chocolate rum muffins

This recipe makes 16 muffins, so if you don't have two muffin tins, you might want to cut it in half. Although I have no idea how to measure 1/6 cup of something; hopefully you're smarter than me!

The below recipe has been edited to take into account one eagle-eyed reader's astute observation about salt!



In a bowl, mix (or sift, if you're not lazy!) together
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder

In a separate bowl, whisk together
9 oz. okara
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup rum
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
until well emulsified.

Pour liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until "just mixed." Then fold in
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Divide batter evenly into 16 wells of lightly oiled muffin pans. Bake at
325 degrees Fahrenheit
for 23-25 minutes. Allow to cool for at least a few minutes before removing from pan.

Graham-cracker-style pie crust

Do you like Graham-cracker pie crusts, but hate trying to find vegan Graham crackers? Or do you simply hate going through the bother of smashing up a bunch of Graham crackers just to put together a simple crust? This recipe replicates the taste of the Graham-cracker crust using common pantry ingredients (plus okara!). The secret: toasting the flour first!

Pour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
in a large baking pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at
350 degrees Fahrenheit
for 20 minutes.

Take
1/4 cup okara
and place it in a saute pan over medium heat. Keep it moving so it does not burn or stick too much to the bottom of the pan. The idea here is to dry it out. By the time you're done, you should be able to cut its volume in half, to about 2 Tablespoons of dry okara.



Place the okara in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse it several times.


Then, after the flour has toasted, put it into the food processor along with
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
pinch salt
and process until the mixture is well incorporated. Scrape it into a lightly oiled 9" pie pan and shape it into a pie crust.

Bake the pie crust for 12 minutes in the 350-degree oven. Remove from oven and set aside. Allow to cool while you prepare a pie filling that is cooked over the stove and set in the refrigerator (i.e., not something you'll be putting back into the oven, as the pie crust has already been baked!).

macaroni and cheese

Even though I am too afraid to share it with an omnivore, I have long had a fascination with vegan mac and cheese recipes. I've tried quite a few, and am always interested in new strategies. I've been playing with this recipe for a while. I like that it has cashews and miso in it, which at least allows me to pretend it's healthy. (It is healthy in comparison with my favorite mac and cheese recipe, the one from the New Farm cookbook, which has an embarrassingly high amount of fat.)



First, cook
12 ounces whole wheat macaroni
according to the package's directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. (OK, it doesn't have to be whole wheat, but they have made great strides in whole grain pasta lately, and I prefer it. It also helps with the conceit that this is healthier mac and cheese!)

While the macaroni is cooking, prepare the "cheese" sauce. In a food processor or high-powered blender, liquefy
1 cup cashews (raw or roasted -- I've done it both ways)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. turmeric
3/4 tsp. agar powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 1/4 cups soy milk
1/4 cup okara
1 tsp. liquid smoke
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup miso paste (yellow or white)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Pour the liquefied mixture into a medium pot and whisk or stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens.



Once it has reached maximum thickness, pour the sauce over the macaroni and stir until it's all incorporated and ready to eat. Stir in steamed broccoli too, if desired.