MiCC'd Up

Makes 4 s’mores What You Need:
4 to 8 medium to large strawberries, whole
2 bananas, cut in half and then halved lengthwise
Canola oil, for brushing
4 vegan Graham crackers, broken in half
4 thin squares vegan chocolate
4 vegan marshmallows
What You Do:
1. Heat the grill to medium. Lightly brush strawberries and bananas with oil. Using either a grilling screen or skewering over a naked grate, grill strawberries for 3 to 4 minutes, turning a few times until grill marks form; for the bananas, grill for 4 to 6 minutes until lightly darkened. Cut strawberries into slices and bananas into strips.

2. Using a long stick or barbecue fork, toast marshmallows over direct heat of grate until golden brown.

3. To assemble s’mores, start with Graham cracker as base. Add a chocolate slice, marshmallow, strawberry slices, and banana strips, and top with other half of Graham cracker.

Makes one 9-inch tart What You Need:
For the crust:
3/4 cup cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup almond meal
2/3 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup vegan margarine

For the filling:
1-1/4 cups vegan creamer
1-1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 3-ounce dark chocolate bar, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla or 2 tablespoons alcohol (such as rum or whiskey)
Vegan whipped cream (optional)
Toppings (toasted shredded coconut, chopped nuts, chocolate shavings, sprinkles, sliced fruit, or berries)
What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, almond meal, sugar, cocoa, and arrowroot. Add margarine and stir well to form a soft dough.

2. Into bottom and sides of an ungreased 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, press dough 1-inch deep. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until slightly puffed. Allow to cool completely on a rack, and then remove outer ring.

3. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring creamer to a boil. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients, and stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Pour filling into prepared crust and chill for 1 hour or until firm. Garnish outer edge of tart with vegan whipped cream and your choice of toppings.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

What You Need:

For the filling:
5 cups ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled and medium diced
2 cups huckleberries (or blueberries)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup agave

For the cobbler topping:
1 cup almonds, raw
1 cup rolled oats
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
½ cup pitted dates
3 tablespoons maple syrup
¼ teaspoon salt

Vegan vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine persimmons, huckleberries, lemon zest and juice, salt, cornstarch, and agave. In large ramekins, fill ¾ full with filling mixture, and set aside.

2. In a food processor, add almonds and process until course. Add oats and process for another 30 to 60 seconds until mixture is well combined. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dates, maple syrup, and salt and process.

3. Divide cobbler topping among ramekins. Spread topping evenly on filling. On a baking sheet, place ramekins and put in oven. Cook 30 to 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Serve warm, and top with your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8

What You Need:

For the crust:
1 7-ounce package vegan graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegan margarine

For the filling: 
3 12-ounce packages extra-firm tofu (not silken)
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the frosting: 
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons vegan margarine
1 tablespoon soymilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Maple Pralines

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, place graham crackers and cinnamon, and process for 1 minute to crush crackers. Add margarine and process an additional minute, and transfer to a 9-inch springform pan. Using your hands, press mixture firmly to cover bottom of pan. Place pan on a cookie sheet, and set aside.

2. Rinse food processor and shake out any excess water. Place all filling ingredients inside and process for 3 minutes or until very smooth. Scrape down sides of the bowl and process an additional 2 minutes. Pour filling over prepared crust and smooth top of cheesecake. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, keeping pan on cookie sheet. Remove sheet from oven and allow cheesecake to cool for 20 minutes or until pan is cool to touch. Loosely cover springform pan and chill cheesecake in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

3. In a food processor, place all frosting ingredients, except Maple Pralines, and process until light and fluffy. To finish cheesecake, loosen sides with a spatula and remove ring from springform pan. Transfer to a platter or large plate, spread frosting on top, and sprinkle with Maple Pralines.

I know, I know, its December and I probably should have dropped my list earlier. However, I recently found time to hit up these spots and I must say, they are worth the price in GOLD! Feedback is always welcomed….

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary (New York, NY) It’s hard to make a decision at the all-vegan Lula’s. With cake batter soft serve and peanut butter and jelly ice cream, chocolate and peanut butter fudge, jars of vegan candy and chocolate, sundaes, and homemade coconut whipped cream, never mind making a decision. It will be hard to ever leave!

The Ice Cream House (Brooklyn, NY) This ice cream shop has several locations in Brooklyn, serving both certified Kosher and certified vegan ice cream (on separate sides of the counter and using separate scoops, no less!). The shop’s vegan offerings include hard ice cream, soft serve, and ice cream cakes. If you’re a lover of classic flavors such as mint chocolate chip and coffee, make sure to stop by for a scoop or two.

Stogo (New York, NY) Another of New York’s 100-percent vegan ice cream shops, Stogo serves 40 flavors of sorbets and ice creams made out of hemp, coconut, and soymilk. Want some cake to go with your red velvet cupcake ice cream? No problem—Stogo also offers delicious desserts from local vegan shops including Babycakes NYC and Cocoa V.

