Sam Turnbull's Blog, page 49

Pacifica Vegan Beauty Giveaway!

On the 1st day of giveaway my true love (Sam) gave to me, a collection of Pacifica bestsellers!!!!!!

Pacifica is a brand of 100% vegan beauty products that look and smell AMAZING! Finding beauty products that are vegan can be tricky, even if a brand is cruelty free, often not all of their products are vegan because they may contain things like beeswax, milk, eggs, fish scales or insects (yes, it’s true). What I love about Pacifica is that their entire line is 100% vegan taking all the stress out of shopping!

The problem with Pacifica is that everything smells so damn delicious that you just want to eat it instead of applying it to your face! In this collection of some of their bestselling products we have Coconut Water Micellar Cleansing Tonic, Sea Foam Complete Face Wash, Hot Vegan Probiotic & Spice Mask, Coconut Probiotic Water Rehab Cream, Indian Coconut Nectar mist, Dream Big mascara, Devocean Natural Lipstick, and Enlightened Gloss. Ooh la la!

The details:

2 lucky winners will each receive a these 8 Pacifica bestsellers.
This contest is open to US, and Canadian residents.
Enter the contest by using the giveaway app below. ↓

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To see all 12 days of giveaways click here.

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12 Days of Giveaways!

WHAT IS THIS MADNESS??? Yes, you read that right, ’tis the season to be jolly whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwannza, or if you simply like to cozy up with a nice mug of vegan hot chocolate. In the spirit of all things merry and bright, I wanted to give a little thanks back to you. Yes you. My favourite readers. So I’m running a giveaway every day for the first 12 days of December right here on It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken- 12 days of giveaways!

There will be something for everyone: scrumptious food, fashionable high-end vegan apparel, amazing cookbooks, glowy beauty products, exceptional cooking tools, and everything is 100% vegan! 

Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes

It’s getting holly and jolly in my kitchen, and I’m loving it! Holiday movies are being watched, gift shopping is almost complete, parties are being planned, and bells are being jingled. Ok, well no bells are being jingled, because I don’t actually have any bells to jingle, but they’re jingling in spirit.

I have loved holiday baking ever since I was a kid- an excuse to eat lots of sugary things, you betcha! I was inspired to make Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes after speaking at Vegfest London, where I saw a stand that was selling similar cupcakes. (I forget the name of the vendor, so apologies for that, please inform me if you know). I didn’t have time to pick up a cupcake to nosh on while I was there, so you better believe the first thing I did when I got home was whip up my own version.

Am I ever glad I did!!! Mint chocolate is one of my all time favourite combos. I have my cupboard stocked with Stash mint chocolate tea at all times (I’ve confirmed with Stash that it’s vegan, woot!). So it’s not surprising that I fell deeply and madly in love with my Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes. Sweet, chocolatey, and a hint of minty freshness. Yum seems like a simple way to describe them, but when you take a bite, that’s exactly what you’ll say, an enthusiastic “YUM!!!!”

For the cake, I adapted my Ultimate Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe to make a rich, chocolatey cupcakes with just a hint of peppermint. Then, I topped them with peppermint infused frosting, and sprinkled them with crushed candy cane, which is not only pretty, but I love the little crunch it adds.

You better believe these cupcakes taste just as yummy as they look. Friends visited while I had these displayed, and lets just say, they didn’t last long.

To make Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes: in a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix, lumps are totally cool.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

Use a stand or hand mixer, whip together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. If the frosting is a bit too stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

For the crushed candy canes, unwrap 5 candy cans and put them in a sealable bag. I used a rolling pin to lightly whack and roll over the candy canes breaking them into small pieces.

Decorate the cupcakes using pastry bag or spatula to frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Vegan Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes

Perfect for Christmas and holiday baking. Mint chocolate cake with peppermint infused frosting, decorated with crushed candy canes. 

Dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

1 1/3 cups non-dairy milk ((such as soy or almond))
1/3 cups light oil ((such as canola or vegetable))
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

Frosting ingredients:

1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 – 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk ((such as soy or almond), if needed)
5 candy canes, (crushed)

For the cupcakes: preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line a cupcake pan with 12 parchment paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl whisk together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix, lumps are totally cool. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: use a stand or hand mixer, whip together the vegan butter, vegetable shortening, powdered sugar, peppermint extract, and vanilla extract. If the frosting is a bit too stiff, add 1 to 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.

