My Sweet Vegan & a giveaway!
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The past few months have seen the release of a plethora of fabulous vegan cookbooks & My Sweet Vegan by Hannah Kaminsky is no exception! From the minute the book landed in my hands, I was drawn in by the beautiful layout which includes full color photos, taken by Hannah, for each & every recipe! Upon closer inspection, you find a collection of unique & tempting recipes such as Caramel Macchiato "Cheese" Cake, Lemon-Lime Sunshine Bundt, Turtle Shortbread Wedges, & Wasabi Chocolate Cupcakes, & as well as a selection of classic cookies, muffins, pies, tarts, & cakes! This isn't your standard vegan dessert book, Hannah's approach is a refreshing & exciting take on vegan sweets, yet it's approachable & easy to follow.
Before reviewing this sugary sweet selection for you, I had to try out a few recipes to see if they taste as fabulous as they look on the pages. I am a fiend for marshmallow, so the Marshmallow Mud Cake was the first up to bat, a treat to share with friends as we celebrated the new year! This chocolate cake makes use of chocolate soy milk for extra flavor & is topped in a confectioners sugar & ricemallow blend that makes for a fluffy topping for the true sweets lover! I had a bit of an issue with my frosting slipping down the sides of the cake, but that didn't stop me from trying to load it as high as possible before drizzling the top with chocolate!
I let Ryan pick out another recipe to try & of course it was a peanut butter & chocolate combination in a cookie form; Peanut Butter Bombs. These are a chocolate cookie with a baked-in peanut butter center & a true treat! I was lucky enough to have Ryan on filling duty, so these came together quickly & were immediately dipped in soy milk & consumed once they came out of the oven.
My favorite way to enjoy a new cookbook is to go through every page & put tabs on the recipes I'm interested in making. I have no doubt you'll be seeing Lace Sugar Crisps, Black Bottom Blondies, Peach Melba Layer Cake, & maybe even a Mocha Devastation Cake from My Sweet Vegan coming out of my kitchen in the near future!Do you have a copy of My Sweet Vegan yet? Want to WIN one?
I am giving away one copy of My Sweet Vegan to a reader!
To enter, leave a comment letting me know your favorite unique flavor combination & you may find a copy of My Sweet Vegan on your doorstep! The winner will be selected at random, but you must play along & answer the question to be entered. I will announce the winner on February 6th & hopefully it will arrive in time to make something on St. Valentine's Day for YOUR sweet vegan!
116 comments:
chocolate and raspberry? I guess that's not really unique, though. I like apricots and cashews together. And apples, cardamom, and cranberries.
Hmmm, I can't think of anything truly unique! I really like the combo of pumpkin and chocolate, I don't get to enjoy it often though because everyone know turns up their nose and won't even give it a try. I also really like trying different combos of flavours on my oatmeal...peanut butter and molasses, almond butter and blueberries...mmm.
i'm risking being totally unoriginal, but.. peanut butter-banana. i found it out only last week, so don't blame me!
also, dates-cashews. i could eat that every day, no, wait, every meal for my entire life!
I'd have to say raisins and walnuts...blended up to make raw pie "Crust". OMFG, SO good.
i'm going to go simple and say my favorite combo is fresh apples, good cinnamon, and maybe a little sugar (preferably in something warm/baked.) unique, no, but nothing else is quite as comforting and satisfying. :)
It's not sweet, but I love banana and curry together. On pizza, in a stew or in a wok.. Or another not sweet one, tomato and cinnamon. It's so gooooood! With green beans!
Ok, actually, I could totally eat fried bananas with some curry and golden syrup on top for dessert.
Also, what's ricemallow? And that cake looks to die for. Yum!
I always love the combination of lime and coconut! I like tart sweets when I'm not gorging on chocolate.
It's not sweet but Chili with pickle juice. I actually convinced my husband to put some pickle juice in his chili not long ago and now he's hooked too so maybe it's not so crazy!
I just discovered pomegranate & dark chocolate...mmmm, good.
:)
I love peanut butter and chocolate, but that's an oldie. Umm...mango and queso blanco is really good. It's a Puerto Rican thing; a friend let me try it once, and I yearn for it every time I see those blocks of mango paste in the store.
