry ginger, ground
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups frozen green peas
1 can full fat coconut milk

Method:
Mix together the soy and Sriracha sauce and combine with tofu cubes in a small container.  If time allows, marinate a few hours in the fridge - one day ahead is ideal. When ready to prepare the dish, reheat large skillet over medium high heat.  Add in the oil, and cook the onions until tender (about 5 minutes).  When onions are clear and tender, stir in the tomato, bell peppers, raisins, garlic and seasonings - cook 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, and turning down heat if necessary (you must take care not to scorch the garlic and onions).  Add in the peas, reduce heat to medium low, cover and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Finally, stir in the coconut milk, cover once more and cook 3-5 minutes to heat through.  Serve over rice - absolutely delicious!

Note: I use about 1/2 tsp. of sea salt in this recipe, and 1 tsp. of ground black pepper - these can be adjusted to taste; the black pepper can be omitted.  Try substituting the tofu with cauliflower - so very yummy!

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

by Pam Hadder

There are many great vegan brownie recipes out there, and I am always open to trying a new variation on a chocolaty theme!  The following recipe is really unique because it is very low in fat, but is wonderfully moist due to the use of bananas, apple sauce and zucchini.

Un-iced, these yummy tidbits have only 2 g of  fat per serving!  Personally, if I want a brownie, no frosting equals "no fun" so I prefer to ice them - I also find the frosting holds in the moisture. To frost these brownies, I use my tried-and-true easy solution: 2 or 3 melted dairy-free Lindt chocolate bars.  Just pop them on top as soon as you pull them out of the oven and spread the chocolate evenly over top as it melts.

Hope you will try and enjoy xox!

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegan margarine (I use Becel)
2 cups finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
2 medium-sized bananas, mashed or puréed
1 - 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, divided use
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup baking cocoa
2-3 Lindt dairy-free chocolate bars (or other vegan chocolate), for frosting

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and grease a 9" x 12" Pyrex cake pan with the vegan margarine.  You could also use a vegetable spray, such as Pam to grease the pan. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla and sugar.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Stir in 3/4 cups of the walnuts to the flour, reserving 1/4 cup to garnish the frosting, if you desire.  Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet ingredients, stirring gently to form a smooth batter - the batter will be rather thick, but not gummy.  Use a firm spatula to fold all of the batter into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 40 minutes, until brownies spring back to a light touch, and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.  Baking times will vary depending on your oven, the humidity and the amount of moisture in your fruit and zucchini - so begin monitoring the brownies at about 25 minutes, and every 5 minutes thereafter.  Do not worry if it takes a bit more than, or a bit less than 40 minutes for them to bake - that is completely typical.

As soon as the brownies come out of the oven, place the chocolate bars on top, allow them to soften, and spread the chocolate evenly over all with a butter knife or icing spatula.  Garnish with reserved walnuts.

Note: if you don't want to ice these, a nice alternate topping is fresh fruit and a light dusting of icing sugar, or light Cool Whip flavoured with a few teaspoons of your favourite liqueur or extract.