Chocolate Souffles with Pistachios

Halleluia, I finally got vegan 'egg whites' to work, for these delicious individual desserts.

To begin, coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon raw sugar, turning gently to coat the sides as well as the bottoms. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine 1 oz dark chocolate, 4 and 1/2 teaspoons vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), and 3 tablespoons raw sugar; cook over low heat until melted. For the chocolate, almost any dark chocolate should be vegan, but I like to support the Endangered Species company, whose dark chocolate is certified vegan, and whose proceeds go to support, well, endangered species, in part (10% of net profit): www.chocolatebar.com

Whisk in 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, and 1/8 tsp. salt. Gradually add 1/2 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk), stirring with a whisk; increase the heat to medium and cook until thick, stirring constantly - the recipe said 3 minutes, but I stopped at a minute and a half. Let cool.

While it cools, it's vegan egg white time! I had found a tip online that beating Ener-G egg replacer a full 12 minutes yielded a mixture that resembled stiff egg whites, but last time I botched it by beating in too much sugar at the very end. This time, make the equivalent of 3 egg whites (2 and 1/2 tablespoons powder to 6 tablespoons warm water) using Ener-G. Beat for about one minute until foamy. Add 3 tablespoons raw sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating between each addition, then continue beating until stiff - yes, 12 minutes total.

And wow! is all that I have to say, because by Jupiter it worked. Fold one-quarter of the "egg white" mixture gently into the chocolate mixture. Repeat with the remaining 'egg whites', one-quarter at a time. Divide evenly among your 4 ramekins. Sprinkle the top of each with 1 teaspoon chopped pistachios.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes - and serve immediately before they deflate! Each souffle is 230 calories.



Here's a peek inside.

Cost:
dark chocolate $3.99
pistachios $7.99