Corn Pudding (side dish)

I made this side dish for ThanksLiving and it was a big hit. I've had several people ask me for my recipe. It is gluten-free and soy-free. Veganomicon has a yummy Southwestern Corn Pudding (pg. 151), which I LOVE and highly recommend. However, for ThanksLiving I wanted something that was similar to the maize pudding I sampled as a child on a field trip to Plymouth Rock. Therefore, I modified the recipe to emulate the flavors and textures I remember from that cold day in New England back in 1976.

So, here's how I made it....

First....
~Turn on your oven to 350 degrees
~Sauté two bags of frozen organic sweet corn in a skillet w/ a little olive oil. Cook until corn starts to get a little browned from caramelization. 


Meanwhile......in a large mixing bowl......combine the following dry ingredients....
~1/4 cup corn starch
~1/4 cup corn flour (Bob's Red Mill makes this)
~1/2 cup cornmeal
~1 tsp salt
~cayenne pepper (add according to your liking or leave out)

Then........Add the following to the bowl and mix
~the sautéed corn
~1 can light coconut milk (Trader Joe's sells this for about a buck)
~2 tablespoons REAL maple syrup
~(for sweeter pudding, add a little agave)

Pour into casserole dish and cook uncovered for 40 minutes. Let cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving. Tastes good cold, but I prefer it warm.

Lime Coconut Cookies

For my husband's 40th birthday, I organized a (vegan) Jamaican theme party. Here's the flyer I made: 

If you read my last post, you'll know I've been hooked on coconuts! What better way to use coconuts than in Caribbean food. This was a great excuse for me to experiment with the flavor of coconut. One of my creations was a spin on a sugar cookie. I used lime and coconut, which resulted in a sweet but tart cookie. I iced them in Rasta colors (red, green and yellow) to coincide with the theme. 

NOTE: Since childhood, I've always enjoyed raw cookie dough more than actual cookies. This particular cookie dough was amazing raw! I think it would be great to use in a homemade (vegan) cookie dough ice cream, especially one made from coconut milk! 

DOUGH INGREDIENTS/INSTRUCTIONS: 

Using an electric mixer (I use a handheld one) beat the following until creamy: 

1/2 cup non-dairy butter

3/4 cup sugar

Now add the following to your mixture:

1 1/2 tsp egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (see list below). After the dry ingredients are throughly mixed, add them to the wet ingredients and beat with the electric mixture until the dough forms: 

 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 handfuls (or so) of raw shredded coconut

Divide dough into two balls, seal in plastic wrap and store in fridge at least a 1/2 hour. 

Bake at 350 degrees

Cooking time will depend on the size of the cookie. I used small cookie cutters, so my cookies only took around 6 minutes. Otherwise normal size cookies should take around 12 minutes or so. 

Throughly cool before icing (although they taste fine without icing)

Banana Coconut Tapioca Pudding

It is official.....I am a coconut! If you are what you eat, this summer I've gone from being a "nut" to a full fledged "coconut." I LOVE using Bob's Red Mill's raw shredded coconut and/or canned coconut milk (Trader Joe's has a great "light" version for around a buck). 

I've also been cooking a lot with ripe bananas. I was born in the year of the monkey, so this fruit is part of my cosmic nature. 

I love combining bananas and coconut because it tastes so tropical and delicious. This summer I created another way to include both these flavors into one yummy dessert. Here's the drill: 

PREP #1: add 1/3 cup tapioca (med/large - not the "quick" stuff) to a 1 cup measuring cup. Add water until you've reached 1 cup. Let stand for at least a 1/2 hour or more. The tapioca will suck up all the water and really plump up. 

PREP #2: In a large mixing bowl, mush up 2 to 3 ripe bananas. 

PREP #3: In a small bowl or cup, combine 2 tablespoons corn starch with 2 tablespoons cold water. Whip mixture with spoon until throughly combined and liquified. 

Once tapioca has stood long enough, you can move onto the cooking phase. 

COOKING PHASE: (medium heat)

In a saucepan, add the following (stirring constantly): 

~the tapioca (from Prep #1)

~2 cups dairy-free milk (I use a combination of soy and rice) 

As the mixture cooks, add the following: 

~One can coconut milk (light version is OK)

~1/3 cup sugar

~1/4 tsp. salt

~1 to 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

~the bananas (from Prep #2)

Keep stirring and add:

~Raw shredded coconut to taste

~Corn starch/water (from Prep #3)

~Cinnamon to taste (I add a lot because I love this stuff)

~Nutmeg to taste

~(optional) Ginger (powder) to taste

Keep stirring until the mixture becomes very thick and boils. 

Remove from stove and pour contents into individual bowls or one large bowl. Let cool. Cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge. It tastes good warm, but it changes once it has completely cooled down. The pudding becomes more firm and the taste really intensifies. 

NOTE: I've also made this pudding with roasted almonds. Just put a couple of handfuls of almonds on a cooking tray and heat them for a few minutes at a high temperature. Be sure not to burn them. I usually do this in my toaster oven. Then chop them up and add to pudding as it is getting thicker. You can add them around the same time as the coconut. 

Banana Coconut Chocolate Pie

The coconut pie I made for my family was such a hit that I experimented with a variation of the same thing. This new version is pretty darn tasty and I had to hold myself back from devouring a giant piece last night. 

You'll need 1 store-bought (vegan) chocolate-cookie pie crust (I got mine at Food Fight).

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Meanwhile in a large bowl....

-Add two soft bananas (they don't have to be mushville)

-1 container (drain water) medium-firm tofu

1 heaping tablespoon of vanilla

2 to 4 tablespoons of real maple syrup

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of vegan cream cheese

Mash all the contents together and mix around. Then add the following and stir thoroughly.....

1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded (unsweetened) coconut (I used Bob's Red Mill)

3 squirts of vegan chocolate syrup (I got this at Food Fight too) 

Pour contents into unbaked pie crust. Smooth it out as you go so that it all fits into the pie shell. 

Squirt the vegan chocolate syrup on the top in a swirl formation. Use a fork to move the syrup across the top, swirling the chocolate into a pretty pattern. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. 

Cool on rack for an hour and refrigerate. You can eat it a few hours later, but it tastes better the next day. 

Coconut Pie with Chocolate Chips

I cooked a vegan spread for my family the other day. They loved everything, but the pie was crowned the number one recipe of the evening. The pie was made with stuff I had around the house, so I'm not exactly sure of the quantity of some of the ingredients. I'll do my best. 

Pre-heat oven for 350 degrees.

In a large bowl add the following: 

1/4 cup soy egg nog 

1/3 container soy cream cheese

2 tablespoons of vanilla

4 or 5 grinds of sea salt

1/8 to 1/4 cup real maple syrup

1 heaping spoonful of brown sugar

1 container of tofu (regular or firm) - drain water first

Mush all the contents together with a fork

The add the following and stir until everything is well mixed: 

1/2 cup or more of shredded coconut (unsugared, raw)

1/4 bag of vegan dark chocolate chips (I used the large ones from Trader Joes)

Next, pour the pie contents into -

1 store bought vegan graham cracker crust pie shell

Then bake for 40 to 45 minutes. 

Remove from oven and cool on rack. 

It's best if you can refrigerate over night; otherwise let it refrigerate for a few hours before eating.