I LOVE chocolate and PB like most people. One unique thing that I love is Nacho cheese Doritos and Oreos. Not sure why, but the cheese + chocolate and salty + sweet just just perfect. The best ratio is 1 Oreo cookie to 2 Doritos. Perfect when you're craving something horrible for you.
Apple and peanut butter.
when the craving happens, i cut up a bunch of apple slices, put peanuts over it and eat it. if i have chocolate chips. i dip the apple with the peanut butter in the chips! great movie snack... mmmm.
So this might not be vegan friendly (though you could totally use the tofu version), but I LOVE peanut butter and bacon (between slices of toasted wheat bread--yum!).
On the vegan-friendly side, salt and chocolate. :-D
But the weirdest thing? Peanut butter and pickles. My mom used to make these sandwiches for herself and me. We were the only ones who liked them. I think we still are. ;-)
wow, looks delicious!! my favorite sweet combo is fig-maple-walnut (oh, sweet mama!)
My favorite flavor combination is Lemon and Raspberry. Be it "cheese"cake, cupcakes, cookies or cake. Now if only there was some way to make a vegan lemon raspberry meringue pie. nom nom nom!
Rose and chocolate. yum. Rosewater in, rose jam, candied roses. With chocolate, cake, you name it. again: yum.
Chocolate and Orange - not totally unique - but oh so good!
Well, like everyone else I like chocolate with many things... but for a unique taste, I'm all about strawberries and tequila!
I'm having a hard time deciding. I was going to say chocolate and mint, but then apples and peanut butter was sounding really good, too (or, you know, apples with Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter). And then someone else said lemon and raspberry, and now I'm really craving that.
Tzippy
This is more a texture combo than a flavor combo, but peanut butter and lettuce. When I was a kid my mom would make peanut butter sandwiches on toast with cold crispy lettuce - it's like the concept of peanut butter and celery, but more substantial and without the celery strings. Good, good stuff. But also, every combination mentioned here, well except the one involving bacon or the dorito one, or the pickle juice one - but that's just from lack of experience, I'll give it a shot.
There are so many combinations I like together. None of them very unique though. Chocolate and hazelnuts is wonderful. Peanut butter and chcolate, banana chocolate... mostly I love nuts and chocolate together though, nothing beats that! I sometimes dip apples and other cut up fruit in chocolate spread. I really want to try the recipies in My Sweet Vegan, they look amazing and I'm planning on baking something vegan for my colleagues for Valentines day! :)
pear and cardamom! i can't wait to try this amazing pear and cardamom muffin i saw on a blog lately.
I'm a pb lover too, and I LOVE apples and peanuts together. I'm also in the mood for blueberries, and I think I want to try them with coconut.
MSV is sold out everywhere here!
Mmmmmmmm, I'm going into sugar shock. My fav combos are cherry and chocolate or peanut butter and chocolate. I must find a way to make something that tastes like a Reese's Peanut Butter cup...it's KILLING ME!
Peanut butter and currants. Especially on waffles. Yum, yum.
I also love the combo of me and this book! It looks amazing.
Peanut butter, carrots and chocolate.
Yup. That's right I said it ; )
Tough choice! I think I will go with pumpkin & cranberry, though I may change my mind at any moment.
I second the orange and chocolate (so it's totally not original), but I just LOVE it.
I love your blog... my kids have severe food allergies to dairy and eggs (and nuts, and peas), so I'm forever looking for desert recipes for birthdays, etc., that will fool my family. I'm adding this book to my wish list, and if I don't win, I'll be buying it for myself!
Thanks!
If we're talking desserts I'd say it's probably dark chocolate with rosemary. I make this wonderful steamed pudding type bitter chocolate cake which is served with a rosemary custard. It's been a hit for as long as I've been making it, and people are always clamoring for the recipe.
you can really do no wrong with chocolate but a sourdough acme baguette sliced up and covered in chocolate is totally magical.
Pumpkin and nutmeg!
I like ginger & dark chocolate. Mm... So good.
(Honor)
That cake looks absolutely delicious, as does the cookie!
