Yes it’s true, vegan holiday treats exist and they don’t taste like cardboard
For the past few weeks we have all been sampling new holiday recipes from friends and neighbors or making our own new creations. The holiday season just doesn’t seem complete if we aren’t eating at least a cookie or chocolate every few days. It's hard to pass up decadent candies when there seem to be on offer in nearly every aisle of a store.
What may come as a surprise is that you can still eat all of the tasty treats without feeling quite as guilty and having to run to the gym after. What’s the catch? Do these sweets still taste good? Yes and most definitely yes. Most people don’t think of trying out some vegan treats during the holidays. If you aren’t familiar with vegan desserts, you would be surprised at the variety of treats that resembles so many of those favorite fattening sweets.
Today my father drove to a small bakery in western, Massachusetts (a place he still won’t reveal to me) to pick up a special order of vegan desserts just in time for Christmas. This special order featured three different vegan cakes.
The first was a pumpkin cheesecake with perfectly round white mountains of cream that danced around the top. The second was a cheesecake with a glazed brilliant red strawberry covering. Both were perfectly round and had a thick consistency. There was nothing that would reveal they weren’t made of eggs, heavy cream and sugar. The third was a non-dairy chocolate cake with a vanilla filling and sprinkled graham cracker on the sides. Both cheesecakes were about three inches high while the chocolate cake was slightly bigger, about six inches high.
Unfortunately I was unable to sample them tonight for this post because they are only to be eaten on Christmas. That said I can vouch for these dessert from eating other foods from this baker. I have no doubt they will be as moist and mouth watering as previous cakes. Virtually any sweet you can think of has been perfected into a delicious vegan alternative. I’ve had rich fudge brownies, cupcakes, maple scones and chocolate cookies.
If you think I’m crazy and don’t believe there is any way a vegan dessert can taste almost as good if not better than a “real” dessert perhaps you should try one for yourself from your local health food store. We have given many samples of these unique vegan desserts away to friends and neighbors who have all survived and praised the treats. The next time you go for a sweet this holiday season consider instead reaching for a vegan treat! At the very least you won’t have to make that compulsory New Year’s resolution to hit the gym and shed a few of the holiday pounds.
Kasha is the most nutritious hear of the buckwheat seed, like wheat germ. Supermarkets sell boxes alongside barley. The food do-op sells it by the pound out of a bin in the whole grain section.
Vegans should experiment with it because it's very nutritious and sticks to the ribs like oatmeal this time of year. It satisfies in that special way vegetarians find it hard to duplicate without meat.
Kasha Varniskas (kasha with noodles) is one of my Grandma Leona's great meals. She served it as a side dish, but in Jewish dairy restaurants in New York City, they put white or brown gravy and mushrooms on it, and make it a substantial entree. Dairy restaurants are not allowed to use meat of any kind.
Grandma Leona's Kasha Varnishkas used three ingredients vegans don't eat: chicken broth, a beaten egg, and egg noodles (pasta). You can substitute water or vegetable broth for the chicken broth, tofu cubes or rectangles for the noodles, I'm not sure what for the beaten egg. Maybe vegetable oil.
Lightly \coat (don't drown or saturate) the dry grains in the egg xubstitue until all grains are coated. This will make the grain fluffy and easy to separate when it is cooked.
Then bring kasha and liquid to a full boil. Always use 2 parts liquid for one part kasha.
When boiling, reduce heat, cover and let stand until all liiquid is absorbed. Do not let the kasha stick to the pot.
When kasha is done, stir in tofu.
Then, you can play with the ingredients, Add mushrooms, steamed spinach, or whatever you like.