Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Vegan Feast Kitchen/ 23rd Century Table

(UPDATED on June 30, 2020.)

I haven't been blogging lately, but I have been cooking and researching!  My new doctor sent me to an internist a few weeks ago and I've been told that I am not pre-diabetic, as I was previously told by another doctor, but I am actually diabetic. It's not so bad as to need insulin, and my glucose levels have actually gone down, but I do need to be more strict about my diet and exercise. So, I am still on a low-glycemic diet, of course, but also counting carbs and sugars, and I am getting back into walking, weights and other exercise, now that my shingles nerve pain has lessened quite substantially (after 6 months!).

So, a lot of my time has been taken up with research and experimentation, as you can imagine!  It's not that hard for me to resist the temptation of white bread (my husband's homemade, with some oats and wheat bran in it), pizza, and desserts, etc., because I am determined not to ever have to use insulin, to lose some weight, and to still make food that is delicious and health-promoting. Sprouted grain bread is my choice now, farinata instead of pizza dough (see https://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/2014/04/farinata-italian-chickpea-flour-pancake.html ), fruits for dessert, and the odd homemade low-sugar treat.

That said, I love chocolate and I don't want to give it up!  I can have a bit of dark chocolate (at least 71% chocolate) for a treat, but I want to create some chocolate recipes at home, too.  I had heard about chickpea chocolate spreads and, since I always have a supply of cooked chickpeas in my freezer, I decided to try making some.  Below is my recipe and, with two options for sweeteners,  and Nutrition Facts.  

If you have to be very strict about sweets, you could use your favorite sugar-free sweetener. Personally, I really dislike stevia, so I would use sucralose (Splenda) for a sugar-free product. After much research, I don't see that using those products once in a while would cause any harm.  The most important thing, in my opinion, is to work steadily towards curbing your taste for sweets.

Anyway-- enough chatter!  Here's the recipe!



My husband and I are enjoying this yummy spread on toast, or on apple slices-- small amounts, of course. It's not as sweet as Nutella, for sure, but I now prefer less sweet.  (You can check out the nutrition facts for my spreads at the bottom of the page,and there is a photo of the nutrition facts from a jar of Nutella just below.) UPDATE: You can make chocolate milk by blending 2 tablespoons of the spread with a cup of your favorite plant-based milk-- I used an immersion/stick blender.

BRYANNA'S CHICKPEA CHOCOLATE SPREAD, TWO WAYS
Makes 1 7/8 cups (2 cups when made with Date Paste)
15-16 servings-- 2 T. each serving

This delicious spread is a much more nutritious and dairy-free, palm oil-free option than Nutella, and also less expensive. (See Nutella nutrition label just below, to compare with both versions I have devised .) It's not as cloyingly sweet as Nutella, but the chocolate flavor is deeper and more pronounced, which is a plus, in my opinion!


See Nutrition facts for Chocolate Chickpea Spread made with syrups, or with date paste, at the end of this post. NOTE: When made with Date Paste, the spread is not quite as sweet, but calories, carbs and sugars are somewhat lower.

1 1/2 cups canned or cooked chickpeas, rinsed & drained (14-15 oz. can)

Blend all of the ingredients in food processor until very smooth.  Store in jar in the refrigerator in a tightly-closed jar for up to two weeks.

HOMEMADE DATE PASTE  (Makes 3 cups)
NOTE: I use organic Deglet Noor pitted dates, but you can use pitted Medjool dates, if you like.
***You can also use the more inexpensive, tightly-packed block of pressed baking dates from your supermarket, but you will need to weigh the dates -- 15.25 ounces for this recipe. You may also need to add a bit more hot water when processing.***

2 cups (tightly packed) pitted, chopped dates (See Note above)
3 cups boiling water


Soak the dates in the boiling water in a COVERED heat-proof bowl or batter bowl for about 30 minutes.

In the bowl of a large food processor fitted with an "S" blade, combine the soaked pitted dates and water.

Process until very smooth, scraping down the bowl to make sure all of the dates are pulverized. Add a bit more water if the mixtured is too thick.  It should be thick enough to mound up on a spoon, not runny.

