Tuesday, January 31, 2012

My Love Letter to Earth Balance

Dear Earth Balance Coconut Spread, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways ...

1) You're delectable schmeared on toast and sprinkled with a little nooch.

2) You taste like coconut, but not in an overpowering way.

3) You make bomb-ass Handmade Coconut Samosas with Lemon-Curry Dipping Sauce:

Yes, these samosas look more like fried dumplings. But I promise they're stuffed with curried mashed potatoes and peas seasoned with a little Earth Balance Coconut Spread. Oh, and there's shredded coconut mixed in there too. The dipping sauce is made with Vegenaise mixed with curry powder and lemon juice.

The soft, fried samosa dough is made with eight tablespoons of Earth Balance Coconut Spread too. I served my samosas with extra curried potato filling and steamed kale seasoned with sriracha, soy sauce, and garlic.

The recipe for these tropical-inspired samosas came from a little recipe booklet from Earth Balance called "Cooking with Coconut." It was included in our schwag bags at Vida Vegan Con last August, and this is the first time I've made anything from it. It's a pretty awesome book filled with EB-based recipes for everything from Vegan Pho with Coconut Ginger Broth to Coconutty Chickpeas & Kale to Coconut Cream Pie.

Have you tried Earth Balance Coconut Spread? If so, how do you like to use it?

16 comments:

Alexandra said...

I actually haven't seen it yet... and that looks..amazing.

JL goes Vegan said...

Yes! I had that free coupon from Vida Vegan Con but couldn't find it anywhere. One day I was in another part of the county, say a healthfood store and ducked in..SCORE! I love that stuff! I melt it with Marmite and spread it on toast...MMMMMMMM

Anonymous said...

I have not tried the coconut spread but I need to write my love letter to earth balance for their Mindful Mayo. I thought going vegan meant I had to give up my fav potato salad recipe but I now have created my fav potato salad, macaroni salad, AND coleslaw. I never liked the soy taste of other brands. If they would come up with a sour cream, I may have to kiss the staff!

VeggieLow said...

i keep wanting to try that recipe - i got the book when i got free coupons from posting on their blog. they also offer the book as a pdf for free at madejustright.com. i'm glad i now have even more inspiration to try it! siiiiiigh i shudder to think about life before earthbalance!

xvavaveganx said...

I had a feeling you would be talking about the coconut spread when I read the post title! I LOVE this stuff it is so delicious! I like it melted on warm gluten free toast sprinkled with cinnamon or on gluten free carrot cake pancakes. So decadent and delicious!

Those samosas look so delicious!

Paige Knowles said...

What a perfect meal! Looks simply splendid, I am a sucker for curry. I have not tried earth balance, but now I certainly should!

Babette said...

You can actually get the exact same booklet on the made just right site :
http://static.themes.eqal.com/earthbalance/downloads/EB157_CoconutBrochure_Update_Optimized.pdf

I like that spread on smoothered on sweet things like muffins, but on other more salty food, it's not really my thing, I find it tastes too much like coconut... and I usually love coconut. On the other hand, my bf is not a fan of coconut, and he loves that product. He likes it on differents things like homemade popcorn or toasts.

Sarah P said...

I really like coconut spread! I sometimes put it on toast, but mostly I have a spoonful every now and then when I'm hungry but going to eat really soon.

I haven't tried the Earth Balance brand, but given how much I love their other stuff, I bet it's awesome.

Shannon said...

I just bought a container! I used it in some cookie dough that is currently chilling in the freezer. I am pretty excited to try it in frosting too.

climbinvegan said...

I've never tried the coconut version because I shy away from how much fat is in coconut... but I'm really happy that you said "bomb-ass" in this post. :) also your food always looks amazing- I wish we could be friends

Carrie™ said...

I didn't even know there was such a thing! We've only gotten Earth Balance in the stores here in Canada in the past couple of years. I'm going to see if the coconut one has arrived. Samosas sound delish!

Anonymous said...

Have yet to try it, but you may have sold me. I'll have to pick some up if I see it out.

Tierney @ Get Your Veg On said...

I use Earth Balance "butter" on a regular basis, but I haven't been able find the coconut spread. The Whole Foods near my house doesn't carry it. I tried another location and they didn't have it either. One day I will try this!

Barb@ThatWasVegan said...

EB also has some excellent recipes on their website!

On a side note, this is the first time I've been able to comment on your blog in a long time- I kept getting error messages :(

AlwaysJoy said...

I adore earth balance

Jess of Midwest Vegan said...

Yes! It's good. It makes the best toast when spread with peanut butter. It's also good on pancakes. I haven't tried it with anything savory yet.