Mini Blackberry Cheesecakes (Vegan)

Recipe from TasteMade
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes 12 servings

Though these are very easy to make, they sure do look fancy and they taste delicious!  This is the dessert to make if it's so hot outside that the oven is unthinkable.  Of course, that's the time the berries are in season!  To gild the lily, make some Homemade Berry Sauce (only three ingredients and one of those is water) to swirl on the plate. 

Crust:
1 cup raw pecans
1 cup pitted dates, packed
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Filling:
1 ½ cups raw cashews
1 cup fresh blackberries (I used black raspberries.)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions:
Place the CASHEWS in a heat proof bowl and pour hot water over the to soak.  Allow them to soak for about 1 hour. 
Place a thin strip of parchment on the bottom of each of 12 standard size muffin cups. (*See photo below) These strips will help release the cheesecakes.)
Meanwhile, place the pecans in a food processor and process until they are fine.  (Do not over process or they’ll turn to nut butter.)  Pour the pecans into a bowl and set aside.  Add the dates to the food processor and process.  Then add the pecans back to the food processor along with the dates.  Sprinkle in the sea salt.  Process.  Scoop out the crust “dough” and put a bit in each of the muffin cups.  Press the “dough” well.  Set aside while you prepare the filling.
Drain the cashews.  Place them in a high speed blender.  Put the rest of the filling ingredients into the blender.  Blend on high until very smooth.  Pour the filling into each muffin cup.  Place the muffin pan in the freezer for at least 2 hours until set.**  Serve.

  

**Note:  The recipe on the website only gave the list of ingredients and a video.  I watched the video and so knew what to do.  However, I discovered that the cheesecakes wouldn't come out easily right out of the freezer, even with the little parchment strips.  So, I left them out to thaw about 10 minutes and then they came out with no problem.  If you don't eat them all at once, they will need to be stored in an airtight container in the freezer.  

Berries, Dark Chocolate, Mint Snack

Recipe from Alice's Kitchen
Inspired by her buddy, Janabai 
Makes 1 serving (can be doubled, tripled, etc.)

When the summer berries make their appearance, make this little snack or dessert for your lunch or a picnic.  It's healthful, tasty and so easy to put together.  

1 cup mixed fresh berries 
6 dark chocolate chips, chopped fine
4 fresh mint leaves, minced OR 2-3 fresh basil leaves, minced

Toss all the ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

Plum-Blackberry Streusel Pie

Gourmet | July 2009

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 8 servings

This is one luscious pie that highlights the best of summer.  I made this pie for our Book Group a couple of years ago and it was gone in a trice!  The colors of the plums and berries are jewel-like and the pie was pretty as a picture.  I made the Perfect Pie Dough a few days in advance, stored it in the fridge and on the day of our company, I rolled it out.  The streusel can also be made in advance.  The recipe made about twice as much streusel than what was needed, so you may wish to halve the streusel portion of the recipe or make the recipe as is and use the streusel for another dessert.  To guild the lily, be sure to serve this tasty pie with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.  I bought all the ingredients, including local berries and local plums, at Lost RiverMarket & Deli.  (I've since made this fabulous pie for my family who were visiting us from Mexico.) This recipe is a KEEPER!

1¾ pound ripe plums pitted and quartered
2 cups blackberries (I used black raspberries.)
1½  cups sugar, divided
3 Tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ teaspoon salt, divided
½ recipe Perfect Pie Dough
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Preheat oven to 375°F.  (I suggest you use an “oven liner” to keep any drips from the filling from messing up your oven.)

Toss plums and blackberries with 1 cup sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, zest, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9½ inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a ½ inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Chill while making streusel.

Stir together oats, flour, and remaining ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend in butter with your fingertips until mixture forms small clumps.

Mound filling in shell. Crumble streusel evenly over filling.

Bake pie until streusel is golden and filling is bubbling, 1¼ to 1½ hours. Cool completely, about 3 hours.

Plum-Blackberry Streusel Tartlet  

Here is my precious granddaughter, Sandrita (age 4)
making a Plum-Blackberry Streusel Tartlet
with the dough scraps.

Berry Bran Muffins (Vegan)

Makes 12 muffins

Recipe from Meatless Monday (Myra Goodman, co-author of Straight from the Earth)

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I had these muffins for the first time when my exercise buddy gave me a couple as a gift.  They are moist, not too dense, just sweet enough, and the bites of juicy berries make them extra special.  You can find all the ingredients at our community-owned grocery store Lost River Market & Deli.

