Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Part 122

cup sugar

cup canola oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

teaspoon almond extract

1 cups all-purpose flour

cup unsweetened cocoa powder

teaspoon baking powder

teaspoon baking soda

teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

PREHEAT THE oven to 325F. Grease a 9 13-inch baking pan.

Melt the cup of chocolate chips, reserving the other cup as whole chips. To melt, create your own double boiler: Heat a small pan of water over high heat until boiling. Place another small pan on top of that and place the chips in that one. Use a rubber spatula to stir until melted. Remove from the heat and let cool just a bit while you prepare everything else. Or, if you want to melt the chips in a microwave instead, place them in a microwave-safe bowl (obviously) on high heat for 1 minute. Stir the partially melted chips and microwave again for another 30 seconds.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the blueberry spreadable fruit, soy milk, sugar, canola oil, and extracts. Mix on high speed (if using an electric hand mixer) until no large clumps of the spreadable fruit are visible. This could take 2 to 3 minutes.

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well mixed; we use a fork here because the batter is very thick and can clump up in a whisk or mixer. Mix in the melted chocolate as well.

Fold in the remaining cup of chocolate chips and the fresh blueberries. Spread the batter in the baking pan (don't worry if it doesn't come to the very corners of the pan because the batter will spread while baking and it will all work out).

Bake for 45 minutes. You can't really do a toothpick test here because the chocolate chips will make the pick look wet and the top will appear soft and crinkly and not done when, we promise you, it is done.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Slice into sixteen squares (or whatever size you want). If you want to serve it warm, wait about 30 minutes, so it is still warm but not hot. For true decadence, serve with vanilla ice cream (page 260) and a little bit of blueberry syrup, plus some fresh blueberries for good measure.

LEMONBARS.

MAKES 12 BARS.

TIME : 4 HOURS (MOST OF THAT FOR CHILLING).

Bet you thought you'd never have a lemon bar again in the land of vegan culinaria. Well, turn that frown upside down-cafe-style lemon bars are here! Lots and lots of tangy, creamy, jelled lemon topping blankets a short-bread crust. And with a sprinkling of confectioners' sugar, these are as pretty as can be.

Crust: 1 cups all-purpose flour

cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional to decorate the finished bars

cup cornstarch

1 cup nonhydrogenated vegan margarine

Filling: 1 cups water

3 tablespoons agar flakes

1 cups granulated sugar

teaspoon turmeric

cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 2 large lemons)

cup soy milk

LIGHTLY GREASE a 9 13-inch baking pan.

Prepare the crust: Pulse the flour, confectioners' sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor. Add the margarine in spoonfuls and blend 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until the mixture resembles coa.r.s.e meal. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides, so that it can hold in the filling. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the unfilled crust for 25 minutes. remove from the oven, and let cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a saucepot, soak the agar in the water for 15 minutes. Use the time while it soaks to zest your lemons and squeeze your lemon juice. Mix the arrowroot into the lemon juice to dissolve.

When the agar has been soaked for 15 minutes, turn on the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until the agar is completely dissolved. Add the granulated sugar and turmeric, and boil until they have dissolved, about 3 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and add the arrow root mixture, then add the lemon zest and soy milk. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. It should not be rapidly boiling, but low bubbling is okay.

Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Let cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the filling is only slightly jiggly and has set. Use a sifter or a fine-mesh strainer for sprinkle the bars with confectioners' sugar. Slice into squares and serve.

DESSERTS.

DESSERTS ARE USUALLY listed at the end of a cookbook but we suspect that you've snuck a peek and this is the first thing you are seeing. So, hi! Welcome to our cookbook! We talk a lot about how wonderful broccoli is but, at the end of the day, we know what really wins people over is a chocolate pie smothered in caramel and pecans.

Coming down from a sugar high from our last cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, we really needed to take a break from cake batter and instead set our sights on luscious desserts featuring nature's bounty of fruits. Good old-fashioned crisps become interesting again when spiked with aniseed, and juicy pears are poached in tea and, because we couldn't resist, placed in a pool of chocolate sauce.

Of course, we also couldn't resist adding a few cupcakes into the mix.

TEA-POACHED PEARS IN CHOCOLATE SAUCE.

SERVES 4.