Chocolate pecan pie good enough for your vegan Valentine

February 8, 2008

By Liz KohmanGannett News Service

Everyone has their dreams, and I'm living for a day where vegan food doesn't come with a big side of qualifier. As in, "Wow this is really good -- at least for a vegan cheesecake" or "Considering there's no egg in these muffins, they're pretty tasty."The same thing happens with vegetarian food, but even true blue carnivores seem to be getting more accustomed to the idea of the occasional meal without meat. It's gives me hope that one day, eating cake made without eggs -- or even, dare I say it, making a cake without eggs -- won't seem crazy foreign to omnivores.The proliferation of upscale vegan bakeries and vegan cookbooks with simple, delicious recipes is definitely helping. As are Web sites like www.VeganMania.com, which features a variety of mouthwatering recipes. Make this chocolate pecan pie for your Valentine, and you definitely won't waste anytime discussing how good it is -- even though it's vegan.Boozey Chocolate Pecan Pie1 1/2 cups graham crumbs, or store-bought oatmeal cookie crumbs1/3 cup melted margarine4 tablespoons soy milk2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch1/2 cup maple syrup or brown rice syrup or corn syrup2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses1/4 cup Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur (optional)1/2 teaspoon sea salt2 cups coarsely chopped pecans1 cup

(fair trade) non-dairy chocolate chips (if you can't find it in chip form, buy bars and coarsely chop them yourself)Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix the cookie crumbs with the melted margarine and press into a 9-inch pie plate, all along the bottom and sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.While the pie crust is baking, whisk together the soy milk and starch until frothy. Whisk in the syrup and molasses, booze and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.Pour into the pie shell, and bake 40-45 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Top each slice with a dollop of tofu whipped cream for a beautiful finish.Source: VeganMania.com.

Peter H

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