Day 100 - BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls, Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake, Vanilla Ice Cream, and The Classic

BBQ Black-Eyed Pea-Collard Rolls

Now, who'da thunk that you could use collard green leaves to roll things up just like you use cabbage, lettuce and grape leaves? I always assumed collard would be too tough, too assertive-tasting, but the truth is, these leaves are perfect for stuffing! I+T have you boil them covered for six minutes, and once cooled and drained, they are wonderful, huge, pliable (though somewhat delicate) foundations for a roll.

This recipe uses yesterdays Backyard BBQ Sauce as the binder for a filling that also includes black-eyed peas, mushrooms, and chopped collard greens.

Following the directions exactly yielded me twelve beautiful rolls, which tasted great with the chive-y mashed potatoes I made.

My ex-neighbor and friend, Darcy, loved the BBQ sauce and the rolls (and brought me those amazing lilies you see in the background)!

SFO: 8

(As much as we loved these, I think they might be a little scary for your average omnivore. It's a lot of green up front, and then nothing too familiar inside. Maybe for a Southern omnivore, I'd up this to a 9.)


Vanilla-Yogurt Pound Cake

My second try at Veganomicon pound cake!

The first one, with rosewater flavoring, was relatively successful, although there was that lump of undercooked batter at the bottom...

This one also had an undercooked lump, although a much smaller one. I admit, I kept that sucker in the oven until the skewer came out absolutely clean, but I guess I could have left it in another few minutes.

My guess is that this is a result of what I consider to be an unusual instruction in the recipe: "beat with electric beaters for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until a very thick batter forms. Don't overmix."

I have to say, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes in my book is already way overmixed. Typically in a recipe like this, the instruction would be to mix just until combined, which in my experience is maybe 30 seconds. Next time I make this, I'm going to try that....

That said, it's a pretty loaf, and a tasty one.

SFO: 10


Vanilla Ice Cream

Back to the ice creams...

I still haven't been able to achieve a great texture since the peanut butter ice cream, but this certainly gets the job done. Flavor is fine, and as a filling for an ice cream sandwich, the texture issues slide by unnoticed.

SFO:7
(People are tough on off-texture ice creams...)


The Classic 

What could be bad? Wheat-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies filled with Vanilla Ice Cream and rolled in chocolate shavings!

Actually, I was a little concerned that these delicate, not-quite-crispy, not-quite-chewy cookies might not be able to withstand being the bread for an ice cream sandwich, but they performed quite well! In fact, they were unusually light and made for a dainty frozen dessert. I really liked this one!

SFO: 10
(I realize I gave this ice cream a 7 for texture issues, but in this context, they don't bother me.)

Day 29 - Coffee Ice Cream and Green Tea Ice Cream

Since the basic ice cream recipe calls for 6 oz of silken tofu, and the tofu comes in a 12 oz container, I thought I'd waste-not and knock out two flavors at the same time!

Coffee Ice Cream

I've made non-vegan coffee ice cream from a Martha Stewart recipe that is so decadent and so flavorful that it has never failed to elicit "best ever" accolades. Needless to say, it's a tough act to follow.

I wasn't sure how to handle the coffee part of this recipe. It calls for 4 oz of strong, cold espresso, or coffee extract, which I don't have. What I do have is instant espresso powder, but how much to use? The product suggests a heaping teaspoon per 3 oz of water, but that seems way too weak for this application. I consulted the Martha recipe, which calls for 4 tablespoons (!) of instant espresso powder (for a slightly greater total amount of ice cream). I decided to split the difference, and I dissolved about 2.5 tablespoons of powder in boiling water to total 4 oz.

Survey says? OK. Less luxurious than the peanut butter ice cream, for sure. I wonder if the missing 4 oz of soy milk replaced by water (espresso) contributes to the slightly thinner, icier quality here. 

Also, I think it needs even more coffee flavor! If I make this again, I will follow Martha's lead and use 4 tablespoons of powder in 2 tablespoons of water. And if that doesn't equal 4 ounces, I'll make up the difference in soy milk.

SFO: 8

(This is totally respectable, but not as convincing as the peanut butter. It's more like Thinny Thin. Does anyone remember Thinny Thin?)

Green Tea Ice Cream

I have an ex who loves green tea ice cream, the more earthy and bitter, the better, and he got me on board. So I was excited to try this. 

I found a little container of matcha powder at my local Asian supermarket and added a considerable 2 tablespoons to the ice cream mix. (FYI, that used up about 3/4 of my $11 container, so this ice cream's flavoring alone cost roughly $8!)

Survey says? Good. Also a little icy. As for the flavor, it takes a few seconds to kick in, but it eventually appears, and it's well-calibrated. (Is this a phenomenon of frozen food? Delayed flavor response?) 

I wonder if my first homemade vegan ice cream experience was elevated by the presence of peanut butter, bringing a higher fat content and smoothness with it. Today's ice creams are good (enough), but the consistency is less satisfying, I'm afraid. How are these going to perform in ice cream sandwiches? Stay tuned....

SFO: 8

(For the same reasons as the Coffee. Also, I wonder how many people out there enjoy this flavor....)