Asian "Fig Newtons" with Golden Milk (Guest Posted on Veganosaurus)

When I was a little girl my favorite cookie to eat was always a Fig Newton (actually, the whole pack...) but as I slowly became more health conscious I lost touch with these soft pillows of tasty goodness. I don't believe that either Newtons can be considered "healthy", but when I decided to take a spin on two of my favorite treats (Fig Newtons and Dadar Gulung, a pandan crepe stuffed with coconut) I was instantly happy. There are two ways to make these treats and to gobble them down with, I've provided some delicious and silky, smooth golden milk.

Thanks to Susmitha of Veganosaurus, I could post these and spread them to a whole new audience. I am honored to have guest posted on your blog! ^^

(Dadar Gulung Newton Filling Ingredients)

• 4 large Dates, minced (or Date Paste)
• 1/4 cup of Unsweetened, Toasted Coconut
• 1 tsp of Raw Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Clementine Zest
• A mix of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom and Allspice
• 1/2 tsp of Virgin Coconut Oil

Toast all of your dry ingredients together, let them cool partially and then add in your coconut oil. Set aside and make the dough.


(Dadar Gulung Pastry Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Oat Flour
• 1/2 cup of White Whole Wheat
• 4 tbl of All-Purpose Flour
• 2 tsp of Raw Sugar
• 1/4 tsp of Baking Powder (omit if you want them crunchy like I did)
• 2 tbl of Virgin Coconut Oil (semi-solid)
• About 3 tsp of Pandan Extract
• Enough Coconut Cream to Mix

Mix your dry ingredients together first, then fork in your coconut oil. Dribble in your pandan extract and coconut cream, then knead your dough until it becomes a smooth ball. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and reminisce about your childhood in the meantime. Roll out to your preferred thinness, taking mind that this will puff up only slightly, and then put your coconut filling in the middle. Pinch your sides up and moisten lightly with the leftover coconut cream, then roll onto the newly formed seam and cut even pieces from your dough log (which should be a rectangle by now). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cooked to your liking and serve with golden milk


They look like mini-burritos, don't they? If you have any extra dough you can roll it in some chocolate chips and bake for the same amount of time, or you can make a fantastic and pretty healthy pie crust. Better yet - you could make straws to sip your golden milk with (they stay crunchy) or a variation on cannollis with a coconut cream topping!


(Golden Milk Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Non-Dairy Milk
• 1/2 tsp of Turmeric
• 1 tbl of Raw Sugar or Agave Nectar
• Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Allspice and Cloves (to taste)

Warm all of your ingredients together and strain, let cool and strain if necessary.

Thanks for visiting my post and many thanks to Susmitha for hosting me! I hope that you all have enjoyed this short experience as much as I have!

Wacky Watermelon Cake (Soy-Free)

It may seem odd, but this cake is amazing - it smells like a pumpkin or sweet potato pie and has a similar texture as well. Although this cake is frosted, thanks to a high juice content it is more like a Chinese steamed cake, so feel free to replace some of it with non-dairy milk. Additional chocolate chips for pizazz are welcome, although not necessary with such a rich and creamy coconut and pandan frosting. Surprise everyone with this lovely treat!

What's the weirdest food you've ever created?

(Wacky Watermelon Cake Ingredients)

• 2 & 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1+ cup of Raw or Powdered Sugar
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1/4 tsp of Salt
• 1/2 cup of Floured-Chocolate Chips (optional)
• 1 cup of Watermelon Juice
• 1/2 cup of Coconut Yogurt

(Wacky Watermelon Cake Directions)

• Mix your dry ingredients first, then fold in your wet and your chips (if you have them) just until incorporated into a thick batter.
• Pour in a greased pan lined with parchment paper. Tap lightly on a hard surface about 20 times. Then, bake at 375 for about 40 minutes or until cooked.

(Coconut Frosting Ingredients)

• 2 cups of Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 cup of Cream of Coconut
• 1 tsp of Vanilla
• 2 tsp of Pandan Extract (optional)

(Coconut Frosting Directions)

• Cream everything together. If it is not thin enough (it should be quite thick with spreadability) then you can spoon in some water, 1/4  tsp at a time until it's to your liking.
• Wait for the cake to cool, reserve some frosting for later decoration and ice as you like.
• Enjoy!

* Cream of Coconut is essentially a syrupy and sugar-filled coconut cream. They are not totally interchangeable due to stickiness, but it can work.

Kuririn Parfait (Low-Fat and Sugar-Free)

I came up with this yesterday because I was a bit tired of making Hello Kitty for everything - and I bet you guys were too. I had originally had my eyes set on a King Cake but after an incident (that you'll know about if you follow me on Twitter) that was saved by my beautiful freezer that also resulted in ensuring that I had a very seedy cake - I decided to make a hamster themed dessert! Trust me - its fantastic and addicting.

(Seed Cake Dry Ingredients)

• 4 tbl of Coconut Oil (slightly cold)
• 1 and 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 cup of Chia Seeds (soaked with water)
• 2 and 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup of All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp of Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup of Stevia (or other Powdered Substitute)
• 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups of Vegan Buttermilk

(Directions)

• Cream together your stevia and coconut oil and then slowly add in your chia seeds.
• Fold in your flour and other dry ingredients. Then pour in your wet ingredients. Mix gently until fully incorporated and place into a greased baking dish.
• Bake for about an hour at 350 degrees or until well-browned and cooked. Let it rest, then chill.
• Put some cake into your serving dish. Top with homemade coconut whipped cream, dehydrated bananas, a fanned strawberry and put a little bit of pandan on one banana slice and place it near the strawberry for the full "Kuririn" effect.

I hope you enjoy! Whose your favorite Sanrio character?