OH Yeah Vegan Chocolate Mousse!!!

Generally speaking a label that says "non-dairy" is a big F'n lie!!!  This is one of the many reasons you might find me cursing in the grocery store on any given Saturday.  Non-Dairy items often contain casein which is derived from milk.  Casein is found in many foods and is one that I am constantly on the look out for.

I found Coffee Rich a while ago in the local store and after contacting the company, verified that it is indeed "Non-Dairy", (click here for my Coffee Rich discovery post). I also suggested that if their products were indeed dairy free that they should add vegan to the description in their marketing materials, which they have since done!!!

Back in my restaurant days I can remember seeing the whipped topping that came from the freezer, and was non-dairy, but I did not piece together that it was the same company that makes Coffee Rich.  A couple of weeks ago I was at a wholesale restaurant supply place and I saw the Rich's Whip Topping in the freezer case!!!!!   Needless to say I left skid marks when stopping to investigate.
There it was, frozen, vegan, and in a container that was reasonable for family size, they do make smaller containers, but I have never seen them.
As soon as the product thawed as recommended, I whipped up a batch.  It did just that it whipped up like a dream, or like cool whip, or real cream.  Now I am not saying that the product is good for you, but it is not bad for your conscience.  We ate the first tub with graham crackers.... the stuff did not stand a chance!!!
For this version I whipped the cream and added unsweetened cocoa, cinnamon sugar, and served with graham crackers.  WOW it was great.... I am really looking forward to fresh berry season, short cake anyone?

Simple Walnut Pasta + Vegan Pralines

This is a nut based post, so if you are allergic to tree nuts look away!!!
I started off with dessert because the pictures are pretty good and I rarely post on desserts.
One night I was craving something sweet, which believe it or not is not normal for me!!! I have made some nut based candies recently and they were pretty good. I had some nuts on hand so I started thinking about Pralines. I got online and searched...
And found this recipe. I am not a big recipe guy, but I want these to turn out well. I did not have enough pecans so I used cashews, sesame seeds, pecans, walnuts, and almonds.
They turned out really well, and looked good for their portraits!!!
Needless to say they did not last long.
I will be making the pralines again!!!



The pasta is nut based too... I like really basic pasta sometimes, so this is penne with fresh garlic, walnuts, olive oil and fresh herbs from my garden.

Cherry Pudding Pie.... Or Parfait?!?!?!?!

I am not generally a dessert person... don't get me wrong.... you put a dessert in my path and its seconds are numbered!!!!
I just don't have the vision to plan both main courses and desserts too far in advance, thus there is always a lurch after dinner when every one wants a treat and I have not purchased anything at the store!!!! So the treat usually ends up being a hand full of chocolate chips!!!
But I did buy cherry pie filling a few weeks ago figuring we would get around to some dessert that could utilize them.
We also had vanilla Mori Nu pudding mix and tofu-in-a-box, Nikki headed to the store and picked up a prepared graham cracker crust, and came home and mixed up the pudding and placed it in the crust.
The Mori Nu pudding called for firm tofu, but all we had was soft, so it did not really set up right. It was a bit runny... that is why there are no pictures of the whole pie.
I scooped the "pie" portion in the bowls and layered with cherry pie filling, yeah the stuff from the can, honestly I could eat that stuff right out of the can with a spoon!!!! The pudding did not set, but it tasted and very much resembled melted ice cream. It was really tasty and other than the extra store trip, was pretty quick.

• 1 Graham Cracker pie Crust (or just layer with crushed graham crackers)
• 1 package of Mori Nu vanilla pudding
• 1 cube of Mori Nu FIRM tofu
• 1 Can of cherry pie filling
• Mix up the pudding place in crust, refrigerate till firm and top with cherries.