Surprising twist on Betty Crocker classics

Food The Shine


The iconic, All-American food brand Betty Crocker is known for it’s nostalgic comfort foods, but recently, two chefs, Annie and Dan Shannon, turned the entire Betty Crocker cookbook on its ear, with their upcoming new book “Betty Goes Vegan”. We invited the Shannons to “The Shine” to show us their twists on some American classics. The Shannon’s new book isn’t a health book, to be clear, it’s a book intended to allow vegans to eat all the different foods they enjoy, including those yummy and sometimes fattening comfort foods. The mission of the book was to show not only vegans, but also non-vegans alike, that vegan food can be delicious and that the options are endless.

The Shannons brought to “The Shine” four delicious vegan dishes: quiche Lorraine, cheeseburger pie, red velvet whoopie pies, and cinnamon rolls. “Betty Goes Vegan” doesn’t hit stores until February 5th, but for a sneak peak, check out the two recipes below.

[ Related: Five Comfort Foods That Fight Fat]

Cherry Cola Vegan Chicken Wings

Makes 8 to 10 Wings

Ingredients

Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce

1 cup cherry cola

¾ cup cherry preserves

2⁄3 teaspoon ground mustard

½ teaspoon ground ginger

3 teaspoons hot sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos

Dash of liquid smoke

1 cup ketchup (I can’t stress this enough: read your labels and use one that has actual tomatoes in it)

Wings

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Dash of liquid smoke

8 to 10 vegan chicken wings or 2 to 2 ½ cups vegan chicken on skewers, defrosted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

1. Put all your Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce ingredients in one bowl and blend with a handheld electric mixer until smooth. We left a few large cherry chunks in there because they’re delicious.

2. To prepare the wings, mix the olive oil and liquid smoke in a bowl. Brush a large glass baking dish with smoky olive oil. Place your vegan chicken wings in the dish so that they aren’t touching and brush with olive oil. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until your vegan chicken wings start to turn a light golden brown.

3. Using oven mitts so you don’t burn your fingers, dip and roll your vegan chicken wings in the Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce one at a time till you get a thick, even coating on all your wings. Place back in the baking dish. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce makes a nice glaze over the vegan chicken wings.

4. Serve with the rest of the Cherry Cola BBQ Sauce on the side to dip your wings and fingers in.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Makes 1 dozen pies

Ingredients

Baking spray

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon crushed pink Himalayan salt

1 cup margarine, softened

1½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons applesauce

¾ cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cherry juice

from a bag of frozen cherries or red food coloring

1 batch Cream Cheese Frosting

¼ cup crushed walnuts

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray your whoopie pie pan with baking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.

3. In another bowl, blend your margarine and sugar together with an electric handheld mixer until fluffy and smooth. Mix in the applesauce until it’s creamy.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 30 seconds.

5. Gradually add the fl our mixture to the margarine mixture and blend thoroughly. Then pour in the soy milk mixture, baking soda, vanilla, and cherry juice and blend until your batter is creamy.

6. Fill a cookie press or frosting gun with the batter, and then fill the cups of your whoopie pie pan three-quarters of the way full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.

7. While your cookies are baking, make your Cream Cheese Frosting.

8. Once your cookies are done, move them immediately to a wire rack to cool with the less adorable side down.

9. Pour your walnuts into a shallow bowl.

10. Pipe frosting onto the less cut side of one cookie. Top with another cookie to make a sandwich. Then roll the edge of your cookie sandwich in the walnuts so that the frosting gets coated. Repeat with all your cookies until you have a bunch of little red velvet cookie monsters—I mean sandwiches.