| geeksandgeeks 08.03.2005 19:43 |
This weekend I have to cook for a party of eight or nine people, most of whom are vegetarians and at least one of whom is a vegan. I'm not used to cooking without animal products and need some help. The main courses I can handle, but I'm at a roadblock concerning dessert. Could someone recommend to me a good vegan-safe dessert recipe, or possibly the name of a good vegetarian cookbook? I've tried using chocolate, egg, and sugar substitutes in classic recipes (for that matter, what IS the deal with chocolate? Is bittersweet chocolate okay?), but most of them are inadequate, in the sense that they do not taste like they have ever been organic matter. Any help is much appreciated. |
| Brimon 08.03.2005 19:47 |
1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs 3 Tbsp Demerera or Brown Sugar 3 Tbsp Vegan Margarine* Filling 3 Tubs Tofutti Cream Cheese 3/4 Cup White Sugar Equivalent of 3 Eggs Using Egg Replacer 1 Tsp Vanilla *Note: Some margarines contain animal products such as whey, milk ingredients and animal fat. Please keep this in mind when shopping. To make crust combine all crust ingredients and mix well. Press into an 8" springform pan. Bake at 325° for 10 mins. Let cool while making filling. To make the filling, combine cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add egg replacer mixture and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Pour cream cheese filling into pan and bake in a 450° oven for 10 mins. Reduce heat to 250° and bake for another 25-30 mins. Once cool, decorate with fresh sliced fruit, or a tin of pie cherries. link |
| StrangeQuark 08.03.2005 20:56 |
vegweb.com is another good one to try... it has reviews and rankings of the recipes there, so there should be less guesswork. Regarding margarine... margarine frequently contains vitamin D3, which is animal-derived. And ask the vegan how strict he/she is... brown sugar (any refined sugar actually, especially powdered sugar) is often purified with bone char, unacceptable to some vegans. There are many less refined "natural" sugars are out there. Of all the desserts I've made, I think maple syrup is the most popular sweetener. Semisweet chocolate *can* be acceptable, but make sure you read the ingredients... many contain "milk ingredients". I'm sure your guests will appreciate all the effort you've put into the meal!! I'm vegan, and certainly know I'm grateful when I'm taken into account at the dinner table, and don't have to do my own investigating of what is in everything. Good luck!! :o) Btw, in case you've never seen/heard of me before, I used to post here more often many moons ago, and I still lurk quite frequently... couldn't help but post to this topic. |
| Mr.Jingles 08.03.2005 21:35 |
Oh dear, beware of Vegans. They're like the fundamentalist version of vegetarians. |
| dragonzflame 08.03.2005 22:44 |
I could handle being vegetarian - in fact, I may try it one day - but you'll never get me touching veganism with a bargepole. I like ice cream and cheese too much. At least they aren't fruitarians. |
| SergeantPepperDG 09.03.2005 08:26 |
dragonzflame wrote: I could handle being vegetarian - in fact, I may try it one day - but you'll never get me touching veganism with a bargepole. I like ice cream and cheese too much. At least they aren't fruitarians.Same here... I depend on dairy. |
| YourValentine 09.03.2005 09:28 |
Egg replacer, oh my:) I rather would not cook anything. |
| Lisser 09.03.2005 09:42 |
I love meat. Oh God...that didn't come out right did it? :S |
| StrangeQuark 09.03.2005 11:41 |
dragonzflame wrote: I could handle being vegetarian - in fact, I may try it one day - but you'll never get me touching veganism with a bargepole. I like ice cream and cheese too much.I can certainly understand where you're coming from; I used to think the same way, when I was a lacto-ovo veg. Then I realized there are things in life that are more important to me than the flavour that something a cow's mammary gland excreted lends to food. ...Studying biology at university has given me a rather objective view of our species and our place in nature, and contributed greatly to my decision. Incidentally, while I agree that no soy/almond/rice cheese will likely never be quite the same as dairy cheese, some brands of icecream are quite indistinguishable. I've given it to lacto-vegetarians who have told me it's better than the real thing. I think it was So Good vanilla, butterscotch flavour or berry swirl. And as for everything else... for a while I used to crave a few animal-derived foods after going vegan, but after a while, what was once appetizing becomes labelled "non-food" in one's brain. It's no longer appetizing, the same way a slug is not appetizing to (most?) people. Besides, as long as the most important food can still be vegan (which is CHOCOLATE obviously), nothing else matters. :oD |
