Oreo truffles

This is a quickly step-wise guide to oreo truffles. Yes, you can find this recipe on vegweb, kraft recipes, and otherwise. However, I like my version, which is why I share it with you.
This is a discovery of an amazingly easy vegan truffle that ANYONE can make. Also, anyone who tasted these loved them, and yes...100% vegan.


The oreo truffle - the recipe is found all over the internet, but this is what I did:
1. Buy the following: 8oz tofutti better than cream cheese, 16ish oz package of oreos or newman O's, 1 bag of semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips (I use either Sunspire or Ghirardelli)

2. Set out the cream cheese to soften while you do step number 3 - you will thank me later. Okay, so this is where I tell you the modification that I made. I had already used 1/4 of the tub of tofutti better than cream cheese to make a half batch of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World cream cheese frosting. I ONLY USED 6 OZ of cream cheese. Did it make a difference? I don't know. My recommendation: make cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting AND these oreo truffles. Problem solved.

3. Use a food processor and chop up the oreos - the whole cookie, the whole package. We did this in 3 batches to make it easier.

4. Stir in the cream cheese with the chopped up cookies - we stirred by hand, but you could probably use the food processor.

5. Make about 4 dozen balls of the cookie mixture. The balls will be about the size of a ping pong ball or slightly smaller. This step is completely up to you. Do you want bigger truffles? Do you like bite-size truffles? We went the smaller, bite-size route. We got 47 balls...you might get more or less. This would be a great stopping point if you need to do something else. You can refrigerate these little balls for awhile, and I would see that they would hold up to be drowned in the melted chocolate a little better. However, if you have the time, move on to step 5 right away.

5. Melt the chocolate chips - I put the whole bag in a glass bowl and microwaved it, stirring every so often until the chips were completely melted. You could do the double-boiler style melting. It is up to you!

6. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, clear space in your refrigerator for the said cookie sheet, and get ready to make a mess.

7. Dunk the balls in the chocolate and land them on the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. My tip: use spoons or forks to help you coat the truffle balls and transport them from the bowl to the cookie sheet.

8. Refrigerate until they are hardened. We let the truffles refrigerate over night. I've seen that you can freeze these for awhile, but you should really share them with friends, family, and/or co-workers, so you don't eat the whole batch yourself.

9. Try not to eat three in a row. (Good luck with that!)

Secret family recipe, veganized: cough syrup

In the same few days, I managed to catch a cold while the temperature plummeted from beautiful 50F to 10F. Oh my.

My family was big on making cough syrup from scratch. And it always worked like a charm! The only problem: honey is the base.

Searching through my cupboards for relief, I stumbled upon my cure: brown rice syrup! Here's my family's cough syrup, veganized:

3 parts brown rice syrup (replaces honey, volume for volume)
2 parts lemon juice (yes, go ahead and use concentrate if you don't have lemons)
1 part whiskey (the cheap shit that you don't really drink is fine)

I use 1/8 cup as a "part," but feel free to use any unit of measurement that fits your fancy! Combine all ingredients in a small, resealable bowl. Mix with a spoon until completely homogeneous. Take 2 tablespoons of cough syrup every 4-6 hours until you feel better.

The syrup/honey coats and soothes your throat. The lemon starts to cut through the junk in your throat. And the whiskey cuts through the rest of the crap and makes your feel better!

Aloo Gobi: North Indian style

One of my co-workers Parul is from North India - actually, about a quarter of the Indians in my department are from North India. The rest of mostly from South India.

Tonight's feature: Aloo Gobi (cauliflower and potato dish)

I'm told that aloo gobi is the first thing that girls are taught to cook. This recipe is simple and hearty and will satisfy your cravings for Indian, even if you've never cooked Indian food before. It also happens to be my favorite meal ever [currently], so I begged Parul to show me how to make it.

This recipe calls for cumin seeds. Yes, the seeds. No, not the powder. You can go to Whole Foods and pay $5 for a small bag of cumin seeds that may be split. Or you could go to your local Indian shop and grab a giant bag of cumin seeds for about $4. Either way, just don't use the powder in this recipe!

Aloo Gobi - serves 4 (or 3 really hungry people)
2 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
2 tsp red chili powder (or more if you like it spicy)
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp coriander powder (powder, not seeds)
1 small white or yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2" cube of fresh ginger, peeled and diced
1 head of cauliflower, florets pulled* apart into 1" pieces
4 small potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces (I used new potatoes)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (more if you like the vegetables crispier)
1/2 cup water

Heat 1/3 cup of the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high temperature. When the oil is hot, turn down the setting to medium and add cumin seeds for about a minute. Add the turmeric and coriander powder and let cook for about another minute. Add the garlic and ginger and stir to avoid burning the garlic. When the fragrance is taking you back to India (about 3 minutes), add the onion. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and cook until the onion is browned. Add the rest of the oil and the cauliflower; cook for about another minute. Now add the potatoes, turmeric, and water. Place a lid over the skillet (or wok) and cook for about twenty minutes.

If you have a nice recipe for roti or a nice Indian friend who happened to bring over the dough for roti, now would be the perfect time to make about 4-6 roti. This would also go well with basmati rice or tortillas.

Stir every 10 minutes or so until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. Serve with roti or rice.


*Parul's mother taught her to pull/break off the florets instead of cutting them. According to her mother, it helps with the flavor and texture. Because Parul and her mother do it this way, I will continue this tradition.