okara chocolate pudding pie

A simple cornstarch-thickened pudding pie recipe. I still think that other chocolate pie recipe is the best ever, but if you don't want something quite that fancy, this is for you.



First, prepare one pre-baked Graham-cracker pie crust.

Then, in a blender or food processor, liquefy
1/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cocoa
1/4 cup okara
3 cups unsweetened almond milk (not soy!)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
and transfer contents to a small pot. Heat over medium-low heat on the stove top, and add
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Stir contents with a whisk until mixture has thickened. This can take a while (probably about 20 minutes for me), so just keep stirring until it becomes quite thick and doesn't seem to be getting any thicker. At this point, turn off the heat and pour the chocolate pudding mixture into the pie shell.



NB: If you used a store-bought Graham cracker pie shell instead of making your own crust, you will probably have too much pudding mixture. Those store-bought things are pretty dinky. You can always put the excess in separate bowls, chill, and enjoy as pudding later, maybe with some sliced fruit.

Some people like to put plastic or parchment paper over the top of the pie filling, which apparently keeps it from cracking. I've never tried that, but I probably should.

Allow pie to cool in the refrigerator for at least five hours, but preferably overnight. It needs this time to set, or else you'll be digging into a really splooshy mess.

chocolate chip oatmeal bars

In a bowl, stir together
2 cups quick-cooking oats
pinch of salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup hot water
1 cup okara
and mix until the okara is well incorporated. Pour this mixture into a lightly oiled 8"-by-8" pan and press down until you have flat oatmeal layer.



In a bowl (the same bowl as before, if you like), mix together
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or a combination of both
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon corn starch
and stir until all ingredients are well incorporated. Transfer this mixture to the pan and spread it out over the oatmeal layer to create a second, chocolate/coconut layer.



Bake for
350 degrees Fahrenheit
for 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from oven and cut into squares while still warm. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

apple muffins

These muffins are kinda bland. I think the spices should be at least doubled, and maybe other things, like cloves and ginger, should be added. The reason I'm putting this recipe up as-is is because I doubt I'll make it again, as I'm not a huge apple fan in the first place, and I think it's a good template anyway. Amp up the spices, add some sugar if you like sweet muffins (these aren't very sweet either), and maybe double the nuts as well. If you have success, please share your methods in the comments! Your fellow apple lovers will thank you.



In a bowl, mix together
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 Tablespoon corn starch
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
pinch salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
until well incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/3 cup soy milk
1/4 cup apple juice concentrate (let it thaw first, of course)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons okara
until well incorporated.

Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until "just mixed." Then fold in
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped finely (peeled first if desired)
1/3 cup chopped pecans
and stir until evenly distributed.



Divide batter evenly into the 12 wells of a lightly oiled muffin pan. Bake at
350 degrees Fahrenheit
for 24 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.

Verdict: The person I live with didn't think these were bland at all. For my part, I was able to "dress them up" by cutting them in half and spreading some apple butter on each side! Much better.

I still think the nuts should be at least doubled. The only reason I put in 1/3 cup is because it occurred to me that I had an opportunity to use up some pecans, and that just so happened to be the amount I had to finish off.

lemon poppy seed muffins

I like these better than the lemon poppy seed muffins I made a few years ago, and found them to be the exact right amount of tart ... though you might want to add more sugar if you have a serious sweet tooth. Additionally, if you are juicing fresh lemons, you can zest one of them first and add that to the batter as well.

Also, this yields a total of 16 muffins, so if you don't have more than one muffin pan, you might consider cutting this recipe in half. If you do that, remember that half of 3/4 cup is 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons.



In a bowl, combine
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tablespoons poppy seeds
and stir until well mixed.

In a separate bowl, whisk together
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup okara
until oil is emulsified.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a spoon until just mixed. Distribute the batter into 16 wells of two regular-sized muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 21 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.

single-serve fudgey okara brownies

I've been on a quest to make single-serve fudgey brownies (as opposed to cakey brownies) for a couple of months now. While the chocoholic in me thinks that I might try doubling the semi-sweet chocolate next time, these are pretty great.



In a bowl, combine
1/4 cup flour (all-purpose, white whole wheat, or a combination)
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
and stir until integrated.

In a microwave-safe bowl, place
1 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 Tablespoon Earth Balance
1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup soy milk
and heat (around 1 minute at 70% power on my ancient microwave) until hot enough for margarine and chocolate to finish melting when you whisk the contents. After ingredients are whisked together, add
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3 Tablespoons okara
and whisk until blended.

Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and stir with a spoon until just mixed. (Overmixing might result in rubbery brownies.) Divide batter between two lightly oiled 8-ounce ramekins and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 26 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before inverting brownies from ramekins.