| geeksandgeeks 09.03.2005 15:26 |
Great stuff, thank you folks. Hey...I can't help it that my friends are the pickiest eaters God blew breath into. I'll eat just about anything you put in front of me, that's why I do all the cooking. |
| Haystacks Calhoun 09.03.2005 16:00 |
Brimon wrote: 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs 3 Tbsp Demerera or Brown Sugar 3 Tbsp Vegan Margarine* Filling 3 Tubs Tofutti Cream Cheese 3/4 Cup White Sugar Equivalent of 3 Eggs Using Egg Replacer 1 Tsp Vanilla *Note: Some margarines contain animal products such as whey, milk ingredients and animal fat. Please keep this in mind when shopping. To make crust combine all crust ingredients and mix well. Press into an 8" springform pan. Bake at 325° for 10 mins. Let cool while making filling. To make the filling, combine cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add egg replacer mixture and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Pour cream cheese filling into pan and bake in a 450° oven for 10 mins. Reduce heat to 250° and bake for another 25-30 mins. Once cool, decorate with fresh sliced fruit, or a tin of pie cherries. linkI would rather eat tree bark... Vegan margarine? These people have WAAAAY too much time on their hands if they are that pre-consumed with what is in their BUTTER!!!! Egg replacer, is that like Egg Beaters, or does that not work for the food Nazis either? I can understand the Vegetarian choice, it seems rather healthy. But vegans? That is taking yourself a bit too seriously... |
| StrangeQuark 09.03.2005 19:49 |
Buddy Biancalana wrote: I would rather eat tree bark... Vegan margarine? These people have WAAAAY too much time on their hands if they are that pre-consumed with what is in their BUTTER!!!! Egg replacer, is that like Egg Beaters, or does that not work for the food Nazis either? I can understand the Vegetarian choice, it seems rather healthy. But vegans? That is taking yourself a bit too seriously...Egg Beaters are made with eggs... it's not really *replacing* eggs (hence the name "egg replacer", in case that went over your head) if the "replacement" is made of the same thing, now is it? And while you may think your allusion to Seinfeld is quite witty (the "soup Nazi" episode), I find the irony of your choice of terms more amusing... Nazis are associated with violence and hatred, while vegans practise compassion for all sentient beings. Interesting juxtaposition, anyway. Just shows you obviously have no concept of the true meaning of the word vegan. Personally, I'm not offended by your stance (or by people saying outright "I love meat") at all, in fact I'm quite accustomed to it. Hell, I was "involved" with someone for over a year who had similar views. Having someone you care about tell you they think your opinion and values are ridiculous hurts infinitely more than the words on a screen of some stranger ever could. However other vegans may be less hardened to that sort of treatment, so please, if you encounter any in real life, you might want to conduct yourself with slightly more tact... if you're actually capable of self control, that is. (I say "in real life", because forums like this are kind of a free-for-all; if you don't like it, the option to leave is always there.) |
| SergeantPepperDG 09.03.2005 20:19 |
In my opinion, cheese is one of the best discoveries EVER. If I could, I'd create a religion that worshiped cheese. |
| TheMiracle 09.03.2005 21:02 |
Such as cookies and cakes, you could replace the eggs with applesauce and the milk with soymilk. Both are good alternatives. I have been a vegetarian for about 4 years and I've learned well the alternatives I can have. Some are good, some are bad, it just depends on the brand for me. |
| Mr.Jingles 09.03.2005 21:20 |
SergeantPepperDG wrote: In my opinion, cheese is one of the best discoveries EVER.To me cutting it, is the best discovery ever. |
| Lisser 09.03.2005 22:57 |
Mr.Jingles79 wrote:Bwuahahhaahhaaa!!SergeantPepperDG wrote: In my opinion, cheese is one of the best discoveries EVER.To me cutting it, is the best discovery ever. |
| Sonia Doris 10.03.2005 15:29 |
<font><font color=charm>George W. Puss wrote:hm....Lisser wrote: I love meat. Oh God...that didn't come out right did it? :Shmm... no... well... kinda... if you record it and send it thru mail I'll tell ya... please use a nurse voice... |