Viva Vegan!: 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers (54 page)

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Makes five or six
½-cup servings

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Gluten Free, can be made Soy Free

 

3 cups fresh corn kernels
(from 4 to 5 ears of corn)
1 (14-ounce) can regular or lite
coconut milk
⅔ cup sugar
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup almond, rice, or soy milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
Grated zest of ½ lemon
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon coconut extract
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

 

1. In a blender jar, pulse together the corn kernels, coconut milk, and sugar until smooth; some corn texture will remain. Empty into a large saucepan, add the cinnamon sticks and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. In a measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk and cornstarch and then stir in the cornmeal. Pour this mixture into the simmering corn mixture and whisk rapidly until smooth. Add the lemon zest and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly until the pudding resembles a thin polenta, or continue cooking until the desired consistency is reached. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla and coconut extracts, and remove the cinnamon sticks.

3. Pour into individual ½-cup serving cups or ramekins or one large glass serving dish, sprinkle with ground cinnamon, and let cool for 15 minutes. Either serve slightly warm or chill for a firmer pudding.

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Makes about 2½ cups

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Time: 1 to 1½ hours, most time spent simmering on stove

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Gluten Free, Soy Free

 

2 pounds orange-flesh sweet potatoes,
peeled and chopped into ½-inch
chunks
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

 

1. Place the sweet potato chunks in a medium-size pot with a lid, add enough cold water to cover by about 3 inches, and add the cinnamon sticks. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender. Remove the cinnamon stick, drain, and mash very well until creamy.

2. In a large pot, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the mashed sweet potatoes until completely incorporated. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced in size by about half and is very thick, like a jam, 1 to 1½ hours. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool to room temperature before eating or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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Serves 8 to 10

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Time: 45 minutes, not including preparation of Dulce de Batata

 

1¾ cups almond or rice milk
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ cups sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange, or ¾ teaspoon
orange extract
⅔ cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus
more for dusting (optional)
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus
more for dusting (optional)
½ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 recipe Dulce de Batata (page 236)
Confectioners’ sugar (optional)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray with nonstick cooking spray two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment paper. An easy way to cut the parchment is to place a large sheet on a cutting board, firmly press the pan on top and run a very sharp paring knife around the bottom edge of the pan. Pull away the excess paper and you’ll have a perfectly sized parchment paper lining.

2. In a mixing bowl or 4-cup measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk, orange juice, sugar, grated orange rind, canola oil, and vanilla extract. In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stir well, and form a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and gently stir everything together, occasionally scraping the sides of the bowl. Stir just enough to completely moisten the ingredients; some small lumps are okay. Do not overmix.

3. Divide the batter equally between the prepared baking pans and bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Remove the pans from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the pans over onto the racks, peel off the parchment paper from the tops of the cakes, and let the cakes cool completely, about an hour.

4. To assemble: Use a very sharp, long, serrated knife (a bread knife is ideal) to carefully slice each cake into two equally thick layers. Gently warm the
dulce de batata
either on the stovetop in a saucepan or in a microwave at 60 percent power. Stir the
dulce
to a spreadable consistency. Spread the softened
dulce
on a layer of cake, top with another layer, and repeat until all the cake is used. Leave the top of the cake plain as is, or decorate with a swirl of any remaining
dulce
or sift with confectioners’ sugar, then cocoa powder mixed with a little bit of ground cinnamon. Slice and serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container.

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Makes about 1½ quarts

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Time: Less than 20 minutes, not including freezing time

 

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 large red papaya (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vodka

 

1. Make a simple syrup by combining the water and sugar in a small saucepan and bringing to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, stir, and cook for another 5 minutes, until all of the sugar has been dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the syrup cool to lukewarm.

2. Cut the papaya in half and use a large spoon to remove and discard the seeds. Peel the papaya and cut into chunks that can be pureed easily in your blender (do not use a food processor). Puree about 2 cups of chunks; you may need to stir the chunks of the first batch a few times to chop things up, but once these pieces of papaya are pureed it will be easy to liquefy the rest. Keep adding and pureeing handfuls of papaya chunks until you have 4 cups of very smooth puree.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine the papaya puree, lime juice, and vodka. Stir the cooled simple syrup into the puree until the mixture is smooth. Pour into a container, cover, and chill. Place the cold papaya mixture in your ice-cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep any leftover sorbet in a tightly covered container in the freezer.

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Makes about 1½ quarts

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Time: 30 minutes, not including freezing time