Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Mostly Winners Here

So if you've ever leveled a cake for a fancy frosting job (I usually don't mind the bump), you've probably also found yourself munching on the "throw away" top part of the cake. Not that I'm saying you should stop this sensible and traditional practice, but if you're looking for something else to do with it, here's an idea.... cake truffles!

Got this idea from my cake decorating class. You simply pulverize your leftover cake in a food processor, then mix with just enough frosting to form balls. Pop them in the fridge and you've got cake truffles! You can thank me later. Just be careful not to eat them all yourself.

For the super bowl on Saturday, we went over to my parent's house where my mom had a platter of veggies and tofutti cream cheese french onion dip (thinned with a little soymilk) waiting. The best part? Some of the super addivtice tamari roasted chickpeas that seemed to disappear before kick off!

For dinner we had personal pizzas, a favorite now for get togethers as it allows everyone to put on their own toppings to their liking. I used tomato sauce, pesto, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichokes. Yum. Forget to snap a photo I was so engulfed the game (yeah right, I was engulfed in pizza). But I did manage to sneak a picture of dessert, coconut cream pie from My Sweet Vegan! My mom was looking forward to making this one as coconut has always been one of her favorites. So in the photo, a winner (the pie) and a loser (the Patriots)....

I was rooting for no team in particular. But since John is from Boston and all his family and nieces and nephews were rooting for the Patriots, I was pulling for the Giants just a bit (sshhh, I've always been a bit of a black sheep).

Okay, enough about football. Last week we also tried the Green Wa from Yellow Rose Recipes. Since I couldn't find plain soy yogurt in the grocery store, I went with the Indian version and used coconut. Since I love quinoa so much, it's great to find new recipes that use it, and this was no exception. If you like cilantro, this one's for you!
There was even enough to serve as a side dish (along with some lunches) the next night alongside curried soy curls with red pepper and snow peas. I'm telling you the soy curl possibilities are endless....

Much prep work and cooking to be done in the next few days. I'm in charge of bringing in breakfast to work on Friday. Most people just stop by the donut shop, or the kolache shop, or McDonald's (ick) and bring in something greasy and unhealthy. Come to think of it, although I attend these breakfast meetings every other week, I've never actually eaten anything at them. That will all change on Friday.
And on Saturday evening John and I are hosting a "Vegan Sweets and Eats Potluck" for the local Society of PEACE group. I've got some fun door prizes to show off, and I'm sure all the food will be fabulous as well. Can't wait to tell yall all about it! (Please note, I realize how southern I sound when I say yall all...)

26 comments:

LisaRene said...

Cake truffles, what fun! Oddly enough I kind of prefer cake that I have "compacted" a bit with my fork :)

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I had a feeling you were going to say cake balls! My bits never make it that long, we need something to taste test the frosting with! hehe.
You've made a bunch of recipes I've been meaning to make like the chickpeas and the greenwa! I'm slacking!
Wow, breakfast for the office?! You're amazing! I hope the potluck goes well too!

DJ said...

your cake truffles look gooey and delicious! And you are slightly obsessed with soy curls at the mo, aren't you?

J said...

Cake truffles! How genius! Now I won't have to eat all of those scraps! :)

Love your superbowl foods! They looked awesome.

Anke said...

cake truffles, what a great idea. I never levelled my cakes cause I couldn't stand the waste and didn't want to end up eating all the top parts. but these cake truffles are a nice and impressive way to use them up

Anonymous said...

that is a cool idea, ! the food looks very tasty!

Anonymous said...

http://www.houstonforobama.com/

Cakespy said...

The cake truffles look amazing, but then again so does everything else. You are such an inspiration!!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

man, do I wish that I could come over for dinner at your house/come to the parties that you go to, with food - look at all those enticing dishes and sweets!! you're too much, Amanda!! :0D

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Those truffles are amazing, such a clever idea! I don't make cake very often, but I will remember this tip!

Ashasarala said...

Cake truffles are such an awesome idea! I'll have to remember that one.

Now, this may seem like a stupid question, but how does one level a cake? Do you chop of the top and flip it? I may be totally wrong here...

What, exactly are soy curls? I've been hearing so much about them lately, but they just look like chips to me!

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Cka truffles sound like a wonderful idea... but I doubt I'd be able to keep from eating the extra cake before making truffles out of it! I always am super-excited, for example, when I make cookies and one breaks. That means I get to eat it hehe.

Ohmygoodness, I say "y'all all" (and "all y'all") too! I'm not from Texas, and when I moved to Dallas I swore to myself I'd never use "y'all" but I succumbed to the pressure. It's just too catchy! At least I don't say "might could" or "fixin' to"... yet ;o)

Traci Anne said...

You're killing me. I want to eat every single thing in this post right now!!

jd said...

I just heard about this green-wa on another blog, & now I'm officially intrigued...

It (along with everything else) looks great!

Ruby Red said...

I may be a Texan too, but I refuse to say "ya'll"!

I can't wait to hear more about what you bring to your work breakfast! It sounds like your coworkers are in for a treat. I can't see how people can live on McDonald's grease.

I love quinoa and cilantro, so this Green Wa dish looks like the next big thing. And I can't get over the name of the recipe - it's so clever!

Your cake truffles look so delicious. Now that I'm into cupcakes, the vegan cake world is looking more and more appealing...

aTxVegn said...

Those cake truffles are just sinful! And that coconut pie looks perfect. I love cilantro and quinoa - the GreenWa sounds like another dish I need to make.

We have monthly morning meetings at my office, and I have eaten only a couple of times when we had fruit. Otherwise, bacon egg cheese tacos, donuts, bagels and cream cheese....

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

oh my! cake truffles?! brilliant idea. i'll thank you now, and later! and just the mere mention of tamari roasted chickpeas is sending me to make another batch. lately i'm partial to lime juice with coconut oil! i'm scrolling down to get more cake tips! thanks v_n!!!

the little one said...

So great of you to host for the local Society of Peace! I always think peace activists are the best audience for vegan arguments. After all, what is more peaceful that choosing to stop eating sentient beings?

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Wow, cake truffles! What a great idea. I hope your breakfast meeting went well today. :) Have a great time at the event tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

Yum!! Those truffles look to die for. And I think Green Wa is such a neat idea. I've seen a few other bloggers make it too, so it must be very good!

To reply to the comment on my blog, I sadly have never been to a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Calgary. However I hear that the best one is called "The Coup" (http://thecoup.ca/) There's a menu on the website and absolutely everything sounds delicious. And they're very open to making modifications if you're a vegan.

You're in luck, the weather is going to be very nice (meaning, not arctic temperatures) next week. So enjoy your stay!

Monika K said...

That Green Wa looks like the perfect St. Patty's Day side dish (yes, I am already planning for St. P's Day - isn't everybody?!). Can't wait to hear about your parties - good luck!

Anonymous said...

Cake truffles sounds great, it's two really good things in one. Yum! I must also say that I loved your latest post about cake decorating, I want to go to a class too!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

aw, I say Ya'll alot too! yr too cute!
okay, you've impressed me once again . . . CAKE TRUFFLES! are you kidding me! thanks for sharing this wonderful tip.

Anonymous said...

Yay for coconut custard pie! It came out looking perfect, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! And of course, everything else looks pretty damn tasty, too. ;)

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

please give out tamari roasted chickpea recipe... they look so good (well everything looks good) but the chicpeas...oh my

Anonymous said...

Hi. I am a vegan living in Texas as well, Austin. It is great to see other Southern vegans. Your blog is great.

Krys