18.11.2009 Cheers and Cheesecake. Cheerscake!

Random.org hath spoken, the winners are:

1. Kala

2. Tiffany

Congratulations to you, ladies!

More good news: Joni is holding a cookbook giveaway on her own blog, and it lasts until Friday. So head on over there if you didn’t get lucky this time around!

Even more good news? Okay. Joni and I will be signing books on Black Friday at Russo’s bookstore in Bakersfield, CA. We’ll be armed with food samples!
If you’re against purchasing something on that particular day, you could just browse through a copy and get it a few days beforehand, if it tickles your fancy? We thank you in advance for your support, and look forward to meeting and chatting with you.

And if you can’t make it here, there will be other events coming up soon, including a Book Release Party & Reception at Humanitaire on December 5, from 3 to 6 pm. Be sure to check here for regular updates.

One last piece of good news? If I really must. We’re actually partnering up again to write The Complete Guide to Vegan Foods Substitutions, and will have the pleasure to work with the fair people of Fair Winds Press like we did the first time around.
We might need more testers, so feel free to contact either Joni or me, if you’d be interested.

I’m all out of good news, and the bad ones take it poorly being left hush-hush, so let’s show them what’s what.
Hope your life is treating you well these days, and I’m actually seizing this opportunity to thank all of you for the incredible support you’ve shown this blog since it all began. ♥ and cheesecake to you. Speaking of which…

It’s brand name galore in the following recipe that the husband demanded, but it’s worth it. Holy Molly, I could eat this forever and ever. I used a smaller cake pan to make mine as I only had one Jokerz bar left, so feel free to up the amounts of everything and have even more fun eating more cheesecake. Be sure to also increase the baking time, to about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the pan you’ll use.

I actually forgot to add non-stick spray at the bottom of my pan, and it still worked like a charm thanks to the freezing action that also makes for prettier slices. Just remember to thaw the slices for a couple of hours before enjoying so that the flavors have a chance to fully develop.

Jokerz Cheesecake:

Non-stick cooking spray
12 Peanut Butter Crème Filled Chocolate Cookies, divided
1/3 cup (64 g) raw sugar
1/3 cup (80 g) vegan sour cream
8 ounces (227 g) non-hydrogenated vegan cream cheese
One Jokerz bar, chopped
Chocoreale, to spread on top
Chopped dry roasted unsalted peanuts, to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Lightly coat a 6×4-inch (15×10-cm) round cake pan with spray.

Place 10 cookies in a food processor, process until crumbled. Press down into prepared pan. (I know that usually, either melted margarine or oil is called upon for such crusts, but it works without. Might as well save a few calories, considering the rest of the ingredients!)

Add the 2 remaining cookies and the raw sugar in the food processor. Process until crumbled. Add sour cream and cream cheese, process until smooth, scraping sides down once in the process. Add Jokerz bits and pulse a few times.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, leave in the (off) oven for another 30 minutes.
Gently spread as much Chocoreale as you want on top while the cheesecake is still warm, for ease of work. Sprinkle peanuts on top for decoration.

Freeze overnight. Remove from pan, and slice into however many portions you want. Thaw in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Yield: 6 servings