Tag Archives: So Delicious Coconut Milk

February 17, 2012 · 2:30 pm

MUSHROOM STROGANOFF

One of my favorite dinners as a child was Beef Stroganoff (I hadn’t seen the light yet).  My mom would lug out the electric skillet and make a huge batch of it for dinner.

Things have changed a bit in my dietary life since then, but the memory of stroganoff and how much I liked it still lingers.  The egg noodles have been replaced with gluten-free Quinoa shells, the beef has been replaced by mushrooms, and the sour cream is now vegan.

The end result…bliss.  My family lapped-up this dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup diced onion
12 ounces mushrooms (1/2 finely diced, 1/2 sliced)
1 Tbs. Earth Balance soy-free spread
1 box Quinoa shell pasta
2 Tbs. cornstarch + 2 Tbs water (make a slurry)
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/3 cup So Delicious original creamer
2/3 cup Sour Supreme
Chopped cilantro and / or parsley for serving
 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

After cleaning the mushrooms, place half of them in the food processor and process until finely diced.  Slice the remaining half of the mushrooms.

Sauté the onions, mushrooms, and Earth Balance until the onions are translucent.

While sautéing the onion and mushroom mixture, boil the shells until they are very al dente.  You do not want to cook the pasta too much or it will become soggy when you bake it.   When the pasta is ready, drain it and pour it into a casserole dish.

Once the onions are translucent add the broth, So Delicious coconut milk, and wine (optional) to the onion and mushroom mixture.    bring the mixture up to a low boil and add the cornstarch slurry along with the salt and pepper.  Allow the mixture to thicken.  When the sauce has thickened, take it off of the heat and mix in the creamer and Soup Supreme.

Pour the finished sauce over the noodles, mix to incorporate, and bake covered for 30-45 minutes until the noodles are soft and have absorbed a good amount of the sauce.

Serve topped with chopped parsley and / or cilantro.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

22 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

December 24, 2011 · 8:59 pm

VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CUPS – Using Sweetriot Chocolate

I thought I would share with you the dessert I made for us to have tonight after our Christmas Eve meal.  With all of the treats we have been indulging in, I wanted to offer a yummy dessert, but have it just be a few decadent bites vs. a huge piece of cake or pie.

I based the recipe for my “Healthier” Chocolate Mousse on my Chocolate Mousse Frosting recipe (click HERE for that recipe).  I made some alterations to the recipe to make it slightly sweeter and more chocolaty…think dark chocolate.

This mousse is firm, but that is how I wanted it so it would retain its shape when piped.

I used Sweetriot Dark chocolate to make the mousse and I have to tell you that their chocolate absolutely rocks my world and it is vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and their company is carbon-free to boot.

I like to consider myself a bit of a chocolate aficionado and this chocolate hits the mark.  Not only is their chocolate amazing, but they are amazing too!

  • They use premium, high quality, and all-natural ingredients.
  • They believe in fair trade with developing countries.
  • They celebrate culture and diversity through their products.
  • They create sweet experiences for their customers, partners and employees.
  • They are socially responsible.
  • And they are young at heart, energetic, down-to-earth and contribute to the greater good.
And let me tell ya…their chocolate makes a killer chocolate mousse!  Without further ado…
~

INGREDIENTS – Makes 4 1/2 cups

14 ounce package of extra firm tofu (I used Wildwood)
1 cup vegan chocolate OR chocolate chips (I used Sweetriot 85% DARK chocolate that I chopped-up finely)
2cups coconut milk or soy milk (vanilla or chocolate)
6 Tbs. cacao powder
6 packets Sweetleaf stevia
Chocolate cups for serving

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.

While the chocolate is melting, blend the remaining ingredients in a high speed blender until very smooth (I used my Vitamix). Use the center agitator and stop blending a few times in order to scrape down the sides.

Once the chocolate has melted, add it to the rest of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. The mixture will now be warm and not quite yet the consistency of pudding.

To serve the dessert as pudding, pour the mixture into a glass container and allow it to cool in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to thicken.

If using this recipe as mousse, keep it in the fridge for several hours to overnight so it firms-up completely. Prior to piping, you may whip the mousse with a handheld mixer to whip some air into it (this is not necessary, but optional).

Pipe the mousse into chocolate cups or the container of your choosing and serve.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

19 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Gluten Free, Holiday, Holidays, Product Reviews, Pudding / Mousse, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 23, 2011 · 1:30 pm

NEW SMOOTHIE TRICK – Add Fiber!

Every once in a while I stumble upon something that ends up really working for me.  Recently I have been reducing the amount of fat in my diet (in an attempt to get more swimsuit ready) and I have been missing the thickness that avocado gives to my smoothies.  I have found a suitable replacement texture-wise and that is to add clear fiber to my smoothies.

Fiber is always a good thing when it comes to health as it provides for:

 Better weight management
 Healthier blood sugar levels
Enhanced energy
Increased regularity
Lower cholesterol
And a general feeling of well being

While the fiber does not provide the creaminess that the avocado does, it helps thicken my green smoothies and the fiber helps keep me full.

