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Tropical Persimmon Muffins with Coconut Spice Creme
November 24th, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! As everyone has started traveling, we have stayed put this year due to the little time off we have but Christmas will be here before we know it!
Since Ryan and I celebrated our Thanksgiving with the graduate students on Sunday we decided to dwell with leftovers. The original plan was for me to preapre a new meal for Ryan for his birthday on Thanksgiving instead on Monday, but little did he know what I was planning. Every person should have their birthday dinner on their ACTUAL birthday so I quickly made him a Chilean meal that he requested and after coming home from a nice game of racquetball, he sat down to his birthday dinner all surprised. Yes. I like that face.
I made a Gaucho Steak for him and I heated up my Seitan roast and sliced it and served it with my secret Chilean chimichurri sauce that I introduced to him back in March. Ryan was practically salivating because it IS the best sauce! I think it went really well with my leftover seitan roast.
I also made my Grandma’s recipe for Papa Rusa, or Russian Potato that is super unique. Ryan let me know that this was his favorite. I had to take a break from making tamales the last 2 years. It is HARD work. All in all, Ryan was VERY happy with his birthday dinner. 🙂
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This morning I decided to revisit a new recipe. Can you tell that persimmons are in-season?? I love seeing the 2 kinds at the store. When I was purchasing some, the grocer stocking the fruit asked me how I used the Hachiya persimmons. I told him I loved baking with them since they seemed too uncomfortable raw. He completely agreed with me. He then proceeded to ask me how I liked the Fuyu persimmons and I realized I had not tasted that kind yet. He took one and washed and sliced it for me and let me eat in the produce section. How about that? He definitely sold it to me.
Fuyu persimmons are delicious to eat and resemble the tomato than the Hachiya persimmon. What I realized is that I had been eating the Hachiya when it was still unripe. When it is SUPER ripe and very soft to the touch it is perfect for eating. I am planning on making several recipes with my Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons. If is one thing I will not have to worry that this fruit will get overripe. It will be perfect!
I revisited my Tropical Persimmon Muffin recipe I created back in December 2009 and decided to tweak it a little using different natural sweetners and flours. I also decided to add a coconut whipped creme to make this more of a brunch item. I was very much happy with results.
I used spelt instead of whole wheat and coconut raw crystals instead of agave and vanilla extract instead of the lime extract. It was all together a BETTER muffin. The addition of the coconut creme was divine. Forget butter or Earth Balance (sorry) but this spiced creme was so delicious.
Make these for the holidays and have your family raving!
Tropical Persimmon Muffins
print recipe
makes a dozen muffins
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
1 teaspoon baking SODA
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup Hachiya persimmon pulp (2 pieces of ripe fruit)-reserve 2 Tbsp for creme
1/2 cup Coconut Secret coconut crystals (or agave nectar)
3 Tablespoons Tropical Traditions coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin cups with liners.
Mix first 7 ingredients (dry) in a small bowl. Remove softened persimmon pulp from each fruit and discard the peel. Add the coconut oil, crystals and vanilla and mix well.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix. Pour mix into each muffin liner.
Bake for 25 minutes and cool for 10 minutes.
Coconut Spice Creme
prepare the night before
1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice seasonings
or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon & 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg)
2/3 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons persimmon pulp
Mix all ingredients in a mixer and whip until smooth. Place in a covered bowl and refirgerate the night before or early in the morning. Let it set. Brings all the flavors together.
Use 1-2 Tablespoons of creme for each muffin. Enjoy!
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So Delicious Coconut Winners!!!
November 23rd, 2010
I am so excited that there were over 300 comments for this wonderful giveaway. Thank you everyone who entered. I hope to have a similar contest again in the future. Random.org was wonderful enough to help me pick the 10 winners of 4 coupons for free So Delicious products.
Please email me your full name and address by Saturday, November 27th. If I do not hear from you I will pick another winner. Thanks everyone!!
Comment #2 Elle said…
Oh my gosh, I SO love their stuff! I think I’d get ice cream first because it’s such an amazing treat. But their creamer is so versatile and delicious!
![[DSC00637.JPG]](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vFct8JHYEq0/S7EisgzX4qI/AAAAAAAAAAM/GW3rhyg98-A/S220/DSC00637.JPG)
Comment #47 —Cherloo said…Ice Cream first than their Soy Creamer would come in 2nd!
