The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (35 page)

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cup agave nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

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cup unsweetened cocoa powder

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cup soy milk powder

Note:
Soy milk powder is sold in large amounts, so if you have a bunch left, you can add water to make it into soy milk. If you don’t have soy milk powder, the frosting will be fine—just a little runnier.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (I use unbleached, recycled cupcake liners by a company called If You Care, available at Whole Foods.)

Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for at least 5 minutes or until it bubbles a little. If it doesn’t bubble, keep stirring the mixture until it does. Add the agave nectar, oil, and vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean and the tops are slightly springy when pressed. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then cool completely on a baking rack before frosting.

To make the Fudge Frosting, use a mixer to cream the butter together with the agave nectar in a mixing bowl until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and about half the cocoa powder, mix on low speed to combine, then add the remaining cocoa powder. Add in the soy milk powder, and beat at medium-high speed until fluffy. If it is runny, refrigerate the frosting until it sets up a little.

Mixed Berry Cheesecake

The last time I made this was when we had some friends over for movie night. We started with the Waffle, Sausage, and Cheese Panini (page
153
) with a side of Sicilian Collard Greens with Pine Nuts and Raisins (page
176
) and finished off the meal with this cheesecake—and then we watched The Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Charles Laughton. What an amazing movie!

SERVES 8

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cup Earth Balance butter

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (see Note)

1 (12-ounce) package silken tofu

1 cup nondairy cream cheese

1 tablespoon safflower oil

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cup maple syrup plus an additional 1 to 2 teaspoons if using a fresh fruit topping

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cup soy milk

2 teaspoons arrowroot

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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teaspoon lemon or orange extract (optional)

Fresh mixed berries for topping (or frozen mixed berries, thawed)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil an 8" or 9" springform pan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, and stir in the graham cracker crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan, and bake for 5 minutes. Let cool on a baking rack.

Combine the tofu, cream cheese, oil,
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cup syrup, milk, arrowroot, vanilla extract, and citrus extract (if using) in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust, and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. If using fresh berries, toss them with 1 to 2 teaspoons syrup to create a slightly glazed effect. Top the cheesecake with the berries, and chill until you’re ready to serve.

Note:
To make graham cracker crumbs, place graham cracker squares in a sealed plastic bag and smash with a rolling pin, or grind graham cracker squares in a food processor. You’ll need 12 to 13 graham cracker squares to make 2 cups graham cracker crumbs.

Peach Crumble

This dessert has a wonderful crumbly granola crust that will blow your socks off. In fact, I love the crust so much I’ve given this recipe almost as much crust as filling! You’ll see why when you taste it. Of course, it’s best made with fresh peaches, but you can also use frozen when you crave this crumble out of season. For a crunchier topping, use less maple and brown rice syrup.

I would consider this a regular Superhero dessert if it weren’t for the flour. Any baked flour product can make you feel a little gunked up and get in the way of your Superpowers, so go easy. A couple of times a week is fine.

SERVES 4 TO 6

2
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–3 cups sliced fresh or thawed frozen organic peaches

1 cup organic blueberries

1
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cups apple juice

2 tablespoons kuzu

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch of fine sea salt

Topping

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups barley flour, spelt flour, brown rice flour, or sweet rice flour

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teaspoon fine sea salt

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teaspoon ground cinnamon

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cup safflower oil

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cup brown rice syrup

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cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the peaches and blueberries in a 9" square baking pan.

Reserve
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cup of the apple juice in a small bowl, and heat the remaining 1
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cups in a small saucepan. Place the kuzu in a small bowl, and add in the reserved apple juice. Let the kuzu mixture sit for about 10 seconds so that the kuzu can dissolve into the liquid. Stir with a fork, and immediately whisk the kuzu mixture and the lemon juice into the hot apple juice, stirring continually to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, and add the vanilla extract and the salt. Pour over the peaches and blueberries in the pan.

To make the topping, dry-roast the oats, flour, salt, and cinnamon in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Heat the oil and syrups together in a separate pan, then pour over the flour mixture and mix well. Stir in the nuts.

Crumble the topping over the fruit, then cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake 15 to 25 minutes longer or until the topping is golden and the fruit filling bubbles a little. (Try to handle the foil with care so you can reuse it another time.) Cool crumble for about 30 minutes before serving.

BREAKFAST

Becoming vegan may not mean a whole lot of big changes at breakfast time if you’re basically a grab-and-go kind of morning eater, especially during the week. Cereal with fruit and milk, a piece of toast, or a bagel with tofu cream cheese are all easygoing options that will get you out of the house in 5 minutes or less.

• Go crazy with whole grain toast, your favorite nut butter, and fruit-sweetened jam. Dalfour makes an amazing strawberry jam.
  
• Find a whole grain, fruit juice-sweetened cereal and eat it with soy milk, rice milk, or my favorite: a soy/rice blend made by Eden.
  
• Thinking about making your own nut milk? Soak
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  cup almonds in water overnight. Discard the soaking water and transfer the almonds to a blender. Add 4 cups water, a dash of vanilla extract, and blend until smooth. Voilà!
  

When you do have a bit more time to cook, check out some of these cool breakfast options.

Quick Date-Apple-Cinnamon Oatmeal

I used to eat the presweetened, instant oatmeal that came in a packet until I joined the cast of a play about Orthodox Judaism in which I portrayed a lesbian who has a cocaine overdose on stage . . . anyhoo, another actress in the show, Lesa Carlson, taught me how to make this oatmeal! I love using dates from the farmers’ market.

MAKES 1 SERVING

1 cup organic rolled oats

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts

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crisp apple, cut in cubes

About 5 dates, pitted and chopped

Fine sea salt to taste

3 shakes of ground cinnamon

Scant 1 teaspoon flaxseed oil

Bring a kettle of water to a boil.