Ice-Cream and Giggles

It is amazing how time flies when you are doing a PhD: it is hard to think that it has been months since I have posted!  In the past few months, I have finished data collection, started writing in earnest, been to Egypt and simultaneously evacuated from Egypt by the university due to the bombings in Cairo. Regardless, I did get 2 weeks in Luxor, conducting field work at Karnak, crossing the Nile most days and getting some tourist attractions in. How did I survive in Egypt as a vegan? It is possible, and I mostly survived off bananas, fries, oriental salad, vegetable tagine and tomato soup. Oh, and Clif bars and vegan gelato, a gem that was a gelato shop run by German expats on the East Bank. It was a bit of a culture shock too, seeing starving horses pulling horse drawn carriages, donkeys carrying four people on its back, and stray dogs that obviously needed veterinary assistance, ASAP. Though I did give money to people to feed their horses, in most cases I am sure the money never reached their mouths.

The Ramesseum early in the morning.

To the mars bar slice, though: during an Australian Day BBQ at a friend's house, a large tin of rocky road and mars bar slice was provided for dessert (I was given Oreos for a vegan option). It was amazing how quickly the mars bar slice disappeared, even to the expense of the rocky road. Naturally, I didn't partake, but it did make me determined to make a vegan version. A little bit of context: mars bar slice was my signature dish in high school: I knew the recipe off by heart and I would make it for every celebration and birthday. Plus you know, occasionally just because.

Though it has been more than 3 years since I have had mars bar slice, I think I never made it because I thought a vegan version wasn't possible. That is where twilight bars come into play (not associated with the movies, thankfully). Not made for "vegetarian" vampires, but human vegans, they are a decent copy of the famous mars bar. Unfortunately, these babies are hard to come by (not to mention expensive), but worth it in the long run. I decided to make a small batch, and I was pleasantly surprised! Not a complete copy of the original, but a decent substitute. As my dad said, they are less creamy (the nougat ratio seems to be less in the twilight bar compared to the original mars bar), and if you are a true purist, use rice bubbles, not rice puffs. My boyfriend is not a fan of brown rice puffs, so he was disappointed while I loved them (he is infamously picky about food, however: everyone loves my cooking except for him). Regardless, if you make this I hope you adore them!

Makes around 9 small squares.

You will need:

2 x 60 g twilight bars
50 g vegan margarine
1 1/2 cups brown rice puffs or vegan rice bubbles
100 g vegan chocolate

Method:

1. In a double boiler, melt the chopped twilight bars with the margarine on medium to high heat. It will take 15 minutes to melt everything, and make sure the nougat is melted (it is always the last to melt, so be patient).
2. If using brown rice puffs, toast in the oven for 5-8 minutes on 180 degrees. Skip this step if using rice bubbles.
3. In a bowl, combine rice puffs with melted twilight bar mixture. Make sure it is thoroughly mixed before pressing into a small square lined tin. Place in the fridge.
4. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate of choice and spread over the base. Let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before cutting and serving.

During a recent trip to Melbourne for a conference, I managed to find time to visit Matcha Mylkbar: a 100% plant-based cafe whose specialty is...you guessed it, matcha (and vegan poached eggs). To me, though they looked like "eggs", they tasted of coconut and cheese. Which I think is good, as I was never the biggest fan of eggs to begin with.

Naturally, when I returned to Sydney I was determined to have a go at making them myself. With nothing to go off except that I knew the "white" was made of almond milk and coconut, and the "yolk" center sweet potato, coconut, and flax seeds, I made up a recipe with my taste buds as a guide. Though these don't taste as amazing as the original (which took the cafe months to perfect), I think they come close! Plus, they are much cheaper to make than flights to Melbourne every time I want one!

Note, you will need some sort of semi-circle mould. I got mine for $5 off eBay, which had six semi-circles.

Prep: 15 minutes, Setting: 40 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes.

Serves 6.

You will need:

For the egg white:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup coconut milk
scant 1 tbsp agar agar

For the egg yolk:

75g sweet potato, steamed and mashed
1 tbsp coconut milk
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1.5 tbsp water

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine the almond milk, coconut milk and agar agar. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, until it is bubbling rapidly. Leave for 1 minute, then divide between your moulds, filling up 3/4. Place in fridge to set, and leave the excess aside (it will be reused).
2. Combine all ingredients for the yolk in a food processor. Set aside.
3. Once the white has set, using a spoon scoop out the center of each white. Put these leftovers back in a saucepan on low heat with the other excess whites, and slowly bring to boil again. Meanwhile, spoon in the "yolk" mixture into these cavities.
4. Top the egg with more white once ready. Let set in the fridge again.
5. When serving, heat the egg in the microwave for 30 or so seconds.

There has been one recipe that I just haven't been able to crack as a vegan: the chocolate chip cookie. I have made countless of recipes that claim to be the "best vegan chocolate chip cookie," but they never seem to cut it. To explain, though, my "ideal" cookie that I am trying to re-create is the subway cookie: a dough that will spread out and result in a chewy cookie. Cakey cookies are a no-go for me.

A few weeks ago, I thought I had found that recipe on Vedged Out. The cookie spread out like perfection, and the dough was delicious. They even were approved by my omnivore co-workers. The problem? It was cakey and crumbly. So crumbly the cookies at the bottom of the container I stored them in were crumbs. Though, to be honest, they were gluten free. So it was back to the drawing board.