Store the date paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or you can freeze it in amounts that suit your cooking or baking needs.

NUTRITION FACTS
For recipe using Date Paste:

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.7g	6%
Saturated Fat 1.1g	6%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 105mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 14.7g	5%
Dietary Fiber 3g	11%
Total Sugars 6.4g
Protein 4g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 11mg	1%
Iron 2mg	9%
Potassium 132mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

For recipe using Splenda (sucralose-- a sugar alcohol):

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories	80
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.7g	6%
Saturated Fat 1.1g	6%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 105mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 8.1g	3%
Dietary Fiber 2.4g	8%
Total Sugars 0.8g
Protein 3.6g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 11mg	1%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 132mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by

Enjoy!

I love brownies!  You will find quite a few brownie recipes on this blog, but, because I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes last year,  I've been working on a version that is not only very chocolate-y, moist and low in fat, but made with low-glycemic ingredients. (See this post and this one.)

I did devise a very good low-glycemic brownie last September, which included the addition of yellow split pea puree and unsweetened applesauce.  (See about the low-glycemic advantages of split peas and other pulses here.)

In this new recipe I still use my favorite low-glycemic flour combination of oat flour and chickpea flour, but, in addition to split peas and unsweetened applesauce, this new recipe utilizes prune puree , which provides sweetness (thereby cutting down on the amount of sugar needed) AND a whole lot of other goodness. (It seems that prunes contain lots of fiber, which is slow to digest, leaving you satisfied for a longer time. Prunes also have a low glycemic index count, which means that they raise the glucose [sugar] levels in your blood slowly.  See this article for more about the benefits of adding prunes to your diet.

Printable Recipe
BRYANNA'S NEW MOIST AND VERY CHOCOLATE-Y LOW-FAT OAT & CHICKPEA FLOUR BROWNIES
(It also happens to be gluten-free if you use GF oatmeal.)
Makes 18 brownies
This is the latest (and maybe the last!) recipe in my quest for a really delicious dark chocolate, vegan, low-fat, low-glycemic brownie.  It's easy to make and, dare I say it, even healthful, despite being a delicious dessert item.
       Oat flour and chickpea flour are both low-glycemic flours. Applesauce, prune puree and yellow split pea puree add plenty of fiber and nutrients, as well as moisture. 

NOTE: I make oat flour by grinding oatmeal flakes in my Vitamix-- just make sure the container is absolutely dry!

DRY MIX:
3/4 cup oat flour
1/2 cup +1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. chickpea flour (also called besan) (or other bean flour)
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
WET MIX:
1 cup unsweetened smooth applesauce
1/2 cup Prune Puree (see end of blog for homemade recipe) OR babyfood pureed prunes in a jar
6 Tbsp. yellow split pea puree (see how to and store make below)
6 Tbsp. maple syrup or agave nectar
1 1/2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
ADDITIONAL: 
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:
Turn the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare a 7 x 11" baking pan by lining with baking parchment.

Or, as I do, grease the bottom and sides of the inside of the pan lightly with my Homemade Palm-Oil-free, Non-Hydrogenated “Cake Release” (Pan Coating or Professional Baker's Grease) with GF Option. 

Whisk the Dry Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.  

In a larger bowl, whisk together the Wet Mix ingredients until smooth. Add the Dry Mix into the bowl  and stir until smooth. Add the chopped walnuts and stir just to distribute evenly.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan (using a silicone spatula to get as much as possible) and then spread it evenly into the pan with the spatula.

Bake for 18 minutes and cool thoroughly on a rack before cutting into 18 pieces.

HOW TO MAKE PRUNE PUREE:
Note: 2 cups of large pitted prunes, pressed down a bit, with make about 2 3/4 cups of prune puree.

In an appropriately-sized bowl, cover your prunes with hot water. (Make sure that they are completely covered with water.)  Let the prunes sit until they are more or less lukewarm.  Then pour the prunes and water into your blender and blend until VERY smooth.  You can safely keep this in your refrigerator in a tightly-closed container for 2 or 3 days, or you might prefer to store it in 1/2-cup containers in the freezer.

