vegans gone wild! runners up : : part 3 of 3

The grand finale of delectable, decadent dessert debauchery....

Tania's Apple Cheesecake Braid with Caramel Sauce
Now I understand why Eve handed Adam the apple...


1 sheet puff pastry

1 apple in 1/2" cubes
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp vegan margarine

8 oz vegan cream cheese
6 oz firm tofu
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla


Thaw the puff pastry and unfold it on a baking tray. On each outer third of the sheet, make slits to the edge, 1" wide. Melt the margarine on the stove at medium-low heat. Add the apple chunks and brown sugar, cook for 12-15 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, beat the remaining filling ingredients with a mixer until combined and thick. Once the apples are softened, stir them into the filling mixture along with their juices.

Spoon the filling into the middle third of the puff pastry, and fold the strips across the center. Brush a little melted margarine across the top and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. I feel it is best if you refrigerate it, then cut it while it's cold and serve with ice cream and the caramel drizzled on top.


Caramel Sauce:

1 tbsp vegan margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp soymilk

Melt the margarine on medium and stir the brown sugar in. Stir until it is one blob, then take off the heat and whisk in the soymilk.


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Webly's Coconut Pie
A creamy coconut-cashew creation...




1 1/2 cup coconut cream (Not milk and cream, but just the cream. You can buy cans of just the cream or you can use two or three cans of milk and scoop out just the cream)
1/4 cup Earth Balance (Or your favorite vegan margarine.)
3/4 cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons ornstarch
1 tsp. coconut essence or extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Heat the coconut cream in a sauce pan over medium-low heat until a slightly warm liquid. Take out a few tablespoons and mix with the cornstarch in a separate bowl until fully mixed. Make sure the coconut is not too hot or else you'll get lumps in your cornstarch.Add the sugar to the warming coconut cream and stir constantly until well dissolved.Add cornstarch mixture and earth balance and stir or wisk constantly for about 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Turn off heat and add flavors wisking as the mixture cools. Pour into your favorite crust. I went with a chocolate cookie crust.Let sit in the fridge for 2-8 hours until firm.

Cashew Cream
1 cup soaked cashews
1/4 cup coconut milk or cream
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Soak 1 cup of cashews in some warm water for about 1-2 hours. Blend cashews in a food processor until course. Add coconut cream and let mix until starting to smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. You may need to add more liquid to get the correct thicken you want.

To assemble
Spread a bit of coconut cream on a plate, place the piece of pie on top, drizzle with a chocolate ganche and serve. Serve again and again.

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Vicki's Sinful Sandwiches
An easy way to satisfy your sweet tooth and use up your sugar stash...


Ingredients
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets

Use any combination of thge ingredients below--or anything else vegan
Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs Cereal (crushed)
Nabisco Chocolate Teddy Grahams (crushed)
Chick-o-sticks (crushed)
Peanut butter
Dark Chocolate (melted)
Coconut flakes
Cherries (sliced)
Kiwi (sliced)
Powdered Sugar (sprinkle on top)

I used biscuit cutters to get the circle shape. Bake @ 400* for 10 minutes, slice in half, and then assemble the sinful sandwiches. The cherry & chocolate combo tasted a lot like a cherry cordial, but our favorite topping was crushed Reese's Cereal