To decorate the cupcakes: use a pastry bag or spatula to frost the cupcakes. Decorate by sprinkling with crushed candy canes.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Smoky Tofu & Bean Soup

I love asking you (yes you) for recipe request. Recently I did just that on my Facebook page. If there is a dish you have been craving, I love taking on the challenge of recreating it in my kitchen. Veganizing the world one recipe at a time!

I steal ideas from you all the time such as my recent recipes for Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff, Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, and Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup – all your ideas! Muhahahaha, evil idea stealer.

Today’s recipe was inspired by a request for ham and bean soup. I researched this soup and I already knew I was going to make it seven times quicker to make, the first recipe I came across called for 6 1/2 hours to make the soup!!!! I’m sure most of this time was just simmering time, but still, Sam and her fuss-free ways has no interest in that kind of timeline. My version requires some baking time, but I’ve narrowed the recipe down to a much more reasonable 50 minutes, thankyouverymuch.

To veganize this recipe, the bean soup base was the easy part as that was basically vegan anyways. I just used my cheater, ehem, genius ways to make it much quicker to make.

For the ham part of the soup, I wanted to get that salty, smoky, sweet, and chewiness going on to give a similar vibe. After drumming my fingers for awhile (a habit which annoys Chickpea dog), I figured out that if I marinated the tofu pieces in soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke and then baked them, I achieved all of that in one delicious chewy tofu bite. Oh yeah, Smoky Tofu & Bean Soup here I come.

To make Smoky Tofu & Bean Soup: in a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Add the tofu pieces and toss so that all of the tofu is covered in sauce. Spread the tofu pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet with any remaining sauce.

No need to press the tofu first as it dries out in the oven anyways.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stopping to flip every now and then until the tofu is golden brown and a bit chewy. Some of the sauce from the tofu may burn on the pan, just scrape it off with a spatula and continue baking as needed. Mmmmmm chewy smoky tofu bites.

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté until the veggies start to get tender, about 5 minutes.

Add in all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with several pieces of smoky tofu each.

To save for later, store the smoky tofu bites and soup separately. This ensures that the tofu stays chewy.

Smoky Tofu & Bean Soup

A vegan version of ham and bean soup with sweet, smoky, salty, and chewy tofu bites topping the soup. 

For the smoky tofu:

2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 block extra-firm tofu, (drained and sliced into small bits)

For the bean soup:

1 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium carrots, (peeled and sliced into rounds)
2 ribs of celery, (chopped)
1 yellow onion, (chopped)
3 cloves garlic, (minced)
6 cups vegetable broth ( (1 1/2 litres))
2 19oz cans navy beans (4 cups), (drained and rinsed)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt ((or to taste))

For the tofu: preheat your oven to 325F (170C).  Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Add the tofu pieces and toss so that all of the tofu is covered in sauce. Spread the tofu pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet with any remaining sauce. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, stopping to flip every now and then until the tofu is golden brown and a bit chewy. Some of the sauce from the tofu may burn on the pan, just scrape it off with a spatula and continue baking as needed.

For the soup: in the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and sauté until the veggies start to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add in all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with several pieces of smoky tofu each.

To save for later, store the smoky tofu bites and soup separately. This ensures that the tofu stays chewy. 

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté

This Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté was delicious while it lasted which was for approximately 16 seconds. Ok, well I am exaggerating a bit, it was more like 16 minutes. For real tho.

After a few test rounds of making vegan pâté, I served the final test to my friends at book club. It was met with a lot of satisfactory groans, rapid bread slicing, and recipe demands. Even though I told them the recipe would be released in only a few days, they persisted with questions asking if the dish was easy to make (silly question friends, don’t you know that I’m the fuss-free vegan by now?) and why exactly it tasted so very good. Don’t you just love the magical powers of plants?

Sometimes simplicity is best. This is only a 9 ingredient recipe, it’s super easy to whip up, and it can be made ahead of time, making it the perfect appetizer for a party this holiday season. I will be bringing this with me to my family events this December as I know it’s a total crowd-pleaser.

Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté is made with pan toasted walnuts, sautéd mushrooms, and seasoned with lots of garlic, rosemary, and parsley for a rich, flavour-packed, aromatic spread that is totally ah-mazing. New favourite snack right here!

To make Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté: toast the walnuts in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Keep a careful eye on them and shake the pan often as they can burn quickly. As soon as they start browning on the edges remove them from the heat. Remove the walnuts from the pan onto a heat-safe dish, or directly into your food processor if your food processor can handle hot food.

My Breville Sous Chef food processor is made of high quality materials but I once damaged a cheap food processor before by filling it with hot food, so this is your warning!

Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent about 4 minutes. Add in all the remaining ingredients, the mushrooms, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms have cooked and reduced in size, another 5 – 8 minutes.

If the mushrooms are sticking to the pan you can add a small splash of water to help release them. As the mushrooms cook they will release their own liquid, so you don’t want to add too much.

If your food processor can handle hot food, add the mushrooms to the food processor along with the walnuts. If not, just let the mushrooms and walnuts cool first.

Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until you reach a pâté texture. I like to leave mine with a bit of texture and colour variation. Press into a container for serving using a spatula to smooth it, and let chill completely in the fridge before serving. Store in an air-tight container for 2 – 3 days. Serve with bread or crackers.

Vegan Mushroom & Walnut Pâté

The perfect party appetizer. Quick and easy to make, can be made ahead of time, full of flavour, a total crowd pleaser. Perfect for the holidays or Thanksgiving. 

1 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, (chopped)
6 cloves garlic, (minced)
227 g box button mushrooms, (sliced (about 2 cups))
1/2 cup parsley, (chopped)
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary, (chopped)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Toast the walnuts in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Keep a careful eye on them and shake the pan often as they can burn quickly. As soon as they start browning on the edges remove them from the heat. Remove the walnuts from the pan onto a heat-safe dish, or directly into your food processor if your food processor can handle hot food.

Return the pan to the heat and add the olive oil. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent about 4 minutes. Add in all the remaining ingredients, the mushrooms, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper and sauté until the mushrooms have cooked and reduced in size, another 5 – 8 minutes. If the mushrooms are sticking to the pan you can add a small splash of water to help release them. As the mushrooms cook they will release their own liquid.

If your food processor can handle hot food, add the mushrooms to the food processor along with the walnuts. If not, just let the mushrooms and walnuts cool first. Pulse, stopping to scrape the sides as needed until you reach a pâté texture. I like to leave mine with a bit of texture and colour variation. Press into a container for serving using a spatula to smooth it, and let it chill completely in the fridge before serving. 

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow

I had never tried sweet potato casserole until I lived in California and attended several Friendsgivings. While we definitely have Thanksgiving in Canada, I hadn’t heard of or seen sweet potato casserole before. I’m not sure if it was just me who hadn’t clued in, or if this dish is less common in Canada.

At first, I was confused. Casserole with marshmallows on top? Then I tasted it and it all made sense. You call it “casserole” so that you can have it with your main meal, meaning you get to have dessert for two courses. Clever minxes you are! I see how you work this game. Since my recent recipe discovery of Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff, I knew I could finally make Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow. Omnomnom!

The sweet potato base was the easy part. Getting the marshmallow perfect, on the other hand, took a few rounds of testing.

Attempt 1: Meringue mistake.

The first time I tried this, I popped the marshmallow topped vegan sweet potato casserole in the oven to bake at a low temperature for 25 minutes. While it looked gorgeous, as I went to scoop a serving I heard a surprising crunch. The marshmallow fluff had baked into a firm meringue crust. Meringue is delicious, but this is not how vegan sweet potato casserole is supposed to be.

Attempt 2: Marshmallow smoke.

Since there is no egg in this dish, there is really no need to bake the sweet potato as it’s already cooked. So for this attempt, I thought I would just broil the marshmallow top in the oven for a minute. Guys, I was watching the marshmallow broil the whole time. It was in the oven for approximately 30 seconds. There were some bubbles, slightly browning, and so I opened the oven door… in the time it took me to open the oven door the top went from slightly browning to burnt. I’m talking 1/2 a second. Marshmallow smoke filled my house, Chickpea dog looked concerned, and I stomped around yelling at the marshmallow, like an angry, over-sugared, little kid.