Makes 20 bars

What You Need:

3 cups gluten-free oat flour (make your own by grinding rolled oats in a blender)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for pan
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla
2 cups allergen-free chocolate chips

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin with baking powder. Add oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients, one half at a time, and stir to combine. Mix in chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into pan. With damp hands, press batter to evenly fill pan. Bake 18 minutes, and cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 1 pie

What You Need:
1 package firm silken tofu
1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon molasses
2/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 prepared pie crust

What You Do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process tofu until smooth. Add pumpkin, oil, molasses, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and vanilla and process until smooth.

2. Into a prepared pie crust, pour filling and bake for 55 minutes until firm. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator overnight or until thoroughly set. Serve with vegan whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

What You Need:

2 mangoes
1/2 cup ice
12 ounces coconut milk
2 teasoons agave nectar
2 teaspoons agar agar powder

What You Do:

1. In a blender, purée mangoes and ice until smooth. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring coconut milk and agave nectar to a boil. Lower heat to medium. Add agar agar and whisk for about 5 minutes, until powder has dissolved.

2. Add mango purée to coconut-milk mixture. Remove from heat, pour into serving dishes, and refrigerate about one hour before serving.

Serves 6

What You Need:

For the crust:
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1-1/4 cups coffee
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup almonds, slivered (optional)

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream margarine and sugar with whisk until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and walnuts and mix. Add in flour 1/3 cup at a time and mix until dough sticks together and is slightly moist.
2. Into a tart pan, press dough with your fingertips. Bake until edges are just barely starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Allow crust to cool completely before filling.
3. For the filling, in a small pot, melt chocolate until it softens. In another small pot, bring coffee to a boil. Pour coffee over softened chocolate and stir mixture until smooth. Add cornstarch, vanilla, and salt to mixture. Pour filling into cooled crust. Place tart in refrigerator and chill for 6 hours. Decorate top of tart with slivered almonds along edge of crust as desired, then slice and serve.

Makes 1 pint

What You Need:

• 3 cups plain soy yogurt
• 1/2 cup light agave nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder, dissolved in 1/4 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chunks

What You Do:

1. Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth and fill with soy yogurt. Wrap the edges of the cheesecloth over the yogurt until fully covered, and place strainer or colander over a pot deep enough to catch the liquid and keep the yogurt from sitting in the moisture. Cover pot with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the strained yogurt, agave, vanilla, and instant coffee dissolved in coffee-flavored liqueur. Freeze mixture in an ice cream machine based on the manufacturer’s instructions. In the final 5 minutes of freezing, add chocolate chips or chunks. For a soft-serve consistency, serve immediately after freezing. For a firmer consistency more like standard ice cream, pack into an airtight container and let chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

Makes about 1 quart

What You Need:
1 15-ounce can coconut cream
2 ripe mangoes, pitted and peeled
2 fresh limes, squeezed

What You Do:
1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until completely smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl when needed. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Cover and chill mixture for three hours or overnight.

2. In an ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s directions, freeze the mixture and then serve.

Makes one quart

What You Need:

1-1/4 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled
1 cup young coconut water
1/2 cup raw cashews or cashew pieces
3/4 cup organic pitted honey dates

What You Do:

1. Run the strawberries through a juicer to make 2 cups of juice.
2. Combine the coconut water and cashews in a blender and process on high for at least one minute or until silky smooth. With the motor running, gradually add the strawberry juice and dates and blend until smooth. Place the blender in the freezer for 40 minutes to 1 hour or in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to overnight.
3. Once the mixture is well-chilled, pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Makes 1 tart

What You Need:

1 9-inch tart shell, pre-baked
1 pound small ripe figs, stemmed and halved
1/2 pound ripe Bosc pears, stemmed and cut into 1/3-inch thick slices
1 teaspoon maple sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon orange juice

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Around the outer edge of the tart shell, arrange figs in a circle, being careful not to break them. Arrange pears, overlapping them slightly, inside the circle of figs. Sprinkle with maple sugar and bake until the fruit is cooked, about 35 minutes.

2. In a small saucepan, heat maple syrup, lemon juice, and orange juice. Brush the warm syrup over the fruit and serve. If desired, top the tart with vegan pastry cream or vanilla ice cream.

Makes 10 cookies

What You Need:

1-1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup light agave syrup
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, melted

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large, dry skillet over medium heat, add coconut and stir constantly until flakes are golden brown. Immediately place in a large bowl, and allow to cool completely. Once coconut has cooled, whisk in flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, agave syrup, and margarine. Stir well, then add wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix until just combined, being careful not to over-beat. Use a 3-ounce ice cream scoop to portion out cookies, and place at least 1-1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet, fitting about nine cookies on one sheet.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until barely browned around the edges and no longer shiny on top. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.