Vegan Chef Battle

Tempeh Asparagus Wrappers with Tahini Sauce

2009-06-30T08:59:00.002-04:00

The best type of appetizer - easy and insanely delicious.

18 asparagus spears

1 8-ounce package tempeh or tempeh bacon

18 spring roll wrappers

olive oil

goddess salad dressing or homemade tahini sauce

Note: You can use premade tempeh bacon or make it. I used plain tempeh, sliced long-wise into 18 strips, and tripled the amount of an online marinade (http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/06/tempeh-bacon-recipe-vegan-facon-makes.html).

Dip one spring roll wrapper at a time into a bowl of water, just until pliable. At the center of each wrapper, place a strip of tempeh bacon. On it, place one asparagus spear, snapping off the woody end so that the length of the asparagus matches that of the tempeh strip. Roll the spring roll wrapper around the tempeh and asparagus and place on a well greased cookie tray. Use a liberal amount of oil, which helps the wrappers not stick and also helps the bottom of the wrapper get crispy during the baking process. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve with goddess dressing or homemade tahini sauce.

Some Like It Hot Jalepeno Poppers

2009-06-30T08:57:00.002-04:00

16 jalepeno peppers

2 avocados, mashed

1 cup unsweetened soy or nut milk

1 cup nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon seasoning blend

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wearing gloves, slice most of the way down the length of one side of each jalepeno, leaving the stem attached. Remove the seeds and rinse the inside of each pepper. Stuff each jalepeno with mashed avocado. Pour milk into a small bowl. In another small bowl, combine nutritional yeast, seasoning blend, and salt. With one hand dip each pepper into the milk. With your other hand, roll each pepper in the nutritional yeast mixture. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

The peppers are still quite hot the first day. If refrigerated overnight, the heat mellows, but the peppers soften. If serving the following day, reheat for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F or fry them in hot oil until they are golden brown.

Potato Salad Bites

2009-06-30T08:56:00.002-04:00

Use your favorite potato salad recipe. Chop the ingredients smaller to fit the smaller scale of the new potatoes. This is a great make-ahead travel recipe. The potato skins stack and you can place the filling in a plastic bag. When you arrive at your destination, cut a corner off of the plastic bag and squeeze the filling into the shells.

12 new potatoes

1 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/3 cup vegan mayo

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper (for color, optional)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped black olives

1/4 cup pickle relish

3 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup vegan bacon bits (optional)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (optional)

paprika (optional)

Steam or boil new potatoes. If boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. If using red, white, and blue new potatoes, the blue new potatoes require extra cooking time. When the potatoes have cooked, remove them from heat and allow them to cool. While they are still warm, cut them in half, lenthwise, and scoop out the potato pulp with a melon baller or cookie scoop. Chop the potato pulp and place it in a bowl. To the bowl, add the mayo, celery, bell pepper, onion, black olives, vinegar, salt, dry mustard, and pepper. Gently fold the ingredients until well blended. Place the shells on a serving tray and fill with the potato salad mixture. Top with vegan bacon bits or finely chopped parsley or paprika.

Tater skins, like you remember

2009-06-30T08:50:00.004-04:00

4 small/medium potatoes (any kind!)

olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 package firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and squeezed

4-5 tbs soy sauce

2 tsps liquid smoke (less if you don't want smoky bacon)

2 tbs nutritional yeast

canola/safflower/sunflower oil

2 slices packaged vegan cheeze OR 4 tbs nutritional yeast mixed with water and a sprinkle of salt (thick sauce)

Tofutti (or tofu) sour cream

2-3 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes, dry, and rub with olive oil, and salt. Place potatoes on baking sheet, and bake at 425 for about one hour, or until thoroughly cooked. If you want to do a quicker version, you may cook the potatoes in the microwave. Leave the oven on (or turn it on, if you used the microwave method, and turn to 450). While the potatoes are baking, prepare your bacon. Heat canola/safflower/sunflower oil in nonstick pan. Chop the frozen, thawed, and squeezed tofu into small cubes/pieces. Add the tofu to the oil, and occasionally stir around until totally fried, golden, and crispy. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce, liquid smoke, and some pepper (this is the "bacon" recipe from vegweb, that I modified). After the tofu is done, take the pan off the heat, and add the liquid mixture. You need enough to cover every piece. If you need to cook off some liquid, put the pan back on the heat for a few seconds. After most all of the soy sauce mixture has been absorbed, sprinkle in the 2 tbs nutritional yeast, and stir around. Put this off to the side.

Continue to check your potatoes, and once they are done, set them off to the side (off of the pan, for quicker cooling) and let them cool enough to handle. You may chop your green onions while you wait, or mix up your nutritional yeast sauce, if you are using that for the cheeze.