1 cup plain, unsweetened soymilk

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 cups wheat bran

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 Tablespoon ground flaxseed

¼ cup very hot water (about 180°F)

¾ cup packed light brown sugar (You can reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup if you like.)

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

¼ cup canola oil

1 ¼ cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh blackberries or blueberries

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 350°F. Lightly oil 12 muffin cups or line them with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soymilk and lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken into “buttermilk.” Whisk the mixture and stir in the bran and oats.

In a medium-mixing bowl, combine the flaxseed with the hot water. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens (this is our egg substitute). Whisk the sugar, applesauce, and oil into the flaxseed mixture.

Add this mixture to the bowl with the bran, blending until the batter is combined.

In another medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add this mixture to the batter, stirring just until combined. Do not overmix. Carefully fold in the berries.

Fill each muffin cup with a heaping ⅓ cup of batter. The muffin cups should be full and rounded at the top. Make an effort to divide the berries evenly among the muffins.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into a muffin (avoiding the berries if you can) comes out clean.

Cool the muffins in the tin for 10 minutes. Turn out the muffins and continue to cool them on a wire rack for another 10 minutes before serving.

Blackberry Pie

Recipe from http://www.simplyrecipes.com

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

When the blackberries are plentiful, treat your family and friends to this fabulous pie!  This pie held together very nicely because the tapioca thickens the juices from the berries.  Don’t forget the ice cream.

Perfect Pie Dough

5-6 cups blackberries; rinsed, picked clean, patted dry (if you use frozen berries, defrost and drain them)

½ cup to ¾ cup sugar (depending on how sweet the berries are)

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon almond extract

3 Tablespoons tapioca

1 egg, beaten (optional)

Sparkly sugar (optional)

Place blackberries, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, almond extract, and tapioca in a large bowl. Gently fold the berries until they are all well coated with sugar mixture. (Taste for sweetness and add sugar, if needed.)  Let sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. You should have two balls of pie dough, one for the bottom crust, one for the top crust. Roll out one of the balls of pie dough on a lightly floured surface to 12-inch diameter if you are using a 9-inch pie pan, or 13-inch diameter if you are using a 10-inch pan. Line the bottom of your pie pan with the dough. Chill in refrigerator while you roll out the bottom crust.  Roll out the second ball of pie dough for the top crust. Spoon the berry mixture into the dough-lined pie dish. For a lattice top, weave strips of pie dough over the top of the fruit-filled pie dish. For a solid top, place the second rolled-out pie dough crust on top of the pie. Press ends of strips into the rim of the bottom crust. Use scissors to trim the edges to 1/2-inch from the outer edge of the pie pan. Fold the edges back over themselves and use your fingers to crimp to seal the edges. If you are using a solid top crust, score the top with a sharp knife to create air vents for the steam to escape.  If you wish a shiny, sparkly top, brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sparkly sugar.

Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any juices that might bubble out of the pie while it's cooking. Bake the pie in two stages. First, bake it at 400°F for 30 minutes. Then place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie to protect the edges and tops from getting too burnt. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until crust has browned and filling is bubbly.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Cool completely before serving.

Blackberry Vodka Gimlet

Recipe from Margaritas, Mojitos & More  

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

(Makes 1 drink) Easily doubled :-)

Last week, we went blackberry picking with our good buddies, Janet and Nathan. Most of the berries ended up in the freezer. I was dying to make a pie with them, but my hubby didn't want to heat up the house with the oven on. (Hmmmmm. Heat or Sweet. I was surprised with his decision.) Anyway, I went on a girlie shopping trip in Louisville and found this book with drink recipes. Lo and behold, there was this blackberry drink recipe and I thought, "No oven for this treat." We tried it out on our friends and we all found it to be deeeeelicious! I'm sure you can leave out the alcohol if you wish and it would still be refreshingly yummy. Lost River Market & Deli now has local blackberries, so make plans to whip this up and take a moment to relax and enjoy this glorious summer heat!

5 large blackberries

1 1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice

1 teaspoon Simple Syrup (recipe on this blog) (I used a bit more)

Ice cubes

1-ounce vodka (I used a bit less)

1 sprig mint for garnish

Combine the blackberries, lime juice, and simple syrup in a glass. Crush the berries with a muddler or spoon until they are mashed into the mixture. (You can do this with an immersion blender, if you have one.)

Put a handful of ice in a cocktail shaker. Add vodka and the blackberry mixture over the ice. Shake until very cold.

Pour into a glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Note:  To have it ready in advance for four dinner guests, quadruple the recipe and leave the blackberry mixture in the fridge until it’s time to mix with the ice and serve.