Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (53 page)

1 cup regular or lite coconut milk
⅔ cup almond milk
⅓
cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup light brown sugar
A big pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons light or spiced rum

 

6 ounces soft silken tofu (half of an
aseptic water-packed tofu block)
3 tablespoons coconut cream
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon agar flakes, or ¼ teaspoon
agar powder
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup rice milk or additional almond milk
2 tablespoons tapioca flour or arrowroot
½ teaspoon vanilla or orange extract

 

⅓ cup grated coconut
Fresh strawberries or blackberries or
chunks of mango or pineapple, for
garnish

 

1. Make the cake first. Preheat the oven to 350°F and oil an 8-inch square baking pan. In a mixing bowl, stir together the soy milk and lemon juice; the mixture will appear to curdle. Stir in the oil, sugar, vanilla, and coconut extract and whisk until smooth. Sift in the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold in the dry ingredients just enough to moisten; do not overmix, a few small lumps are okay. Pour into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly and using a rubber spatula to completely scrape all of the batter out of the bowl. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven, let cool for a minute or two, then use a toothpick to poke holes into the cake at about ½-inch intervals.

2. While the cake is baking, make the soaking syrup. Mix all the syrup ingredients except the rum in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat, stirring the mixture constantly with a wire whisk. After the mixture has boiled for about 1 minute, lower the heat to low. Simmer the syrup for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has a syrupy consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the rum and drizzle over the warm cake . . . it’s important that the cake be warm so that the syrup can be better absorbed. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or, even better, over - night. Some extra syrup may not be completely absorbed by the cake but no worries—everything will still taste great.

3. To prepare the topping: Blend the silken tofu with the coconut cream in a food processor until smooth. In a small saucepan, combine the water and agar flakes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minute to melt the agar flakes. A few tiny specks of agar remaining is fine, but most of it should be dissolved. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. In a mixing cup, use a fork or wire whisk to whisk together the rice milk and tapioca flour. Pour this mixture into the agar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. The mixture should taste smooth and not chalky. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a food processor and add the silken tofu. Blend until very smooth. Add the vanilla and pulse one more time to incorporate it.

4. Remove the plastic from the top of the cake and spread the tofu mixture evenly over the top. Sprinkle with the grated coconut, cover the cake, and chill for about 1½ hours or until the topping is completely cooled and has firmed up slightly. Cut into nine squares and serve chilled, topped with sliced fresh fruit.

•
Serves 6 to 8

•
Time: About 1 hour

 

1 pound day-old good-quality vegan white
bread, cut or torn into small chunks
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
½ cup dark raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
3½ cups soy milk or favorite rich
nondairy milk
1 (3 by 1-inch) strip lemon or orange zest

 

 

How to Slice Mango

 

S
licing a fresh mango is best done with a thin, slightly flexible but very sharp, serrated knife.

 

Place the knife about ¾ inch from the nubby “stem” and balance the other end of the mango on a cutting board. The idea is to cut alongside the flat, wide seed of the mango (that runs almost the whole length of the fruit) to remove as large a slab of mango as possible while staying only just clear of the seed.

 

Using a gentle sawing motion, cut through the mango flesh. If you encounter resistance, you’re probably cutting into the seed. No worries, just shift your knife slightly and continue cutting along until you’ve removed one side of the mango. Continue with the other side for the other mango half. Then trim around the exposed seed to remove any remaining flesh and skin from it (do not peel the halves). If you spot some mango seed bits on the flesh, just remove them, too.

 

Holding a mango half flesh side up, use that thin knife to gently slice ¼-inch strips, side by side, end to end, into the flesh, taking care not to slice through the skin but slicing as deeply as possible. When you’re done slicing, firmly grab the ends of the mango half and, pushing from the bottom, press the whole thing inside out. You’ll have a bunch of mango slices sticking out and up that can be either cut off or gently removed with your fingers. Repeat with the other half and slice up any remaining bits of the mango you’d separately removed from the seed. Now for my favorite part . . . place the pit in your mouth and slurp off any remaining juicy mango bits. It’s your delicious (and messy, best eaten over the sink) reward for showing that mango who’s boss, so enjoy.

 

 

3 tablespoons nonhydrogenated
vegan margarine
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons dark or spiced rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 ounces guava paste, sliced into
thin strips
1 large ripe mango

 

1. Lightly grease a 9 by 11 by 2-inch baking pan. Place the bread pieces in a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated and light brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon, and toss together. Set aside ½ cup of the soy milk in a measuring cup and pour the remaining 3 cups of soy milk into a large saucepan. Add the orange zest and, over medium heat, simmer the milk for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the margarine and stir to melt. Remove the orange zest and pour the hot soy milk over the bread mixture. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, fold the ingredients to completely moisten the bread. Set the mixture aside and let it cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The bread will fall completely apart and will be very mushy and wet. While the bread mixture is cooling, preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Into the remaining ½ cup of soy milk in the measuring cup, whisk the cornstarch, rum, and vanilla until smooth. Pour onto bread mixture and mix thoroughly. Pour into the prepared baking pan and top with strips of guava paste and strips of mango, poking them partially into the pudding. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned; the guava paste will melt and bubble and the mango will brown. A knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out mostly clean (a few sticky crumbs are okay). The pudding will be like molten lava right out of the oven, so let it cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

•
Makes about 4 cups, or 8 half-cup

•
servings

•
Time: About 45 minutes

•
Gluten Free, can be made Soy Free

 

6 whole cloves
2 strips citrus zest, such as orange,
lemon, or lime (about 1 by 2 inches
each)
1½ cups almond or rice milk, plus 1⅔
cups additional almond, rice, or soy
milk, preferably vanilla flavored
⅔ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
⅔ cup sugar
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
A big pinch of ground allspice
½ cup dark or golden raisins
1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt

 

1. Stick three cloves into each of the pieces of citrus zest. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the 1½ cups of almond milk, and the rice, sugar, cinnamon stick, allspice, and clovestudded zest. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally when the milk begins to foam. Lower the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is very soft and mushy.

2. Pour in the additional 1⅔ cups of nondairy milk, add the raisins, rum, vanilla, and salt, and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil again, lower the heat, and simmer for another 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very creamy and thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the citrus zest, cloves, and cinnamon stick and pour into individual serving cups or a large serving bowl. Garnish with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon, if desired.