Blueberry Truffles

Sometimes it seems that people (myself included) think that being vegan is tantamount to giving up all the enjoyable, delicious foods that non-vegans eat.  Is it true that to be vegan, I have to be virtuous and deprived?

I struggle with the idea that to be vegan I have to sacrifice taste, enjoyment and indulgence.  This idea leads to an unhealthy swinging routine of eating all “good” foods (veggies, whole grains, beans) while my husband and son chomp on their meat and cheese and then sneaking behind my own back to binge on cheese. 

The problem for me is that I don’t want to be vegan because I don’t like animal foods.  In fact, I quite enjoy them.  I just have found that the more I learn about animals, including their emotional lives and the impact of their farming on the environment, the less I want to eat them or their products. 

So how do I stop these binges?  I think there are multiple reasons which I hope to reflect on in future posts.  One reason is indulgence, feeling “treated” and comforted by food.   To address this I have been trying to find vegan “treats” that leave me satisfied.

Enter blueberry truffles.  I created these for Thanksgiving dessert.  YUM.  They are amazingly delicious.  I love them.  I love the fact that a vegan indulgence can be so delicious.  When I was creating this recipe I looked at vegan and non-vegan truffles.  All call for chocolate, cream and the non-vegan ones, butter.  I think that the secret to making good truffles is a good quality, yummy chocolate, as it’s by far the main ingredient, so make sure to get one that you enjoy.  I initially used Green and Blacks, but realized it has milk, so in later trials used Camino, which does not.

Blueberry Truffles

¼ cup dried blueberries, divided

¼ cup soy creamer

5 oz chocolate

1 t Earth Balance “butter” (optional)

3 T almonds, finely ground

Soak 2 T dried blueberries in the soy creamer for 3 – 4 hours.  Puree mixture and warm to just above room temperature.  Gently melt the chocolate (most recipes recommend a double boiler, I don’t have one, so use a 30% setting on my microwave and stir about every 45 seconds).  Add the cream mixture, remaining blueberries and butter.  Stir until mixture reaches a smooth consistency.  Refrigerate for 1 – 2 hours.  Place ground almonds on a small plate.  Use a Tablespoon measure to scoop out the chocolate when it’s firm and shape balls with your hands.  Roll each ball in the ground almonds to coat.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Makes about 15 truffles.