Monday, August 20, 2007

Gimme S'more

Ahhhh, the elusive vegan s'more. The odds are stacked against us, from the lack of honey-free graham crackers to the quest of gelatin-free marshmallows. But once again, we can gather around our campfires (or kitchen stove as in our case), tell ghost stories (or whine that we have to go to work the next day), and roast marshmallows for that warm, gooey, sugary treat known fondly as the s'more.




Last night we did just that. Some of you may remember the vegan marshmallow saga from what seems like many months ago now. At that time, I vowed to get my hands on some of Sweet and Sara's vegan marshmallows. Low and behold, while browsing Vegan Essentials I discovered that they were finally in stock! I took my chance and ordered the toasted coconut and vanilla marshmallows. Since they were coming to steamy Houston, I had to order them second day air mail, packaged with cold packs, so they wouldn't be a sticky mess when they arrived. As soon as I saw they had been delivered, I ran (okay, drove) home from work to save these little meltaways from the blistering sun. The toasted coconut marshmallows survived the journey well, but the vanilla weren't so lucky. Regardless, I tossed them in my fridge to recover. Now I'm sure you're wondering about the taste, very authentic! The texture was similar, although not as fluffy and the taste not quite as sweet as a reguar marshmallow, but that was a welcomed change. The vanilla mallows were a bit tough to roast given that they never regained a tensile strength, but I still managed to get some of the edges nice and brown. The only thing I thought was missing was the nutritional information, although maybe I don't want to know....



For the graham crackers, I have searched far and wide in the grocery stores of Houston, but have yet to find a graham cracker that doesn't have honey. So I figured, they can't be that hard to make, right? I found a recipe from the VCTOTW blog, so I knew it had to be good. Rolling the dough and getting perfect rectangles was a bit tough, but it was worth the effort. Here they are about to head for the oven.


This was a fun little food experiment for me. For the chocolate, I used the Endangered Species Grizzly Bear bar, dark chocolate with raspberries, mmmm, I love their chocolate. Honestly, I'm not even that fond of s'mores, but it was the challenge that drew me to it (I'm a bit of a type A personality). Overall, I think they turned out well, at least I gobbled mine up! And it did bring back fond memories of sitting around the fire at Girl Scout camp, laughing and telling stories, and just having a good ole time.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

considering I've never had a "bona fide" s'more in my life, I feel relieved that I can now have a vegan version with total peace of mind on the side. hooray!

Amey said...

I really love veganizing old favorites... I know what you mean about enjoying the challenge. It's fun!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

these look well worth the work. excellent writing as well!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Boomin' Heck! That looks indulgent!
I haven't had maarshmallows for about 17 years. Boy, I would love some! i am going to look at that site to see if they do overseas shipping or maybe find someone in the uk, that sells something similar!

bazu said...

I made vegan s'mores at a party a couple of years ago and they were a big hit. I want to try Isa's graham crackers, though.

Peter Matthes said...

Wow ... no honey either.

You guys are hard core.

Anonymous said...

Wow, talk about going all out for a good old-fashioned indulgence! If you are shopping at Vegan Essentials for marshmallows again, I noticed that they have Healthy Valley graham crackers too, which are honey-free. Of course, your homemade ones were probably far better anyway...looks yummy!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I must admit, I've missed s'mores since my Girl Scout camping days - your graham crackers came out PERFECTLY, oh my goodness!! what a great, tasty-looking vegan s'more sandwich :0)

aTxVegn said...

Wow, your graham crackers turned out perfect! S'mores was a great idea. I guess they are no vegan marshmallows in Texas....

Anonymous said...

yum!! i will love to have one of those

Sheree' said...

These look like so much fun. I will have to wait until I can save to buy extra goodies. I have them in my shopping cart with VeganEssentials just waiting. :o) Thanks for sharing the graham cracker recipe. Like you finding honey free crackers is not possible in my neck of the woods.

Thanks for asking about the wedding plans. 23 days to go. STRESS is a well used word these days. Everything just keeps piling up and you think it will never end. Today we are going to get Brandie's dress bustled and my tiny girl (size 4 dress) needs to be taken in. I told her not to loose any weight, but STRESS happens. I guess that is better than gaining though? Well, soon and very soon she will be married and our home will be missing her laughter and sweetness everyday. I am hoping that momma's cooking will still bring her around more than she thinks!! One can hope!!!