Comment #296—-psufroggirl said…
definitely the Vanilla Bean coconut milk ice cream!!! …which is AhMAZing and also which will just happen to taste great with the homemade vegan peppermint patties I just made!
I would buy their German Chocolate coconut milk ice cream first (if I can find it anywhere – so elusive!).
I would buy some ice cream first–for my sons who have severe food allergies. They love the coconut-milk ones!
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My First Vegan Thanksgiving {Four recipes}
November 22nd, 2010
Good morning! I think I am finally back into my groove here in MI. I have adjusted to the time change and am sleeping and waking up fully rested. Such a good thing too! I feel like ever since I came back from Colorado that it has been hard just getting back into the swing of things and that means drinking my GREEN smoothies and eating normally.
My eating was a little off for 5 days but I am also back to eating at my time. This morning I was glad to be back at my 6am workout with my weights and cardio class. Even though I got to hike just ONCE in Colorado, I felt like my body totally liked being on an exercise rest. I seriously saw a difference in my pants and in the way I felt. Is this supposed to happen especially when not working out? I embraced it though.
I came straight home, makde Ryan his birthday breakfast, and then focused on my green smoothie of the day. SO delicious. Before I left last week I froze my greens because I knew Ryan would not touch them. I froze kale and spinach, so I removed the spinach and added it to my smoothie this morning. Lovely combination too. I went for the whole Tropical theme.
Tropical Green Smoothie
serves 2
1/2 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1/2 cup fresh or frozen mango
1 1/2 cups frozen spinach or 3 cups loosely packed
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 Tablespoon flaxseed oil
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 scoop protein powder
Blend well and serve. Drink immediately and envision yourself at a beach. 🙂
So when I mention that this was my FIRST vegan Thanksgiving, I meant it was my first one cooking and hosting. Ryan and I talked about having the graduate students come over for a Thanksgiving feast and gathering. Everyone was in charge of bringing a side and a bottle of wine. I was in charge of making the turkey.
Yes, you read it right. I made a turkey for the first time. I was very nervous but I knew that I was the only vegan in the group and Ryan requested I make it so I complied. I thank my mother-in-law for signing me up for Bon Appétit as my early Christmas gift, because when I received the Thanksgiving issue, I was all over it. You should see the magazine now. It is covered in food markings and splotches. I mean, it is a sign of good cooking, don’t you think? The turkey was a Salt-Roasted Turkey with Lemon and Oregano from this month’s issue.
I did have a bit of a hard time preparing the turkey but I knew I was going to be making something for myself and anyone else willing to try my first time at also preparing a Seitan Roast.
This recipe was VERY easy to prepare and a new experience for me. It roasts in the oven for nearly an hour in broth and then I made the gravy from leftover broth and drizzled and heated up the next day. Half the tray was eaten by the grad students and I had people ask what it was made of. They ate it up! Good thing I made it too because I had some protein to enjoy. I thought this was a good way to expose non-vegans to their proteins. Here is the Seitan Holiday Roast recipe from VegWeb.
I made a new cranberry sauce recipe I saw in Foodbuzz posts and decided to try it. Cake Duchess has a nice site and I loved her picture and additions to the cranberry sauce (like oranges and ginger) so I told her I would make it. I made a double recipe and made it with 1/2 vegan sugar and 1/2 agave nectar. I was asked SEVERAL times if the sauce was homemade because they liked it alot! Here is the recipe Gingery Orange Cranberry Sauce.
My veggie contribution to the Thanksgiving potluck was this fantastic recipe from Bon Appétit called Green Beans with Toasted Walnuts and Dried-Cherry Vinaigrette. It was super easy to prepare and perfect to preapre in advance. I just steamed the beans and blanched them and placed them in a ziplock until the day of the dinner. The picture above is the dressing on top of the beans. Once I added the toasted walnuts I mix it up and this is what it looked like:
My last contribution to the dinner was my own recipe for stuffing. I made it completely vegan and really liked the results. I had asked several people on Twitter for advice when it comes to stuffing. Should it be sweet, or sweet and salty or just salty? I finally added 2 apples to the stuffing to add a little sweetness but nothing more. It was a perfect addition. Thanks Brian!
Savory Whole Wheat Bread Stuffing
serves 12-15 people
10 cups whole wheat bread, cut 1-inch cubes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons Earth Balance
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
4 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 small onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 Tablespoons Herbes de Provence
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth ( I use Rapunzel bouillon cubes w/ salt)
Preheat oven to 350degrees Fahrenheit. Cut up all your bread and place in a deep 9×13 dish and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Bread is to become a little browned and dry.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large saucepan and add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 10 minutes or until onions and celery become translucent. Add garlic, salt, pepper and herbs. Add the Earth Balance and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Add mixture into bread cubes and mix well. Add apples and vegetable broth and cover and chill overnight or bake for 40-45 minutes on 350 dgrees.
