Tag: vegan

Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Pumpkin Cheesecake (2)

We read a bedtime story featuring cheesecake this week… How could I not whip up a version for my son to try at home?

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 (8-ounce) tub vegan cream cheese
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Chocolate crust (such as Mi-Del)
  1. Combine the pumpkin and cream cheese in a blender and process until smooth – it helps to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes, first.
  2. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and cornstarch; blend again until completely combined.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared crust, and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
  4. Let stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then transfer to the fridge and chill at least 10 hours.
  5. You can add vegan whipped cream at serving time, if desired! Divide the cheesecake into 8 or 9 wedges and serve at storytime of course.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (1)

Mini Cheese Pizzas

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Mini Cheese Pizzas

A mix of non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast and miso makes a wonderfully cheesy sauce to go over these individual pita pizzas. Try the cheese sauce anywhere else you’d like too – it’s killer over french fries!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce
  • 2 whole wheat pitas
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon yellow miso
  1. Spoon 2 tablespoons pizza sauce over each pita; set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, nutritional yeast, flour, lemon juice, and miso. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until bubbly, stirring frequently.
  3. Divide the cheesy sauce evenly over the pizzas. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then let cool slightly before slicing and eating.

Brownies

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Brownie (1)

By far the densest, chewiest, and thickest vegan brownie recipe I’ve stumbled across, Travis loves these (not to mention the batter before it cooks), and has no idea that many of the ingredients are good for him! Add chopped walnuts if you like, both for crunch and omega-3s.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup packed pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup packed pitted prunes
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup carob powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine the dates, prunes, and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let stand.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the oat flour, rice flour, carob powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Transfer the date mixture to a blender, along with the maple syrup, canola oil, and vanilla; process until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.
  4. Spoon the batter into a 9×9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Brownie (2)

Marshmallow Sculptures

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Marshmallow Sculpt (3)

Travis and I had some gooey fun attempting to make sculptures from marshmallows last November, but I confess our attempts were foiled by using large marshmallows and unsteady straws as construction materials.

This time we used toothpicks and the small marshmallows from Dandies, and were able to create much sturdier constructions! Note: I recommend playing this game soon after your child has had a meal or a snack – that way the marshmallows will be viewed more as building material, and less as a treat to eat… Although we did sneak a few bites along the way!

Already compared to November, Travis was much better at construction. He loved adding a marshmallow to either end of a toothpick, and loved that they looked like Q-tips!

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I then helped arrange these into more complex structures, whether two-dimensional shapes…

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Or three-dimensional creations.

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The project was a great way to discuss shapes and dimensions! We even tried a double-decker hexagon.

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In sum, sticky fun for everyone.

Marshmallow Sculpt (4)

Over the Rainbow Snack

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Over the Rainbow (1)

There might not be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but it still makes the perfect St. Paddy’s Day snack!

Spoon blueberry non-dairy yogurt onto a plate or shallow bowl and spread into a thin layer.

Top the yogurt with a rainbow of fruit – we used red strawberries, orange mandarin oranges, yellow bananas, green kiwi, blue blueberries, and purple grapes. A little sprinkle of shredded coconut at each end gave us puffy clouds.

Perhaps a few gold-wrapped candies could make an appearance as well…

Over the Rainbow (2)

Chunky Monkey Smoothie

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chunky-monkey-smoothie

This is a power-packed smoothie that my son and husband both love! One batch makes enough for about 2 adult portions or about 4 child-sized portions. Look for vegan protein powder brands such as Vega or Biochem Fitness.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen banana slices
  • 1 cup loosely-packed baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup cashew butter
  • 3 tablespoons chocolate protein powder
  • 3 tablespoons shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 cups plain coconut milk
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Enjoy!

Blueberry Lassy Muffins

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blueberry-lassy-muffins

Whip up a batch of these molasses-infused muffins for breakfast or snack time.

Ingredients:

  • 2 and 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 3/4 cup nondairy milk
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup blueberries
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, ginger, baking powder, and baking soda; stir until well combined.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the molasses and applesauce, then add the milk, maple syrup, and vanilla.
  3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and then fold in the blueberries.
  4. Divide the mixture evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 23 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool.

We like them best warm with a little pat of Earth Balance butter!

Mini Pumpkin Pies

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We gave this mini pie recipe, adapted from High 5 magazine, a pre-Thanksgiving trial run today. Kids can help with almost everything, from rolling and cutting the dough to mixing the batter and filling the pie shells! Look for prepared vegan pie crusts from Whole Foods or Wholly Wholesome in the freezer aisle; let the crusts thaw about 15 minutes at room temperature, then remove from the aluminum pie tins and use as directed below.

Roll 2 (9-inch) prepared pie crusts to about 1/16-inch thick on a floured surface. This was Travis’s first time standing on his stool to reach the kitchen counter, and he loved it!

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Using a 5-inch bowl or glass, cut 3 circles from each pie crust, and place in large muffin cups coated with cooking spray.

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To prepare the filling, mix together 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, 14 ounces sweetened condensed coconut milk (from Let’s Do Organic), 2 Ener-G eggs, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

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At this point, Travis discovered what batter tastes like – cue the happy smile.

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Spoon the batter carefully into the prepared pie shells. Preschoolers can definitely help with this step, although toddlers will likely need you to do most of the work.

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Note: You’ll have a bit of filling leftover – might I recommend a pumpkin pie smoothie for breakfast one morning?

Bake the pies at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, until the filling is set.