Once you are able to handle the potatoes, slice them each in half, lengthwise. Using a tablespoon, scoop out the very middle of the potato, and save it for later. For crispier skins, scoop out more potato. I like to leave about 1/4-1/2 inch of potato along the edges of the skin. Spray a bit more olive oil onto the tops of the potatoes, and sprinkle with pepper (you may also sprinkle with salt, but I usually have a good layer on the outside). Place the skins back in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn over, and bake 10 minutes more.

Once they are done, and crispy, take them out, and assemble! Once again, leave the oven on, and turn to broil. Add a piece of vegan cheeze slice, or about 1/2-1 tbs nutritional yeast sauce to each potato, and place in broiler for a couple of minutes. You may also use vegan sprinkles, or whatever cheeze you like. Take the pan out, and add a generous sprinkling of tofu bacon crumbles, a dollop of "sour cream," and a sprinkle of pepper, and green onions. Yum!

Sweet & Spicy Watermelon Salsa

2009-06-30T08:00:00.002-04:00

It sounds weird... but it's not, I swear. Totally regular salsa here. Mostly.

1 cup finely diced watermelon

1/2 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed

1.5 Tablespoons lime juice (fresh!)

1 small shallot (1-1.5" dia), minced

1 jalapeño, seeded/deveined, minced

dash of salt

Of course the directions are... combine everything in a medium bowl. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before serving with chips.

If you're worried that the watermelon will be too sweet/fruity for salsa, you can use the parts closer to the rind to make it more tart... and eat the rest of the watermelon :)

Makes scant 2 cups.

Lemon Pepper Chicken and Broccoli over Fettuchini Alfredo

2008-12-04T00:05:00.001-05:00

Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-and-Broccoli-Alfredo-533

Seitan and Broccoli:

1/2 c wheat gluten
2T nutritional yeast
1T curry
1T cumin
1t sage
1t thyme

2 heads of broccoli

Mix 1 T braggs in 1c measuring cup, fill up with water and slowly add to wheat gluten mix until doughy. You wont use all of the water (I like to have extra water just in case)

Place seitan in large pot of water, boil and then simmer for 45 minutes. Drain and squeeze out extra water.

cover rimmed baking sheet with 1T olive oil and juice from half of a lemon. rip off pieces of seitan, stretch out to make chicken strip shapes and put on pan. cook at 350 for 15 minutes uncovered, flip seitan, cook for 5 more minutes while getting broccoli ready. add broccoli, 2T black peppercorn, more olive oil and more lemon juice, cover with tin foil and bake for 10 more minutes at 400*

Pasta:
A couple handfuls of fettuchini noodles
A bunch of water!

Boil pasta while making the sauce.

Monterey Jack Alfredo Sauce:

1 package silken tofu
6 cloves garlic
1/2 c nutritional yeast
3T olive oil
1 C cashews
1/2 of a lemon juiced
1T tahini
1t onion powder
1t mustard
1/2 c unflavored soy milk

Blend all ingredients. Heat in sauce pan.

Parmesan:
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/4 c almonds

Blend

To serve, place pasta on dish, top with chicken and broccoli, pour sauce over, sprinkle with parmesan.

Popcorn Shrimp

2008-12-03T23:57:00.002-05:00

1/2 cup whole unsalted cashews, soaked 8 hours (or overnight)
1/3 cup flour
half a sheet of nori, finely chopped (optional)
3/4 tsp salt
large pinch of pepper
large pinch of paprika
1/3 cup water
oil, for deep frying

Heat oil to 180 C / 350F. Drain the soaked cashews.

Mix flour, nori, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl. Add water and whisk until smooth. Stir in cashews. Drop one at a time (so they don't stick together) into hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Sweet & Sour Pork

2008-12-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

This is a vegan version of the Americanized version of Sweet & Sour Pork. If you want a more authentic Chinese version, don't make this one.

For the Sweet & Sour Sauce:
1 440g (15oz.?) can of pineapple rings in juice (NOT syrup!)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar*
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Set aside pineapple rings, combine remaining ingredients (including pineapple juice...there should be 1/2-2/3 cup of juice), and simmer or microwave until thickened. You can add some red food coloring if you want that unnaturally bright color you see at restaurants.
*Disclaimer: This sauce is a little more sour than sweet. If you want it sweeter, decrease the vinegar and/or add more sugar to taste.

For the "Pork":
360g (0.75lb) seitan (I used the whole batch of this recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7545.0)
3/4 cup self-raising flour
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
flour, for coating
oil, for deep frying

Cut seitan into 1-inch chunks. Fill a pan about 3 inches deep with oil and heat to 375 F/185 C (if you happen to have a deep frying thermometer. Otherwise, just guess). Whisk together the self-raising flour, water, and salt. Toss seitan pieces in flour, then dip in batter and fry in batches until golden, about 2-3 mins per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels or a wire rack.

