Two of my favorite (sweet) things: Tasty Pastries and Coconut Popcorn.
Maybe it's because it looks like Berlin is covered by a fine layer of confectioner's sugar, but yesterday, I was in the mood for dessert.
For those with an unrelenting sweet tooth, making the change to a vegan lifestyle doesn't have to mean saying goodbye to cookies, cake, muffins... Sure, some of the convenience/immediate gratification factor will be reduced -- your average piece of cake at your favorite coffee shop will contain butter, milk and eggs. But try to see this as a good thing -- by making your own dessert at home, you get to control how much fat and sugar you'll be consuming.
Yesterday, I made two of my favorite, super-easy sweet things, and now I'm passing them on to you.
One of the greatest creations known to man is puff pastry. It really doesn't get any easier than puff pastry -- pick it up in your frozen section (make sure it's vegan -- many contain butter), follow the super simple thawing/baking instructions, and you're pretty much guaranteed, no matter how inept you are as a pastry chef, to end up with a beautiful and irresistible end product.
After listening to tin drop subtle hints for the past few weeks about how much she likes marzipan, I decided it was time to prove that I'm not completely oblivious. I chose a variety with only two ingredients -- pure local honey* and almonds. (You can also find marzipan made from sugar and almonds.)
*If you're an attentive vegan reader, you know what I just did there. Honey isn't strictly vegan. And while I understand the arguments that vegans make against eating honey, I can give you just as many and more reasons for why you SHOULD keep eating honey -- certain honeys. When it comes to honey, do your research -- you should support beekeepers who keep things small, who don't transport their bees from one end of the country to the next, who don't expose them to pesticides and herbicides, who don't swap out the queen bee for a younger (genetically-engineered) model every few weeks. (i.e., you should support beekeepers who stand apart from the monoculture system.) Honey bees are in danger, and there are still beekeepers who care and who are doing their best to ensure that there are healthy, productive bees to support equally healthy plants. Look at your local whole foods store and you'll likely find several varieties from your town/the surrounding region. Write down the names, go back home, and do your research. Call the beekeepers, pay them a visit -- most will be overjoyed to talk about their work. As an eating, living human being, you are dependent upon the honeybee whether you realize it or not. Ultimately, as a vegan, this has to be your decision -- hardliners will say no to honey on principle. Here's one article to get you started: The Great Vegan Honey Debate. Do your research so that you can make an informed and personally justifiable decision.
I used two pieces of puff pastry (to make two pastries). In the middle of the dough, I laid down a layer of marzipan (about 1/2 Tbsp) and covered with about 2 Tbsp of frozen mixed berries. -- You can certainly use fresh berries, sliced apples, a few mint leaves... I topped the berries with a few rubs of lemon zest and another 1/2 Tbsp of marzipan and then folded the dough into a closed pocket (I trust you to figure this out). I smeared the tops of my pastries with a small dab of margarine. Follow the instructions on your puff pastry dough -- mine went into the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden... puffed... and flaky. Take them out and immediately sprinkle the tops with raw sugar (or you can hit them with a little powdered sugar -- you decide).
With dessert finished, I turned my attention to preparing one of my favorite snacks: popcorn. I buy my own whole kernels. If you have an air popper, I'm jealous -- I put a thin layer of rapeseed oil* (essentially odorless, flavorless -- you can also use canola) in a deep pot, just enough oil to cover the bottom. Add the unpopped kernels to the pot, again, enough to cover the bottom. Cover and heat on the stove until the popping stops -- shake the pot occasionally to make sure that every kernel has a chance to pop. I made about 4 cups of popcorn.
*If you've never heard of rapeseed oil, don't freak out when you google it -- it's much more than biodiesel. It contains both omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and is low in saturated fat.
Popcorn is a yummy low-calorie snack on its own, but can also take on many different flavors -- sweet, savory, spicy. I decided on a simple, sweet variety: just margarine and coconut. In a separate small saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp of margarine. Add a pinch of salt and 2 Tbsp of very finely shredded coconut. Stir it all together, and pour over the popped popcorn -- mix as you go for an even distribution.
There are few greater pleasures in life than warm, fresh popcorn, but I make enough to keep munching for a couple of days.
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