I love foods that carry a kick. In my book, though, a little spice goes a long way; a touch of chili paste or a dash of cayenne is sufficient. I’m one of those people that asks for mild or a heat level of 1 or 2 out of 5. Just enough and I’m in culinary heaven.

But even mildly spicy foods can build up heat over time, and you need some kind of gentle salve to bring the delicious pain back down. One of my favorite desserts to do just this is rice pudding. It’s creamy and sugary, and has a touch of cardamom to give it a different kind of spice. (If you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant, rice pudding is a pretty standard find on the menu to wrap a spice-filled meal.)

Here is a vegan version of an Indian rice pudding recipe I found online. If you use the same milk replacements I used, you can omit the sugar. It’s sweet enough without it. It’s also a very forgiving recipe, so if you don’t want to use cardamom, try cinnamon instead. Don’t like or have raisins or pistachios? Leave them out or replace them with something else.

Vegan Rice Pudding
Based on the Indian Rice Pudding found on Food Network
Makes approximately 4 small servings

• 1 cup cooked long grain or basmati rice
• 1 cup vegan milk
• 1/2 cup vegan milk, vegan creamer or vegan heavy cream alternative
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
• 1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped (optional)

Cook your rice according to the package directions.

I used long grain white rice

Once the rice is ready, in a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, combine the cooked rice and first cup of vegan milk. Heat until the mixture begins to boil.

Mixing in the first cup of vegan milk

Decrease the heat to low and cook at a simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes.

Starting to thicken

Increase the heat to medium, add the vegan heavy cream alternative and the coconut milk, sugar (if needed) and cardamom and continue to cook until the mixture just begins to thicken again, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Use a whisk to help prevent the cardamom from clumping.

Adding in the remaining milks: MimicCreme and coconut cream

I wound up using this sweetened MimicCreme as a substitute for the heavy cream. It’s very sweet, so it’s best to omit the sugar in this recipe if you use this stuff. I also used a sweetened coconut cream, however my first preference would have been for unsweetened coconut milk.

I used this MimicCreme in place of heavy cream

Once the mixture just begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the raisins and pistachios (if using).

Adding golden raisins to the creamy rice mixture

Transfer the mixture to individual serving dishes or a glass bowl and place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding.

Getting ready to chill the rice pudding

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Chilled and ready to eat!

This is really a pretty good recipe, but next time I would use a vegan creamer as a substitute for the heavy cream, and unsweetened coconut milk. I also didn’t use pistachios because I didn’t have them on hand, but I am sure they would have been delicious.

There is just one teensy thing, and I don’t know if it is because of the rice I used or what, but when I had let this chill overnight, the rice seemed to have dried out – which is odd to me, because the rice is sitting in a thick liquid.  When I had a bite right after it was finished cooking, the texture was perfect. So I think that what I’d do next time is plan to make this pudding the same day it would be eaten, then chill it for only a couple of hours at most.

Otherwise this is a delicious pudding and a perfect end to a spicy meal or a hot summer’s day!

Done and yum.

Do you have a favorite rice pudding?

Vegan chocolate truffles

Time for some sweet confessions on when I was not vegan one afternoon nearly a year ago. It was late March and I had surprised my husband with a long weekend to Cape Cod for his birthday. If you have ever been there, you’ll know that this is not exactly the best time to go to the Cape as far as weather is concerned – it’s cold, windy and rainy, but in some ways it is the best because traffic is light and innkeepers and shopkeepers are more likely to spend extra time with each customer.

Such was the case at this little chocolate shop we randomly found as we drove around exploring the area. The Chocolate Peddler is located slightly off the beaten path in Brewster, Massachusetts. When we stepped through the door, it felt more like we were walking into a parlor or salon, with a very friendly (and large) dog greeting us. The place, although small, was bursting with rich reds and golds, and we soon met the Chef Paul himself. As we were his only customers for the better part of half an hour, we got to sample more than our fair share of his very creative truffles. As soon as we thought that we had tasted the most exotic one, he’d bring out another, then another and then another.

When I used to think about truffles, I’d think of dark rich chocolate – and not much else. But that was completely turned on its head in this little chocolate shop. Think passion fruit, black pepper, mint, coffee and truffle oil. Think truffles with the names of Toes in the Sand, Georgia-Ray and Little Red Corvette. As a self-proclaimed foodie, I knew that we had stumbled upon someone who appreciates not only putting together a good quality piece of chocolate, but unexpected art.

When I was thinking a few days ago about what I wanted to make for Valentine’s Day, I realized that I wanted to make something that I’ve not yet tried. Then I thought back to that lovely little encounter with Chef Paul and I said to myself, I’ve got to make vegan truffles. I came across a very simple recipe with a lot of rave reviews and decided to use it as a base. I can’t say my truffles turned out quite so creative as those in Cape Cod, but they are dark, rich and creamy and would be perfect to give to that special someone (even if that special someone is yourself).

Vegan Chocolate Truffles
Based upon the Vegan Truffles at Recipezaar
This makes approximately 50 truffles

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1 pound bittersweet chocolate (I used Trader Joe’s Pound Plus dark chocolate)
• cocoa powder
• 1/8 cup raisins, optional
• 2 tablespoons rum or brandy, optional
• 1 or 2 tablespoons peanut butter, optional
• 2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped, optional
• powdered sugar, optional

If you choose to use rum or brandy-soaked almonds in your truffles, mix your raisins and rum or brandy together in a small bowl and set aside.

Soaking raisins in rum

Put cashews and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 1-2 minutes.

Blending cashews

Scrape the sides down and blend again until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.

Get your double boiler ready. If you do not have one, you can use two pots, with the bottom pot holding water that you will bring to high heat. This will allow your chocolate to melt more slowly, which is what you want.

Homemade double boiler

Put your chocolate in the top pan and stir constantly until it is all melted, then take it off the heat. I used a 72% dark chocolate from Trader Joe’s. This is not a bittersweet chocolate, however it still produces a very dark and rich truffle and it is vegan.

Melting chocolate

Cool the chocolate until it’s comfortable to work with and fold in the cashew cream (making sure not to stir too fast or you’ll create bubbles).

Stirring in the cashew cream

Cool the mixture in the fridge for 2 hours (to set).

Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop up a small ball of chocolate and then roll it into a ball with your hands.

Creating my first truffle

Roll it in the cocoa powder, then set into a dish that you will use to cover and store the truffles in the refrigerator or freezer.

Rolling the chocolate truffles in cocoa powder

If you want to add filling like the rum-soaked raisins, peanut butter or pistachios, you can roll out the chocolate into a ball then flatten with your palms.

Truffle fillings and cocoa powder

Place a small amount of filling in the middle, then fold the chocolate around it and roll into a ball again. Roll the truffle in cocoa powder. Repeat until all of the truffles have been made, then store them in the refrigerator so they will set.

Adding filling to a chocolate truffle

In the end, I think these turned out well, but I think that the fillings were sparse and the cocoa powder was bitter. My suggestion, if you try these, is to increase the filling or to mix up the filling with the chocolate. I would also suggest mixing the cocoa powder with powdered sugar or rolling the truffles in an alternative ingredient like coconut or nuts.

Pistachio, rum raisin and peanut butter truffles

Have you made truffles before? What flavors did you make?

Vegan chocolate truffles

Happy and Sweet Valentine’s Day! xoxoxo