Attempt 3: Toasted perfection.

Ehem. Attempt 3. Sam has calmed down a little and cleared the smoke out of the kitchen. Sam fluffs up her third batch of marshmallow fluff and piles it high on top of the sweet potato layer. Sam takes the easy way out and uses her brûlée torch to toast the top. It works. It works perfectly. All the control, none of the fuss. Gorgeous toasted marshmallow top. Do it this way. Sam is pleased.

Here we have it, creamy, sweet, buttery sweet potatoes, a crunch of pecans, all topped with gooey, fluffy, toasted marshmallow. Oooeeee you’re looking mighty fine!

To make Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow: Peel and chop sweet potatoes and bring them to a boil for 10 – 12 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pot.

Add the vegan butter, non-dairy milk, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extra and use a potato masher to mash well.

Spread the hot sweet potato mixture into an even layer in a 9″ x 9″ square casserole dish or equivalent size.

Sprinkle the chopped pecans over top.

Then gently spread the marshmallow fluff across the top. For marshmallow peaks, touch the fluff with the flat side of the spatula and pull straight up. Repeat all over the surface of the marshmallow for desired look.

Finish by toasting the marshmallow top with a brûlée torch. Serve while still hot.

If you don’t yet own a brûlée torch I highly recommend getting one. Not only does it make toasting the marshmallow here easy and fun, but you can use it to toast marshmallow on hot chocolate, or make vegan crème brûlée from my book Fuss-Free Vegan (page 185).

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow

Easy to make Thanksgiving classic side dish made vegan! Creamy sweet potato layer topped with homemade vegan marshmallow fluff (takes just 10 minutes to make). Toasted with a brulee torch for toasted marshmallow perfection.

4 – 5 medium sweet potatoes (8 cups cubed), (peeled and cut into 2" cubes)
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup non-dairy milk ((such as soy or almond))
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 recipe Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff

In a medium pot add the sweet potatoes and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 – 12 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Drain and return potatoes to the pot.

Add the vegan butter, non-dairy milk, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extra and use a potato masher to mash well. Spread the hot sweet potato mixture into an even layer in a 9″ x 9″ square casserole dish or equivalent size. Sprinkle the chopped pecans over top.

Gently spread the marshmallow fluff across the top. For marshmallow peaks, touch the fluff with the flat side of the spatula and pull straight up. Repeat all over the surface of the marshmallow for desired look. Finish by toasting the marshmallow top with a brûlée torch. 

If you are making the casserole ahead of time, you can either reheat the sweet potato in the pot adding more water or non-dairy milk as needed, or you can heat in the baking dish. For the baking dish, spread the sweet potato mixture into the dish keeping the pecans and marshmallow fluff separate. Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Bake the sweet potato covered with foil for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through. Top with the pecans and marshmallow as usual and toast with brûlée torch.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Vegan Tortilla Soup

This morning is the first day of the season that I woke up to a scattering of snow on the ground. You know what that means: snow angel? Snowball fight? Christmas movies? Hot chocolate? Time to pull out the winter coat? Soup recipes? The answer is C, all of the above. Especially soup recipes. There is nothing like warming up on a chilly evening with a satisfying bowl of hot soup. So that’s why today we’re talking Vegan Tortilla Soup.

This Mexican inspired soup will have you slurping away in total silence. The silence will be because you’ll be so wrapped up in the deliciousness of soup that dinner conversation will come to a complete hold until all soup bowls are empty. (I’ve witnessed this phenomenon before).

Tomatoes, hearty black beans, pops of sweet corn, seasoned to perfection with Mexican spices. Top that with crispy tortilla strips, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of zesty lime. Hello flavour! There’s a reason this soup brings on silence, and that reason is deliciousness.

The best part (oh yes, it get’s better), is that this soup is shockingly easy to make. The soup itself comes together in 25 minutes (most of the time it’s just simmering away). Then if you are feeling crafty you can fry your own tortilla strips, and if you’re not, then just grab a bag of tortilla chips (both ways are excellent). A little garnish here and there, presto, gorgeous Vegan Tortilla Soup.

To make Vegan Tortilla Soup: add the oil to a large pot and put over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through. Stir in the black beans and corn and cook an additional 5 minutes until everything is nice and hot.

