Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles

When my sister and I were growing up we would joke that if we had one wish, we'd wish for a box of assorted chocolates so big that we'd have to eat our way to the edge. To this day, I still love assorted chocolates and February 15th is the hardest day of the year. Why February 15th? Because that's when all the assorted chocolates are 75% off!
So this year, as a vegan I'm a little limited in which chocolates I choose to eat. So when I found Chef Chloe's Vegan Cookie Dough Truffles, it immediately went to the top of my "to make" list. Here it is! Chole's recipe. Thanks Chloe for absolute deliciousness. Enjoy.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Earth Balance
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I plan to try this recipe again with GF flour)
1/3 cup dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life)
12 ounces dairy free chocolate chips

Directions
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Using a mixer , beat margarine, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and water until combined. Add flour and beat until incorporated. Fold in mini chocolate chips.

Cover dough and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls with the palms of your hands. Place on prepared baking sheets. Freeze for 15 minutes. 

Melt the remaining 12 ounces chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Let cool to room temperature. Remove one tray of cookie dough balls from the freezer. Dip each ball into the melted chocolate and remove using two forks. Place the coated balls back onto the baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator. Repeat with the second tray of cookie dough balls. Chill until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Store in refrigerator until serving. 

Just a note: I put the truffles on a wire rack but that was a bad idea. They broke a lot when I was pulling them off. My mouth didn't mind but it did make them look a little less pretty.

Please note that this is not my recipe and all "oooh's", "aahhh"s" and "mmmm's" go to Chef Chloe. 

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Tofu Eggless Salad (from Crazy Sexy Diet) - favorite lunch

One of my absolute favorite lunches to have on this new vegan (and sometimes gluten free) lifestyle is Tofu Eggless Salad. I even made this for Mike and my dad and they thought it was real egg salad.

It is so quick and easy and lasts several days. I love putting it on spinach, with Rudi's Gluten Free bread or Mary's Gone Crackers. 

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Tofu Eggless Salad

(Please note this is not my recipe. All credit goes to Chad Sarno http://www.rawchef.com/ via Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet

2 blocks of firm tofu

1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Follow Your Heart Vegenaise and an considering using less mayo)

1/4 cup onion, finely diced

1/2 cup carrot, grated

1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped (sometimes I'll use 2 tbsp dried parsley)

1/4 cup nutritional yeast (not to be confused with bread-rising-yeast)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

First, drain and pat dry the tofu blocks (the salad can get really runny if you don't).

In large bowl, crumble all tofu. Hand mix with remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined. It will keep for 5 days. 

Drain and pat dry the tofu so the salad doesn't get runny.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.

Tofu Eggless Salad on a bed of spinach

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I made Cinnamon Quill's Veganized Cinnamon Rolls ... I'm in HEAVEN!

After my first baking class at Spiral Diner (read about it here), I have become a little bit more brave and have vowed to get back in the kitchen. I was so inspired by the Spiral Cinnamon Rolls that I thought I'd try a gluten free, vegan cinnamon roll I had been coveting on the Cinnamon Quill blog. You have to see her photos of the cinnamon roll ... Mike and I were drooling!!

Vegan, GF Cinnamon Roll. SOOO good. I'm still working on my photo skills. 

There are two types of cinnamon rolls: yeast and quick bake. Spiral's were yeast and I thought I'd venture to try a quick bake (let's say a quicker bake - they still require some sweet time in the kitchen). In my few attempts at gluten free, vegan baking, I've been disappointed because they've tasted gritty so I proceeded with caution.

I meticulously followed the instructions and prayerfully placed them in the oven. While those delicious brown sugar filled strips of dough were baking I made the delicious-lick-the-spoon-and-bowl-and-counter icing.

Here is the only place I veered from the recipe.

Icing: I doubled and tripled because we LOVE icing

2 Tablespoons melted organic shortening (Spectrum Butter Flavor)
2-4+ teaspoons non-dairy milk (Almond Milk)
3/4-1+ cups confectioners sugar
Splash of Almond Extract (the original recipe from Cinnamon Quill uses vanilla but this made it taste like amaretto)

Vegan, GF Cinnamon Roll. I tried to take another picture the next morning. 

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