My favorite dessert combo varies by season, I think... But right now I am crazy about chocolate & mint ANYTHING (cookies, brownies, cupcakes...), along with a dollop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
oh, tough call. i love apples and fresh nutmeg a bunch for a simple dessert. for a flavoring I sometimes use Amaretto liquor in place of vanilla extract and that tastes amazing in cookies and cheezecakes.
Hot sauce and beer is the greatest flavor combination I know.
While hot sauce and beer is, indeed, a magical combo, mine is whiskey and coconut. I discovered it by accident, but it's gooooood.
Hmmm, I don't know how unique it is but I love peanut butter and maple syrup. Actually, it started to become an addiction and I finally cut myself off. It's just so good.
I'd have to say peanut butter and pickles! Seems to be a peanut butter trend going on! Melissa B. in NC.
Chocolate and raspberry (more raspberry than chocolate), lemon and blueberry, and apples with cinnamon and sugar... *drool*
In no particular order I love:
mint chocolate
pumpkin chocolate
lime coconut
peanut butter with cinnamon and agave
Hmm, I know it's totally unoriginal but I have to go with peanut butter and chocolate too! Everything you made looks SO good!!!
i really like coconut and almond together. its good in cookies or in oatmeal.
i LOVE pinapple and mushroom. :B
I really love pear/chocolate, pumpkin/chocolate, and apricot/chocolate...I don't think you can do much wrong pairing anything sweet with chocolate! For non-chocolate pairs, I love apricot/almond, blueberry/lemon, and lemon/lavender. Oh, and soaked dates blended with frozen banana and soaked almonds or cashews--cures the ice cream craving every time!
Although I am a chocoholic, raspberry and hazelnut is definitely the most decadent pairing in the world as far as dessert is concerned. Love Linzertorte, but as a quick fix I use hazelnut butter and raspberry jam on toast.
Ruth
I realize I'm not the first to say it, but I've never tried any combo of chocolate and orange that I didn't like!
peanut butter and pickles is one of my favorite sandwichs. i also like to drink cider vinegar on occasion. next thing you know i will be eating dirt!
I love the taste of maple syrup over salty veggie bacon or veg sausage. Salty, yet really sweet...and oh, so sticky.
Ohmygod, I'm totally going to have to go have some right now!
I love semi-sweet or dark chocolate and blueberries together, that is the best combination in my opinion! I love bananas and cinnamon! If you just cut up a banana and sprinkle cinnamon on top, it is so yummy! I also love almond butter and banana.
Sarah
i LOVE french fries or potato chips dipped in frosting or soy-milk shakes.
the sweet & salty. i've loved it ever since i was a kid. growing up vegetarian i could only ever eat french fries when friends families took us to "kid friendly" restaurants.
so good.
Coffee and nutmeg...or chocolate and coffee, and bananas and a muffin..
OH WISH ME GOOD KUDOS
I SO WANT TO WIN
Melisser, I'm SO glad that you too have discovered the amazing cookbook from Hannah - it's beyond brilliant!! I'm thoroughly enjoying baking the treats featured in that book :0)
Right now it's chocolate & avocado--I had this crazy dessert @ Cafe Blossom here in NYC that featured this & it was bizarrely good.
I don't know if I'd be brave enough to try out peanut butter and pickles. My favourite flavour combination is nectarine, balsamic vinegar and black pepper. I seriously can't get enough!
Almond butter and black cherry jam.
Hey--don't enter me because I already have the book, but I had to chime in to say #1 how AWESOME Hannah is and how whoever wins is a lucky soul indeed, AND--my favorite unusual combo--pepper and hot chocolate!! I sprinkle it in and love the flavor.
Woohoo, I'm psyched that you liked the book AND are generous enough to do a little raffle with it! Obviously, no need to add me in the running, but my favorite unique combo is.... mint and matcha!
Peanut butter and banana, all the way :o).
sweet & spicey-cinnamon & hot sauce on kettle corn
Fig and Almond! That is my absolute favourite combination
That book sounds great! One of my favorite savory combos is avocado and ginger - as in vegan sushi! And in sweets it has to be espresso and chocolate.
cherries and bananas-i love them together in smoothies...
chocolate and cinnamon... i always add a touch of cinnamon to my brownies and it really brings out a nice flavor!