In the meantime, you can make the tortilla strips. If you don’t want to fuss with this, simply use tortilla chips and skip this process.

To make the tortilla strips, cut the tortillas into small strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and when hot, add the strips in a single layer. Fry for about 1 minute per side, flipping when the bottom is golden to fry the other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

To assemble the soup, scoop a serving of soup into a bowl. Top with avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips (or tortilla chips), and a squeeze of lime.

Vegan Tortilla Soup

The perfect hearty soup for a chilly night, but surprisingly easy to make. Tomatoes, hearty black beans, pops of sweet corn, seasoned to perfection with Mexican spices. Top that with crispy tortilla strips, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of zesty lime. Hello flavour! 

For the soup:

1 tablespoon light oil, (such as canola or vegetable)
1 yellow onion, (chopped)
3 cloves garlic, (minced)
1 litre vegetable broth (4 cups)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 19oz can black beans, (drained and rinsed)
1 cup corn kernels ((fresh or frozen))

For garnishing:

3 small corn tortillas OR 3 handfuls of tortilla chips ((gluten-free if preferred))
2 tablespoons light oil ((needed only if frying your own tortillas – see instructions))
1 avocado, (sliced)
1 handful fresh cilantro, (roughly chopped)
1 lime, (cut into wedges)

For the soup: add the oil to a large pot and put over medium-high heat. When hot add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions turn translucent and begin to brown. Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through. 

Stir in the black beans and corn and cook an additional 5 minutes until everything is nice and hot.

For the tortillas: in the meantime, you can make the tortilla strips. If you don’t want to fuss with this, simply use tortilla chips and skip this process. To make the tortilla strips, cut the tortillas into small strips. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and when hot, add the strips in a single layer. Fry for about 1 minute per side, flipping when the bottom is golden to fry the other side. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel.

To assemble the soup: scoop a serving of soup into a bowl. Top with avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips (or tortilla chips), and a squeeze of lime.

As with all tortilla soup, the tortilla strips get soggy as they sit in the soup, so I like to have a bowl of the tortillas on the table and everyone can top as they go to have the desired crunch all the way through.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate (with toasted marshmallow fluff)!

After posting my recipe for Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff, I’m sure you’re not surprised (but hopefully very excited) to see my follow up recipe for Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate. Isn’t it just the most perfect winter time holiday treat?

Before the days of vegan, I used to buy the instant hot chocolate powder mixes they sell at grocery stores. Words like “double chocolate” and “extra rich and creamy” would convince me that they must be delicious. LIES! ALL LIES!

The hot chocolate was always thin and powdery tasting, not to mention those pathetic hard white floaty bits they claimed were marshmallows. Pffff!

Then one fine day I realized that making hot chocolate from scratch is practically instant anyways, but it’s at least 17 times better than any instant store-bought waste of time.

Homemade easy vegan hot chocolate takes just 5 minutes to make, 15 if you include making the toasted marshmallow fluff (which I highly recommend),  and it’s so perfectly decadent and delicious. Whisking the hot chocolate while heats makes it frothy and fabulous. The end result is the best hot chocolate ever! It’s incredibly rich and creamy, super chocolatey, and the perfect cold winter day warm up.

To make Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate: in a medium sauce pan, whisk together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and salt.

Pour in the non-dairy milk and put the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer while continuing to whisk. Once hot and simmering, and well mixed, remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Divide among 2 – 4 mugs (depending on how big of serving you would like).

For the toasted marshmallow fluff topping, simply dollop some marshmallow fluff on top, or use a pastry bag to decorate, then toast the fluff lightly with a brulée torch.

Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate

Easy Vegan Hot Chocolate with toasted marshmallow fluff! Yes please! This dairy-free treat whips up in just 15 minutes (including making the marshmallow fluff) for the perfect winter holiday treat. 

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups non-dairy milk ((such as soy or almond))
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff ((optional))

In a medium sauce pan, whisk together the cocoa powder, white sugar, and salt. Pour in the non-dairy milk and put the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer while continuing to whisk. Once hot and simmering, and well mixed, remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Divide among 2 – 4 mugs (depending on how big of serving you would like).