I was sent the Organic Clear Fiber by Renew Life to test a while ago and that is what I have been using lately.  Other popular brands of clear fiber that are widely available are Metamucil and Benefiber.  After doing some research I am very impressed with the Organic Clear Fiber by Renew Life because it is truly gluten-free and organic.  Benefiber claims to be gluten-free, however on the label it states “Gluten-free (less than 20 ppm gluten).”  Many people with gluten allergies can’t tolerate ANY gluten, so this is something to watch for.

Lately my green smoothie consists of:

1 cup So Delicious coconut milk

1/2 cucumber or 1 zucchini

1-2 cups spinach or romaine

2 scoops vegan protein powder (Plant Fusion, Sun Warrior, or Vega…I often mix them)

3 packets Sweetleaf Stevia (My favorite brand because it does not turn bitter)

3 tsp Organic Clear Fiber

1 tsp each spirulina and chlorella

1/2 frozen banana

2-3 handfuls of ice

~

Place everything in the blender (with the exception of the banana and ice).  I usually layer my smoothies in the container like this…liquid, some of the veggies, all the powders, the rest of the veggies.  Blend until COMPLETELY smooth.  Now add the banana (break into chunks first) and blend to incorporate, then add the ice and blend until smooth.

You will be surprised by how filling this is.  Oftentimes I can’t finish it in one sitting and end up saving some in the fridge for my afternoon snack.

To learn more about Renew Life click HERE.

Leave a comment

Filed under Drinks, Gluten Free, Product Reviews, Quick, Recipes, Smoothie, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

May 3, 2011 · 5:02 am

VEGAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FROSTING

Sometimes recipes happen by mistake…this is one of those recipes.  I was in the kitchen working on a recipe for chocolate mousse when the next morning I realized that what I really ended-up with was an awesome Chocolate Mousse Frosting (can someone toot their own horn if the recipe happened on accident?).  I paired this frosting with a store bought (gasp) GFree vanilla cake mix that I had bought a long time ago and needed to finally use. 

The kids went gaga for these!  My husband suggested that the frosting could be sweeter, but I humbly disagree.  I am of the opinion that the cupcakes were so sweet that I did not want an overly sweet frosting.  You can adjust the sweetness of the frosting depending on what you will be pairing it with….OR you could just make the frosting and eat it straight out of the container with a spoon.  

Enjoy!

~

INGREDIENTS

1 15 ounce package extra firm sprouted tofu (I use Wildwood’s 2-pack Extra Firm)

¾ cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet chocolate chips (GFree & vegan)

½ cup So Delicious Vanilla coconut milk

2 Tbs. cacao powder

4 packets Sweetleaf stevia (more if you want the frosting sweeter)

Dice the tofu into small squares and place them in the blender (I used my Vitamix).  Blend until smooth.  Add the coconut milk, cacao powder, and stevia packets.   Blend until well incorporated.

In a double boiler melt the chocolate chips over low-medium heat. 

Once melted add the chocolate to the blended tofu mixture.  Blend until well incorporated.  You may have to stop the blender a few times and scrape down the sides.

Once well mixed pour the frosting into a dish and refrigerate overnight.  In the morning the frosting will be very think and ready to spread or pipe.

Since the frosting will soften at room temperature, frost right before serving or frost and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

9 Comments

Filed under Dessert, Frosting, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , ,

April 11, 2011 · 1:56 pm

MACARONI and CHEESE – Vegan, Dairy, and Gluten Free

My kids LOVE macaroni and cheese.  When my family became dairy free and my daughter became gluten free on top of that, I knew I needed to come-up with a yummy dairy and gluten free version.  Thank goodness for Daiya brand cheese!  It melts so well and provides my mac and cheese with such a great flavor.  This recipe is also made that much better by the fact that So Delicious makes an amazing unsweetened coconut milk that totally replaces the “regular” milk in this recipe (and any other recipe).  I can’t give So Delicious enough praise…their products are truly amazing!!!

I know this is a good mac and cheese recipe because the neighborhood boys (neither dairy OR gluten free) completely devour it whenever I make it.

One word of caution…Daiya is high in fat (at least it is not the animal-based kind!), but not nearly as high in fat as dairy based cheese.  This is definitely a “treat” meal in my house.  I recently spent some time up in Northern California because my dad had a DOUBLE knee replacement (he is such a rock star!).  My kids were troopers while I was gone, so I promised I would make them this mac and cheese recipe when I came home.  I think they thought it was a very fair trade-off for having mom gone for so long.

INGREDIENTS
16oz package of elbow macaroni (I used Quinoa)
2 pkgs shredded Daiya Cheese (I use one pkg cheddar and one mozzarella)
2 1/2 cups Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste ( approx.1-1 ½ tsp)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook pasta about 5 minutes until it’s just tender. Don’t cook all the way or it will fall apart when you bake it.
3. Drain pasta and transfer to glass baking dish.
4. Bring the Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk to a low boil.


5. Add the Daiya cheeses, pepper, and salt to the warmed milk.  Allow everything to melt (stir constantly so it does not burn).

6. Pour the melted milk/cheese mixture into the pasta and mix well.

7. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

For a printable version of this recipe click here.

38 Comments

Filed under Gluten Free, Main Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,