HOW TO MAKE YELLOW SPLIT PEA PUREE (Makes 5 cups):
Mix 2 cups of dried split yellow peas with 4 cups of water in an Instant Pot and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. (PS: You could use any other type of pressure cooker, OR you can simmer, covered, for 30 minutes in a medium saucepan on your stovetop.) The resulting soft mush just needed a few stirs to "puree", or, if it looks a bit lumpy, you can cool it off a bit and puree it in your blender.

I refrigerate the puree in a covered container for a day or so-- it will firm up considerably.  You can press then the puree into silicone cupcake liners or large silicone ice cube trays in 1/4 cup portions, or into normal ice cube trays in 2 Tbsp. portions and freeze them.  Then pop out the frozen portions, bag them up and place them back in the freezer for future use.
(See more about yellow split pea puree at this link.)



Enjoy!

Truffles in the snow I always make some chocolate truffles for Brian on Valentine's Day, but I was a bit worried because we are, for all intents and purposes, snowed in, and I had no semisweet chocolate chipsleft in the house, which is what I usually use to make them. Our long, uphill, windey driveway is knee-deep in snow.  Our landlord's son tried to clear it with his machine and managed to clear the bottom area up to the first big curve, but his blade was too wide for the next part. So, no driving to the general store. Brian managed to trudge up the slippery hill to the mailboxes on foot and get our mail and precious bags of Books by Mail from the wonderful Vancouver Island Regional Library (which I worked for for 37 years), but we'll just have to make do with our (well-stocked) pantry, fridge and freezer for a few days. Fortunately, I did have 6 ounces of UN-sweetened baking chocolate in my pantry, and I thought this might actually be a good thing, since I eat a low-glycemic diet and use very little sugar.  So, I forged ahead and made a version of my usual truffle recipe with what I had available and what would suit my diet.  (To find an organic and fair trade unsweetened baking chocolate in your area, see this list. You're sure to find at least one brand from this long list in a local natural food store or supermarket.) I normally use some nut butter in my truffles, but I only had peanut butter in the house. But I didn't want the peanut taste in this particular batch, so I used the same amount of medium-firm tofu, well blended, instead. Instead of a liqueur, I used a little bit of Brian's Glenlivet Scotch, and, for more flavor, some of our friend Harold's delicious homemade orange marmalade. I used a small amount of maple syrup for the remaining sweetener, and decided to roll the truffle balls in ground walnuts (pecans would be excellent, as well).  They are delicious, and I hope you will try them and enjoy them as much as we did. Printable Recipe BRYANNA'S MAPLE SYRUP-SWEETENED SCOTCH AND ORANGE MARMALADE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES © 2019 Bryanna Clark Grogan. All Rights Reserved. Makes 17 truffles 6 ounces/170 g unsweetened baking chocolate (see link to list of fair trade, organic brands in text above, highlighted in yellow) 1/4 cup good-quality orange marmalade 1/4 cup real maple syrup (or dark agave syrup) 1/4 cup drained medium firm tofu OR extra-firm silken tofu 2 Tbsp. creamy non-dairy milk 2 Tbsp. good quality Scotch whiskey ground walnuts (or other nuts of choice) for coating Cut up the chocolate with a sharp knife into small pieces.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, OR (my favorite method) in a Pyrex pitcher or deep bowl in the microwave on High for 2 minutes, then stir and cook 2 minutes more. When the chocolate is fully melted, stir in the marmalade. In a blender or with a hand-held immersion blender, blend the maple syrup, tofu, non-dairy milk and Scotch until smooth. Stir into the chocolate mixture until full mixed. Refrigerate for several hours, or until the mixture is firm. Have ready the ground walnuts in a shallow bowl. (I ground them in a food processor in short bursts-- you don't want it too finely-ground.) Scoop out  spoonfuls of the chocolate mix and roll into about 1" balls.  Roll in the ground nuts to lightly coat. Place the balls on a plate with a little space between them.  Refrigerate for at least another hour. NOTE: I used to do my nutritional facts on Living Cookbook, but they just disappeared, with all my recipes on it (fortunately I keep copies in my  files online and off).  I have not found a satisfactory substitute yet, so I'm using https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076 for the time being. Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️❤️❤️

You may have noticed that I don't post many dessert recipes.  That's because, though we're not "on a diet", we are of a certain age and need to "watch our weight', as the saying goes.  So, we generally only eat desserts at other people's tables, or when we have company. And I try to go easy on the fat in my dessert recipes, without ruining the texture and flavor of the dish.