For the toasted marshmallow fluff topping, simply dollop some marshmallow fluff on top, or use a pastry bag to decorate, then toast the fluff lightly with a brulée torch.

For a lighter hot chocolate, replace up to half of the non-dairy milk with water.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff

Right now, it’s 4:29pm and I’m in a hotel room, in bed, with a glass of white wine, and a box of French fries. Judge away my friends, judge away! Well ok, by the time you read this I will actually be back home again, reuniting with Chickpea dog after my short trip to Montreal. Pet reuniting is high-priority stuff as all pet owners know, so I’m writing this post a little ahead of time… and I’m certainly not making vegan marshmallow fluff in this hotel room bed right now, that was made ahead of time too.

But you did see that, didn’t you? I made EASY VEGAN MARSHMALLOW FLUFF! See for yourself ↓

You see, I tried to make vegan marshmallows (the cylinder-shaped kind), as requested by several readers, and I just didn’t like the results. It required thermometers, hot liquid sugar, hard to find ingredients, and the results still weren’t great. Then it struck me. FLUFF!!! So simple, yet all the same marshmallow goodness. Oh, it’s fluffy, alright, and it tastes just like marshmallows. In fact, it’s so similar to marshmallows that it even toasts!!!! ↓

I know what you’re thinking… well no I don’t… but I do know what I’m thinking, and I’m thinking the possibilities just got endless. S’mores, sweet potato casserole, hot chocolate… I’m pretty sure I just gave away what several of the next recipes are going to be on my blog, but I just can’t contain the excitement about toasted vegan marshmallow fluff!

It gets better. WHAT!? Yeah, it does.

This recipe uses only 4 ingredients, the main one being aquafaba, which is the leftover liquid from a can of chickpeas (the bean, not the dog). How’s that for using up food scraps? And the whole thing whips up in about 10 minutes. No candy thermometers, no fussing about, just marshmallow fluff.

Enjoy by the spoonful (I did), or however you like to enjoy your vegan marshmallow fluff. My parents said it was a super delish topping on my Yes, This Really is Vegan Cheesecake recipe in Fuss-Free Vegan, (page 194).

To make Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff: Add the aquafaba, vanilla, and cream of tartar to a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer.

Use the mixer or a hand mixer to beat the liquid for about 1 minute until it starts to get fluffy.

Slowly sprinkle in the sugar while the mixer is on. At this point, it may get a little more liquid but don’t worry, just continue to beat for about 10 minutes until a stiff peak is formed.

When you lift the beater the fluff should look glossy and hold a stiff peak, even if you jiggle the bowl the peak should stay as is. It may take more or less time depending on your mixer and brand of aquafaba. Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Marshmallow Fluff

Just 4 ingredients make this easy vegan marshmallow fluff that taste just like marshmallows and can even be toasted for the perfect s’more! 

Adapted from my Vegan Meringue Cookies recipe.

1/2 cup aquafaba ((liquid from a can of unsalted chickpeas), *see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar ((optional, but helps the texture hold better))
3/4 cup white sugar

Add the aquafaba, vanilla, and cream of tartar to a large bowl or the bowl of a mixer. Use the mixer or a hand mixer to beat the liquid for about 1 minute until it starts to get fluffy. Slowly sprinkle in the sugar while the mixer is on. Continue to beat for about 10 minutes until a stiff peak is formed. When you lift the beater the fluff should look glossy and hold a stiff peak, even if you jiggle the bowl the peak should stay as is. It may take more or less time depending on your mixer and brand of aquafaba.

*I prefer using canned chickpeas that are salt-free (check the ingredients). The chickpeas with salt may have a slight bean taste, whereas the salt-free ones do not. Either salted or unsalted will still work. 1 can of chickpeas will contain about 1 cup of liquid.

*Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge. It may start to decrease in fluffiness after a day, but you can give it a little whisk to liven it back up again.

Bon appetegan!

Sam.

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Smoky Vegan Beans on Toast

With all of the running about I have been doing for my book tour (which so far has consisted of 17 radio interviews, 2 tv appearances, and 2 live presentations) – gah! I have been a pretty tired, to say the least. Tired and all, when I make it home for the night, I’m still craving all of the deliciousness of a home cooked meal, but none of the fuss (so off character for me, I know)