First, I made Potato Cakes. These were Full of Beans' entry into the Vegetable Love 2009 contest. They were delicious. The caramelized onion give them such a great flavor. I served mine over Lentil Rice Pilaf. The Pilaf is from a box--the Casbash brand.
I wish I had time to try more entries in Vegetable Love before voting ends. These Potato Cakes caught my eye and I had all the ingredients to make them. Well, the cakes anyway, not the topping. Soooo good!
Next I made some Vegan Almond Joys. This is my second attempt at these. The first ones were too sweet. I had used sweetened coconut the first time. This time I used unsweetened and it was much better!
Here is the recipe:
Vegan Almond Joys
1/2 cup potatoes (I used 2 fingerlings)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 dozen almonds
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender. When cool, peel and dice. Put into a bowl and mash with a fork. Use a hand mixer to mash the potatoes further. They will become pebbly. Add one cup of the powdered sugar and blend with the hand mixer until the mixture becomes wet. Add the 2nd cup of powdered sugar and mix again. It should then thicken up and become the texture of icing. Add the coconut and mix again.
Place the bowl in the freezer to firm up the mixture.
Form the mixture into 1 inch balls that you then shape into ovals. Place onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper and press an almond into each oval. When the mixture starts getting sticky return the bowl and baking sheet to the freezer for a minute or two to firm up. I could usually make about 6 at a time.
This makes about 2 dozen candies. (I got 22).
Place the baking sheet with all the candies into the freezer to get really firm. While you do this, melt the 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips over a double boiler. Dip the candies into the melted chocolate, completely coating them and returning them to the wax paper. To keep them firm enough to not melt in the chocolate, I dipped about three or four and then returned the whole pan to the freezer for a minute to firm them up again. My method for coating them was--drop a candy into the chocolate, spoon chocolate all over it, pick the candy up with the spoon and push it gently off onto the wax paper.
1/2 cup potatoes (I used 2 fingerlings)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened coconut
2 dozen almonds
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until fork tender. When cool, peel and dice. Put into a bowl and mash with a fork. Use a hand mixer to mash the potatoes further. They will become pebbly. Add one cup of the powdered sugar and blend with the hand mixer until the mixture becomes wet. Add the 2nd cup of powdered sugar and mix again. It should then thicken up and become the texture of icing. Add the coconut and mix again.
Place the bowl in the freezer to firm up the mixture.
Form the mixture into 1 inch balls that you then shape into ovals. Place onto a baking sheet lined with wax paper and press an almond into each oval. When the mixture starts getting sticky return the bowl and baking sheet to the freezer for a minute or two to firm up. I could usually make about 6 at a time.
This makes about 2 dozen candies. (I got 22).
Place the baking sheet with all the candies into the freezer to get really firm. While you do this, melt the 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips over a double boiler. Dip the candies into the melted chocolate, completely coating them and returning them to the wax paper. To keep them firm enough to not melt in the chocolate, I dipped about three or four and then returned the whole pan to the freezer for a minute to firm them up again. My method for coating them was--drop a candy into the chocolate, spoon chocolate all over it, pick the candy up with the spoon and push it gently off onto the wax paper.
vegan almond joys!? your so totally my hero!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked the potato cakes!
ReplyDeleteOooh I wonder if I could make these with ground almond instead of coconut, yes I'm the wierd vegan who hates all things coconutty! They look fab though!
ReplyDeleteThanks Selina!
ReplyDeleteLaura--I think these could be good with almost anything in place of the coconut. After mixing the potato and powdered sugar add nuts to get a consistency thick enough to roll into balls. Peanut butter would be yummy!