I love dipping chocolate chip cookies into cold oj.
My husband thinks its disgusting, but I can;t help myself.
Give it a try!
My fa-vo-rite sweet combo is banana and lemon.
This was a combination that my mother started me on when I was a baby and my teeth were just starting to come in. She'd cut up a banana, pour lemon juice over it, and sprinkle it with a little sugar. Yum! I still have it from time to time when I need my comfort food.
ummm.. I do love an almond butter and pickle on toast. and peanut butter & ketchup is (don't laugh!) actually really good.
but my heart is with any tropical fruit + cream. mmmmmmmmm.
savory, probably peanut butter and tamari.
sweet, peanut butter and orange.
so... uh... basically, anything with peanut butter.
^_^
wasabi-chocolate-sesame
Caramel & sea salt! Try it over brownies. You shan't be disappointed.
lemonaise and pickles or peanuts in chocolate pudding
Cocoa Camino has an earl grey fair trade chocolate bar. MAN is it tastey! I'm not even a tea lover!
At risk of sounding like an old weird lady: chestnuts and prunes!
(I also chime in on the pumpkin and chocolate :D )
Oooo! HOW FUN! Yes, I did purposely use caps lock there, I am honestly that excited. I would love a copy of MSV, I can't get it here in Canada...anywhere! I'm jealous of you folks.
My favorite flavour combination would have tp be citrus and chocolate...pretty well in any form (lemon, orange, lime, grapefruit...all paired with chocolate...all so good, now I'm drooling!!). Thanks Melisser! Party on!
*high five*
that photo of the marshmallow cake sucked me in... I am on a chocolate and mint kick... it might be because its girl scout cookie season... love to make things mixing those things together
I had a delicious treat today of soy yogurt with strawberries and chocolate chips mixed in. Yum.
My favorite unique flavor combination usually for breakfast is: Craisins, raisins, & walnuts. So yummy together: sweet & crunchy! I add all this to instant oatmeal, but love it just as a snack too.
Olives and basil.
-Sasha
Wow, I must say that my fvorite flavor combo would have to be... peanut butter and banana :) Love your blog, BTW!
i'm going to go with almond and chocolate, almond and raspberry, and occasionally tomatoes and peanut butter. but not all the time.
mmmm fruit and cheese; more specifically, mango or quava paste and white cheese (queso blanco, although ranchero is good too). Not vegan, but it brings a lot of good memories up for me. I also like saurkraut and raisins. and pretzels and ice cream.
it's funny who comes out of the woodwork when you give shit away! if you wanna be gross, i really like mixed indian pickle and nutritional yeast.
xo
kittee
Cream cheese and maple syrup. Especially on toast. Heaven!
It's a classic, almond and cherry. In the summertime I pit sweet cherries and fill them with marzipan for a dreamy, creamy treat!
Oh, count me in! I like chocolate and cherry (especially with Valentine's Day around the corner - hubba hubba!).
Whoa, look at all these comments!! Crazy! But it is an awesome book so I don't blam all those poor souls that do't have it yet. Definitely get around to making that mocha devastation cake, and the black bottom blondies!
Chocolate and chilis,
Pineapple and tummeric,
Sweet Potato and roasted peppers!
My favorite weird food combo is definately green apples, the Gouda Style Sheese and some good quality dijon. mmmmmm mmm good :)
Hey!! I know you're very busy, but i've got a little bit of a crisis. So, I cooked my first chocolate cake lastnite with homemade fudge icing, and well the problem is, instead of eggs I used flaxseed meal, I went by the book with the rest of the ingredients. When I took the cake out of the oven to let it cool, the puncture wounds that were there from checking the doneness of the cake was still there. I went to take the first cake out of the first pan and that fell out smoothly, but the second cake, totally crumbled out in big chunks. I really don't know what else I did. I had them both on the same rack and in the middle-away from all walls. Please help!!! I need to get this down before my hubby's b-day in 2 weeks!!! Also when you homemake icing, do you prefer cooked or uncooked? THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!! I hope this made sense! -Lael p.s. my fave combos would have to be the rooster chili sauce with anything coconut.