At first, I thought the problem was the binder. The recipe used aquafaba for the egg replacer, so I decided to add some egg replacer powder to the aquafaba. I remade it. But, even just a teaspoon of egg replacer seemed to ruin the balance of the dough and resulted in a chunky and really dense cookie.  It didn't spread out at all.

Finally, I did my homework. I read up on the science of the best cookie dough. I melted the vegan margarine, I didn't overmix the dough, and I refrigerated the dough overnight. I let the dough "warm" to room temperature so that it would be less likely to hold its shape and the margarine would melt. I thought I had it.

It, like the others before, were a fail. Somehow it was the worst fail. It was a brick, and didn't melt at all.

Finally, I gave up on making these cookies gluten free (sorry, sister). I used bread flour, as recommended by the article regarding the science behind the perfect chocolate chip cookie. I also removed baking powder (again, rising = cake), melted the margarine again, and used aquafaba from beans, not chickpeas. All my fail attempts used chickpea brine, so I am inclined to think bean brine somehow improved this recipe. Basically, I think this is the most perfect the chocolate chip cookie recipe can be, for now at least. And it just goes to show how important method is.


Recipe based on Vedged Out.

Prep: 10 minutes. Resting Time: 3 hours (optional).


Makes 18-22 cookies.

You will need:

1/2 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp aquafaba from a can of beans
1 cup plus 2 tbsp bread flour or plain flour
1 cup vegan sugar-free dark chocolate chips

Method:

1. Melt the margarine in a bowl in the microwave. Once melted, add the sugar, soda, salt, vanilla, and aquafaba. Mix together using a hand whisk.
2. Sift in the flour, mix but don't over mix. Add chocolate chips. Let rest at room temperature for a few hours (optional). If you refrigerate the dough it won't melt and ooze as much.
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Spoon tablespoon-size chunks of dough on a lined baking tray. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes.

In the midst of data collection, database creation, writing a literature review and a 7,000w candidature essay, dense and nutritious food is what my brain needs. Oh, and coffee! These caramel slices really hit the spot. The nutty base, sweet caramel, and chocolate ganache are perfect together. Though I am a bit biased, not only does my sister love these treats, but my boyfriend's omnivore sister liked them! She liked them so much she actually asked for the recipe! So if that isn't an incentive to make you create these ASAP, I really don't know what is. ;)

Prep: 25 minutes. Cooling: 1 hour. Total Time: 1 h 25 minutes.

Makes 12-18 slices.

You will need:

For the base:

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup raw almonds
4 tbsp maple syrup

For the caramel:

3/4 cup almond butter
3/4 cup maple syrup
100g coconut butter (or coconut oil, but it won't be oil free)
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

For the ganache:

150g vegan sugar-free dark chocolate
170g lite coconut cream or milk

Method:

1. Blitz the oats and almonds in a high-speed blender or food processor until a flour is formed. Add maple syrup. If it is still too dry, add a dash of water. Press down firmly into a lined baking tin of the desired size.
2. For the caramel, in a saucepan over low heat combine the almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut butter until smooth. Add vanilla and salt, then pour on top of the base. Place in the freezer.
3. For the ganache, melt the chocolate and cream together in a saucepan over low heat until a smooth ganache is formed. Pour over the caramel layer then place back in the freezer and let it set for an hour or so.

Notes:

- This slice doesn't travel well, as the ganache layer wants to melt off the delicious caramel layer. I recommend bringing the slice in the tin if you wish to take it to a party, replacing it in the freezer to let it cool, then cutting it when you want to serve it.
- Try cutting the slice up then wrapping each square individually and placing them back in the freezer for easy to grab snacks.

Last week, my mum came back from a fruit market with a punnet of feijoas. I had never heard of them before, but apparently they are from Brazil and they smell so fragrant! Naturally, I wanted to make something magical with them, but as I had never tasted them before I altered a recipe for the flavour combinations, and I came up with this vegan muffin with coconut, feijoa and nutmeg.

For those wondering, feijoa's, in my mind, kind of taste like a tart apple, and according to wikipedia, are supposed to taste like a combination of pineapple, apple and mint. But seriously guys, you have to smell feijoas. They actually smell like perfume, in a good way.

Now, to the muffin itself. It features an aquafaba egg (chickpea brine), maple syrup, vegan margarine, plus coconut and nutmeg and of course, brown rice flour. If you have never tried an aquafaba egg, usually around 60g of aquafaba equals a large egg, and is great because if you are making a normal recipe with eggs vegan it will ensure the recipe's liquid ratios are maintained, whilst also making your baked goods fluffy.

These turned out so perfect, and don't even taste gluten free or vegan. I really think the secret is the aquafaba egg! My mum (who is kind of skeptical about vegan food) even approved of them, and said they taste like flowers, in a good way.

Makes 6 cupcake sized muffins.

Recipe altered from Food to Love.

Prep: 10 minutes, baking: 20-25 minutes. Total time: 30-35 minutes.

You will need:

60 g vegan margarine
1/4 cup maple syrup
60 g aquafaba (chickpea brine, or the liquid from a tin of aquafaba)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup almond milk mixed with 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup dessicated coconut, plus more for topping
3/4 cup sifted brown rice flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
4 feijoas, peeled and diced finely

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Beat the margarine with the maple syrup and vanilla, add aquafaba and sifted flour. Beat. Add milk, nutmeg and baking powder.
2. Hand mix in the rest of the ingredients.
3. Divide mix between a greased cupcake tin, it should make 6. Top with extra coconut.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before eating.