We all had a great time and laughed a lot. Hope your holidays are wonderful and full of thanks for the provisions God has given you!
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Double Chocolate Cherry Walnut Cookies {Gluten-free} and Cookbook Winner
November 19th, 2010
Happy Friday! Some of you already have a lot of your Thanksgiving planning done. I got busy last night and brainstormed on ideas and finally headed out to the store before the mayhem begins early at 7:30am this morning! I beat the crowds and I hope I did not forget anything.
I am so excited to see nearly 250 comments on the So Delicious Coupon Giveaway. I cannot express to you how much I like this product and how it has made my vegan journey a lot easier. I hope you get to enter since TEN people have a chance to win four free products!
Before post a recipe I also thank everyone interested in the Cookbook Giveaway. Here is the winner:
Marty said…
Hi Marty! Please email me your full name and address so I can get that info to the publishers. Thanks!!
As I looked through my pictures and recipes I totally forgot to post a gluten-free and vegan cookie recipe I found as I was perusing vegan mofo posts 2 weeks ago! How could I?? The recipe, after being tweaked a bit, came out super delicious and moist. I love discovering that gluten-free AND vegan means delicious and not lacking in flavor. A common misconception! At least to me.
Double Chocolate Cherry Walnut Cookies
makes 18-20 cookies / Print Recipe
adapted from Lettuce Free Vegan
1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened (vegan margarine)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 chia egg or flaxseed (1 Tablespoon ground chia seed mixed in small bowl with 3 Tbsp warm water)
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon So Delicious Coconut Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried cherries, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchament paper.
In large bowl, cream brown sugar and Earth Balance together until light and fluffy. Prepare chia / flaxseed egg and set aside for 3-5 minutes until it becomes thick. Add the extracts and chia / flaxseed egg and mix well.
Add the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt and mix well. Stir in the coconut milk until combined. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, and cherries.
Drop by 2 tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until set. Cool for one minute on the pan and then move to wire cookie rack.
These are DELICIOUS warm! Enjoy!
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So Delicious Dairy Free Product Giveaway
November 18th, 2010
The week is almost over and even though I had 2 days out of the week be vacation it has been hard getting out of a vacation slump. I am very tired this morning and so I forced myself out of bed to my 6am workout and did pretty well but then was still very tired after that.
I guess maybe the altitude change is hard on the body or perhaps being at an airport for more than 8 hours and then not sleeping on the plane and arriving at 1am is hard. I think that might be it.
Last night I had grand plans of making us a nice meal but I really did not have the energy even after I went to Zumba. So, maybe the fact I was not in my workout routine in Colorado might have made my body go in sleep mode but I had to start working out a little at a time, right? I made a nice green salad and grilled up some tofu steaks and glazed them with some homemade BBQ sauce from the new Skinny Bitch cookbook.
The salad was simple but very delicious! I am hoping I get in my cooking groove quickly! In the meantime, I leave you with another giveaway. This giveaway is so exciting people.
There are TEN people that have a chance to win FOUR coupons for FREE Turtle Mountain products. This is a wonderful giveaway and I thank the people over at Turtle Mountain for such a generous contribution.
Now what would you be able to get with your free coupon? Check out Turtle Mountain’s website and you could get four pints of your favorite ice cream.
Or you could get SO Delicious Coconut Milk for all those green smoothies or even some coffee creamer.
There are so many options! I hope you are as excited with this as I am!
Here is the quick and easy requirement: (Contest ONLY open for US Residents)
1. Tell me what you would buy first.
For extra entries: (leave me a comment for each entry)
2.. Follow me on Facebook
3. Follow me on Twitter
4. Subscribe to my blog or sign up on Google Reader (on the right)
5. Follow @So_Delicious on Twitter
6. Follow So Delicious Dairy Free on Facebook
7. Tweet the following message ” Enter to win 4 coupons for free @So_Delicious products. 10 people have a chance to win. #veganmofo #giveaway http://bit.ly/9YxolY “
Giveaway ends on Monday, November 22nd at midnight EST. I will announce the winners on Tuesday, November 23rd and I will personally mail the coupons to each winner.
