Vegan Delights! Easy Vegan Dessert Recipes

During the holidays yummy desserts crowd the tables. While usually there would be no problem with this, it often leads to an issue with vegetarians and vegans who choose not to eat dairy products. As for me, I am a vegetarian. I honestly admit I adore many desserts that are laden with eggs and cream. However, it's always nice to find desserts that are both delicious and vegan. Since I have been a veggie for going on five years, I understand the heartache in trying to find good tasting vegan desserts. Truth be told, most vegan recipes are just plain bland. Although this Christmas season I have done my research and found several recipes that tickle my taste buds and make my stomach growl for more!

Vegan Chocolate Banana Pudding

One of my personal favorite treats is banana pudding. However, this particular recipe makes banana pudding a completely new experience. It combines regular banana pudding (which is delicious by itself) with chocolate and makes it vegan! It's not only scrumptious, but it is healthy and keeps my consciences happy, too!

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 2 cups silken (soft) tofu
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preparation:

Process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Serve topped with fresh sliced strawberries or other fruit.

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cookies

I'm a sucker for Lemon Poppyseed anything, so finding this recipe for Vegan Lemon Poppyseed cookies was a dream come true. Although it looks like it has a lot of ingredients, most of them are always stocked in everyone's kitchen.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup soy yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup poppy seeds

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the sugar, brown sugar and margarine until smooth and creamy. Add the soy yogurt and vanilla and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes, or until done.

(both previous recipes are by Jolinda Hackett, About.com Guide)

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

A recipe that shows up on everyone's table this time of year is Pumpkin Pie. If you love the regular pie, this recipe is sure to be a hit, too!

Ingredients:

• 1 350-g box of silken firm tofu, drained
• 1 heaping cup of cooked or canned pumpkin
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups brown or golden sugar, not packed tight
• dash salt
• 4 teaspoons blended "pumpkin pie spice" OR:
  • 1 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground dry ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 pie crust

Method:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Blend the tofu in a food processor or with a blender until smooth and cream-like, for about four minutes. Stop the machine every once in a while to scrape large pieces of tofu down into the machine's blades. Add the cooked pumpkin and blend some more, again stopping the machine and scraping the mixture down. The result should be a light orange-colored paste with no lumps of tofu.

Put the paste into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, salt, and spices. Mix well and spoon it into the pie crust; decorate with cheerful shapes of leftover crust, if desired. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crusts are dark brown (but not burned).

Serve warm or chilled, plain or topped with whipped cream or ice cream.

Grandma's Hot-Water Pie Crust

To go along with the vegan theme, a recipe for a vegan pie crust was included with the previous one. This can be used for many other pies, not just pumpkin! So, whip out all of your other favorite pie fillings and use this recipe for a healthy, animal-friendly pie crust to create your own favorite pie.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 large teaspoon margarine
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups pastry flour or 3 cups all-purpose white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

Mix up the shortening, margarine, and water until creamy. While it's still creamy and not yet cold, sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until a dough forms. Try not to knead it while forming it into a large ball. Separate the dough into two equal balls for easier rolling; each portion will yield a single 9-inch pie crust or one dozen small tart shells.

Chill the dough before rolling it out, but not overnight (depending on your fridge, 20 to 40 minutes). Use all-purpose flour, not pastry flour, for rolling. To freeze: Roll the dough into individual pie crusts and place in an airtight container, placing a sheet of wax paper between the sheets of dough. Fold the sheets as necessary to fit in the container, but thaw completely before unfolding!

(The last two recipes were found on www.boutell.com)

Hope you enjoy these recipes and that they turn out wonderfully!