Vegan Diner (32 page)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

¼
cup granulated sugar

½
cup vanilla soymilk or almond milk or rice milk, divided

⅓
cup canola oil

3 tablespoons red wine, rum, or cherry liqueur

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½
teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup canned cherry pie filling (not cherries in juice)

½
cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

Topping

¾
cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

¼
cup vanilla soymilk

1 tablespoon dark rum or cherry liqueur, optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square glass baking dish with shortening.

For the cake:
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, half of the soymilk, oil, red wine, vanilla and almond extracts. Whisk mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture, followed by the remaining soymilk, whisking or stirring just until mixed and smooth. Gently stir in the cherry pie filling. Don't over mix.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Bake the cake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when lightly touched.

Let cake cool completely on a rack.

For the topping:
While the cake is cooling, in a small microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl, combine the chocolate chips, soymilk, and rum. Heat for 20 seconds. Stir and heat for another 20 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir as needed until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and shiny. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Spread the warm chocolate mixture evenly over the top of the cake, using an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Refrigerate the cake for an hour or so to let the chocolate firm up. Once the chocolate is firm, take the cake out of the refrigerator and serve.

This ice cream is the stuff that vegan dreams are made of.
It took me a while to get a perfect dairy-free ice cream, but here you have it. The deep intense chocolate flavor will satisfy those die-hard chocolate fans.

MAKES ABOUT 2
½
PINTS

1 cup nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

2
½
cups vanilla soymilk (not low- or non-fat), chilled

½
cup coconut milk (not light)

½
cup Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted

⅔
cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

¼
teaspoon xanthan gum

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and if chocolate is not almost melted, heat for another 30 seconds or as needed. When chocolate is almost melted, stir gently and chocolate should melt the rest of the way from the heat of the bowl. Don't overheat the chocolate or it will burn and turn gritty. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

In a blender jar, combine the soymilk, coconut milk, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla. Blend until the mixture is ultra-smooth. Add the xanthan gum and blend again until smooth.

Pour the ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Serve the ice cream right away or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Tip:
This ice cream is best served the day that it is made. Even if xanthan gum is something that you don't have in your pantry, track it down. The xanthan gum helps create the magic in these ice cream recipes.

Variation:
Add some fun goodies into the ice cream when it's almost done freezing. Try chopped toasted almonds, brownie pieces, or even chocolate sandwich cookies.

This is a silky and delicious ice cream, full of rich vanilla flavor.
Who would have thought that dairy-free ice cream could taste so good? I like to think of this as the ultimate topper for a piece of pie or layered into a sundae, though there's no need to stop there. Imagine this ice cream affogato-style with a shot of espresso, or blended into a malt. Whoa!

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

2
½
cups vanilla soymilk, (not low- or non-fat), chilled

1 cup coconut milk (not light)

⅔
cup granulated sugar

1
½
tablespoons pure vanilla paste or extract

¼
teaspoon xanthan gum

In a blender jar, combine the soymilk, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Blend until the mixture is ultra-smooth. Add the xanthan gum and blend again until smooth.

Pour the ice cream mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Serve the ice cream right away or transfer to an airtight container and freeze until ready to serve.

Tip:
Homemade ice cream will come out of the ice cream maker fairly soft, similar in texture to soft-serve ice cream. If you want the consistency of the ice cream to be firmer, pack the ice cream into an airtight container and freeze it for a couple of hours. Personally, I find the soft frozen texture to be silky and very gelato-like.

Variations:
There are many different ways that you can embellish this ice cream. For a mint chip version, add 1
½
teaspoons peppermint extract for the vanilla and
½
cup miniature chocolate chips at the end. Add broken chocolate sandwich cookies for a cookies-and-cream variation (added near the end of freezing) or
½
cup or so of rumsoaked raisins (drained) for a rum raisin version. Fresh berries or chopped and peeled fresh peaches or nectarines are fantastic, too. The sky's the limit!

Chocolate and peanut butter are the original dynamic duo,
and I can't imagine one without the other. Here I've joined the two together, into a smooth and creamy ice cream, which will keep your taste buds screaming for more!

MAKES ABOUT 1 QUART

1
½
cups vanilla soymilk (not low- or non-fat), chilled

½
cup soy creamer, chilled

½
cup natural peanut butter

½
cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼
teaspoon xanthan gum

4 ounces nondairy semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped

In a blender jar, combine the soymilk, soy creamer, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vanilla. Blend until the mixture is ultra smooth. Add the xanthan gum, and blend again until smooth.

Pour the peanut butter mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

While the ice cream is freezing, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and if chocolate is not almost melted, heat for another 30 seconds or as needed. When the chocolate is almost melted, stir gently and the chocolate should melt the rest of the way from the heat of the bowl. Don't overheat the chocolate or it will burn and turn gritty. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a double boiler.