{ CHILI BEANS }

We like chili beans at our house, but I was tired of using the canned variety. This is what I came up with; they're really good. The kids love them plain, and they are great for chili cheez fries, or any other recipe calling for chili beans.

1 lb pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
4 c. water
1 14-oz. can tomato sauce
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1-2 T. chili powder
1/2 T. paprika
1/2 T. salt
1 smidgeon stevia

I cook mine in an electric pressure cooker:

• Combine all ingredients in pressure cooker.
• Cook on high pressure for 55 minutes, natural release.

If you don't have a pressure cooker, just do whatever bean/liquid ratio you would normally do (you want it pretty saucy), soak the beans if that's what you normally do, and follow your regular cooking instructions. 

{ STICKY TOFFEE PECAN PUDDING CAKE }

And yet another from Miss Angela of Oh She Glows. Altered slightly for a little less fat, and oh so delicious!

{ The Cake }

3/4 c. chopped pecans, toasted and divided

1 1/2 c. pitted dates, roughly chopped
1 1/2 c. almond milk
1/2 t. baking soda

1/4 c. wonderslim (prune puree)
1/2 c. sucanat

1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

• Preheat oven to 325. Toast pecans for 8 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375.
• In a medium pot, bring almond milk to a low boil. Add chopped dates and reduce heat to low.
• Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and add baking soda. It will froth a bit.
• In a large bowl, whisk together prunes and sucanat. Add almond milk and date mixture and stir.
• In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients, including 1/2 c. pecans.
• Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir until just combined.
• Spoon/pour mixture into lightly greased 8x8 pan or 9-inch pie dish.
• Bake at 375 for 25-28 minutes, or until cake springs back when you touch it.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
• Using a toothpick or fork, poke several (100) holes in the cake.

{ The Toffee Sauce }

1/4 c. + 2 T. honey, or other liquid sweetener

1/4 c. + 2 T. sucanat

2 T. Earth Balance

1 T. vanilla extract

1 T. almond milk

1 pinch salt

• About 10 minutes before the cake is done, whisk together sauce ingredients in a pot (use the same one).
• Bring to a low simmer, reduce heat to low, and heat for about 5 minutes while standing over the pot, watching and whisking. Remove from heat.
• Pour 2/3 sauce over holey cake and smooth out with a spoon.
• Serve cake warm, topped with more sauce and toasted pecans. Serve with vegan ice-cream!

{ TART CHERRY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES }

This is another gem from Oh She Glows. So good!

1 c. walnuts, finely chopped and toasted
1 c. dried tart cherries*
2 T. agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1 pkg. (1 1/2 c.) vegan chocolate chips
3/4 c. full-fat coconut milk (cream from the top of the can)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. almond extract
3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
12 drops red/pink food coloring

• Preheat oven to 325. Toast chopped walnuts for 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, soak cherries for about 10 minutes. Drain and process with 2 T. agave. Process until finely chopped. Set aside.
• In medium pot, heat chocolate chips over low heat, stirring as necessary, until mostly melted.
• Add coconut milk and stir well.
• Add walnuts, cherry mixture, almond extract, and salt. Adjust salt and sweetener to taste.
• Spoon mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer, uncovered, for 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes.
• Transfer bowl to the fridge for another 20 minutes, until chocolate is firm and workable.
• In a small bowl, mix coconut and food coloring until pink.
• When truffle mixture is firm enough to handle, wet your hands slightly, and roll chocolate into small balls, rewetting hands as necessary. (It's very sticky.)
• Roll balls in coconut. Mine made 27 balls.
• Store in an air-tight container in the freezer or fridge. (They get very soft at room temperature.)

*I only had 2/3 c. cherries, so I added 1/3 c. dates. Worked great. I'll probably do 1/2 and 1/2 next time.