Like many people, I enjoy various flavors combined with chocolate--orange, raspberry, mint, peanut butter, hazelnut...mmm. Hazelnut-chocolate gelato ("baccio") is amazing.
As for more unique and original flavors, I'm a fan of peanut and lime, such as can be found in Pad Thai or other peanut sauces for noodles. And licorice/anise/fennel, too, but that one mostly by itself, though I'd be happy to learn what I could combine it with...
chocolate and coffee
Banana & Coconut...gosh, all these combinations are getting me into a tizzy!
So I tried this in the Veganomicon biscotti recipe when I was feeling frisky and now love it - chocolate and pistachio. Probably not so original when you think of spumoni, but I truly devote my love for the pistachio/chocolate combo in biscotti.
I also love pumpkin with anything. Alone, in cinnamon rolls, with cranberries, and especially with chocolate.
I love popcorn and BBQ sauce
Nougat and Kiwi. My little sister invented a toasted sandwich with this at first weird-sounding concoction, and it's heaven!
ooooh Melisser!
I'm glad I got back from India in time for this giveaway! Every time I tried to look at a vegan blog in India the computer would crash!
I'm dying to get my hands on this book... especially after 5.5 weeks of no baking &/or baked goods!! Can you imagine the suffering? :)
As far as neat flavor combos... I like pears and candied ginger. Musty is a big pear freak - so I am always on the lookout for pear dessert recipes.
Hope you are doing well! :)
Amey
Cherries and vanilla .... mmmmm :)
plum, rosewater, and cardamom.
I've always loved the combo of banana and carob. it brings me back to my childhood - my mom used to cover bananas with melted carob and stick 'em in the freezer. so yummy.
Popcorn and ketchup. My favorite! Of course, popcorn with nutritional flakes makes this combo even tastier :) Yum. Try it. You won't be disappointed. :)
Ginger and citrus (like orange or lemon) is a really great combonation, nice n' zesty. I want My Sweet Vegan!
One of my favorite combos is anything sweet with a spicy kick. I love these peanut butter cookies that are made with walnuts that have been sauteed in brown sugar and chili oil. So delicious.
It'd have to be pumpkin and crunchy salty peanut butter preferably in the form of a pie!
Hmmmm I like salty pretzels and chocolate!
tomatoes and avocado. great in sandwhichs and it blends so well together.
My favourite combination is dijon and potatoes. I just can't get enough of it! Never mind the dressing and the mayo. Just give me some dijon and I'll be all set.
Pear and avocado- it makes the best smoothie! People underestimate the buttery fruitinees of avocado. Of course I also have a serious avocado addiction.
I really love a little cinnamon in chocolat things...and the combination of peanuts ,caramel and chocolat is a match made in heaven !
this doesn't have to do with sweets, but i like cumin and tomatoes. cumin in anything is good, though.
Coconut, Coffee, and Chocolate!! I just made those amazing ChoCofCo cupcakes from 'Vegan Cupcakes take over the world' and I have decided that these are my new favorite flavor combinations. My all-time, classic favorite, though, is chocolate mint. But really, anything with chocolate will do.
favorite unique combo would have to be white bread spread with pb and topped with thick slices of raw vidalia onion. i haven't had it in years, but my mom introduced it to me as a kid- it's good!
My favorite flavor combo is probably chocolate, peanut butter, and pretzels. It's the perfect mix of sweet and salty!
i know i'm not the first one but caramel and sea salt is awesome.
also feta cheese and olives, my first solid foods (for real)!
and fig and goat cheese
...not to mention chocolate with (almost) anything!
Wonderful blog! I have some family members who are allergic to milk, so we've been trying to find good tasting vegan recipes. Thanks for sharing :)
Non-dessert unconventional flavor favorite is pickles, cucumbers, potato chips and peanut butter in a plain bagel (okay so that's a sandwhich but it makes for a flavor sensation!)
Sweet treat that few will eat would probably be sour cream and chocolate in cupcake form (I haven't tried this recipe as a vegan but when I was veg it was scrumptious).
my favourite is kumquat + vanilla bean + chili. it is amazing.
I had big plans for making that marshmallow mud cake, but I couldn't find the ricemallow. Sad. It looks so good...
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