We had dinner with some old friends last week, and I brought this pie for dessert.  It's actually a recipe (slightly altered) from one of my old cookbooks, Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause (not my biggest seller, I must say-- perhaps partially due to the anti-soy hysteria of the last decade or so).  The filling is a richer version of the Tofu Chocolate Mousse in that book.

Our hosts (not vegans) LOVED this pie!  It's really a winner-- easy to make, and so silky, creamy delicious. It's a low-fat as I could make it, but certainly lives up to expectations!





Printable Copy

BRYANNA'S VEGAN CHOCOLATE CREME PIE
Yield: 1/ 10" pie; 10 servings
Easy to make and richly delicious without excessive fat. NOTE: Nutrition facts are for the pie without the whipped creme topping. See Tips below for calorie and fat counts for toppings.

Filling:
1 cup unbleached sugar
7 Tbs strong liquid high-quality coffee, preferably espresso
9 Tbs unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup (6 oz.) dairy-free semisweet chocolate chips
24.6 oz extra-firm SILKEN tofu-- that's two 12.3 oz. boxes.
2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 pinches salt
3 Tbs rum, or a liqueur or flavored Italian syrup (used for special coffee drinks)-- coffee, chocolate or orange liqueur flavors
NOTE: You could use the grated zest of 1 large orange instead of the liquor or syrup, if you prefer.
Crust:
One pre-baked and cooled 10" pastry crust (my standard lower-fat vegan recipes here and here) or your favorite crumb crust (I prefer the pastry crust).
Variation:
For Chocolate-Banana Creme Pie, place sliced ripe banana over the crust, spread on half the chocolate filling, another layer of banana, and then the remaining filling.

Place the silken tofu, vanilla, salt and liquor or syrup (or orange zest) into a large food processor or high-speed blender. Set aside. Now, mix the sugar and coffee in a small saucepan and stir over high heat until dissolved. Lower the heat to medium or medium-low and stir in the cocoa until a paste forms. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the chocolate mixture into the food processor or blender, on top of the other ingredients. Process until VERY smooth.

Spread the mixture evenly in a pre-baked and cooled 10" crust of your choice (you may have a bit leftover for tasting).  Chill thoroughly.

Before serving, top with your favorite non-dairy creamy whipped topping, such as So Delicious CocoWhip! or (in Canada) Gae Lea Real Coconut Whipped Cream. Both products are delicious and much lower in fat and calories than whipped canned coconut milk. (See Tips below recipe for calorie and fat counts and website links.)

Nutrition Facts (See Tips below for topping suggestions & links, and calorie/fat content of toppings.)
Nutrition (per serving without whipped topping): 296 calories, 91 calories from fat, 10.6g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 248.8mg sodium, 282.4mg potassium, 42g carbohydrates, 3.5g fiber, 21.4g sugar, 9.1g protein, 8.8 points.
(This was calculated using regular Mori-Nu Extra-Firm Silken Tofu.)

TIPS:
Whipped Toppings:
So Delicious CocoWhip! contains 60 calories and 4g fat per 1/4 cup.

Gae Lea Real Coconut Whipped Cream contains 30 calories and 2g fat per 1/4 cup.

According to this pretty standard recipe for whipped canned coconut milk, 1/4 cup contains 126 calories and  9.4g fat, 8.4 of those saturated.

Enjoy!

"Technically speaking, hot cocoa and hot chocolate are two very different beverages. Hot cocoa comes from a powder, while hot chocolate is (once again, technically speaking) what many call "drinking chocolate" or "sipping chocolate" - it's made from chopped bits of chocolate or small chocolate pellets that are melted (slowly and painstakingly) and then blended with milk, cream and/or  water. True hot chocolate tends to be much denser and richer than its powdery relative. 



Printable Recipe