For the rest:
the pineapple rings that you set aside while making sauce
1 green bell pepper
2 carrots
Rice, for serving

Roughly chop the pineapple and green pepper and slice the carrots. Stir fry on medium-high until hot but barely cooked. Spoon veggies over rice, top with "pork", and pour sauce over all.

Serves 4-6

Vegan Clam Chowder

2008-12-03T23:50:00.003-05:00

scant 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/3 cup finely diced celery (about one stalk)
4 slices Yves' Deli-Style "Ham", diced
6 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
6 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp powdered sage
1 lb. Dutch creamer potatoes (or any other variety), cubed
4 oz Tofutti cream cheese (1/2 container)
1 1/4 cups unsweetened soymilk
2.5 cups water plus 1.5 packets (12 g) konbu dashi stock seasoning
(or 2.5 cups liquid konbu dashi stock*)
2 cups diced oyster mushrooms
fresh chives, for garnish

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cream cheese - there will still be little bits of cream cheese, but it should mostly mix. Set aside.

Sauté the onion and celery in 2 Tbsp of the Earth Balance over medium-low heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the sage and "ham" and sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the rest of the Earth Balance and flour to make a roux. Once the flour has been lightly toasted, add the water, dashi seasoning, and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer (and stir often to prevent the flour from burning), until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the soymilk/Tofutti mixture and oyster mushrooms. Return to a boil and then simmer for about 10 more minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and the soup is thick. Add salt to taste, and garnish with chives.

For an even "fishier" flavor, you can add flaked dulse to taste at any point in cooking.

Serves four.

* recipe for home-made dashi stock: http://japanesefood.about.com/od/soup/r/konbudashi.htm If using this, use the same amount of kelp but only 2.5 cups water (not 4 cups as stated) to make a more concentrated broth.

Gyros

2008-12-03T23:48:00.000-05:00

Seitan:
1/2 c wheat gluten
2T nutritional yeast
2T oregano
1T lemon pepper
1T cumin
1t sage
1t thyme

1T braggs + water

1T olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, mix wet ingredients in a 1c measuring cup. Slowly pour liquid into dry until doughy. Put seitan in a pot of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Drain seitan and squeeze out extra water. Rip seitan into long bite sized strips. Bake uncovered in pan with olive oil and lemon juice at 350* for 15 minutes, flip seitan, bake for another 15 minutes.

Tzaziki sauce:

3/4c sour cream, nayonaise or yogurt
1/3c chopped cucumber
as much garlic as you can handle
juice from half of a lemon
salt

French fries:
2 potatoes
canola or vegetable oil

Slice potatoes into french fry form. Fry in oil. Dry on paper towels to take out as much oil as possible.

Sandwich (put together in this order):
Pita bread
French fries
Seitan
Tzaziki sauce
Tomatoes chopped

Beenie Weenies

2008-12-03T23:47:00.001-05:00

1 can pinto beans
1 tomato
1/2 onion
1/2 pound Seitan
Basil
olive oil
3 TBSP BBQ sauce
choice of meat seasoning(pork is preferred)

Sautee onion and Seitan in a pan with poultry seasoning and just enough OLIVE OIL TO COVER pan.

wash and drain beans. add to Seitan and turn off heat.

Meanwhile, dice tomato and mix with just enough Olive oil to cover them. add BBQ sauce and more seasoning to taste.

Once tomatoes have gotten mushy, add beans to tomatoes and stir over medium heat until combined.

Chocolate cake (with a vegan twist)

2008-12-03T23:43:00.001-05:00

½ cup melted Earth Balance spread

1 cup Florida crystals (or other white sugar)

¼ cup vegan brown sugar

2½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups finely shredded zucchini

½ cup water

Frosting
5 tablespoons Earth Balance
¼ cup vegan powdered sugar
~ 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
For cake, mix together the melted Earth Balance, sugars and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini, and mix in water. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake springs back when gently touched.
For the frosting, cream the Earth Balance and powdered sugar with whisk or mixer. Add the cocoa and vanilla. Whisk in non-dairy milk (a teaspoon at a time) until frosting is desired consistency.

Vegan Clams!

2008-12-03T23:19:00.001-05:00

In thinking up my favorite family dish to veganize I found myself torn between two old favorites; my mother's very basic clam dip or my Nana's linguine and clam sauce. To that end I created something versatile enough to be used for both and much much more!

Seitan Clams.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
1/4 cup Garbanzo Flour
2 tsp Seaweed - I crumbled half a sheet of toasted nori
1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 tsp Onion powder
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Celery Seed
1/4 tsp ground Mustard
1/2 tsp Lemon Pepper - no salt variety is best
2 tsp Malt Vinegar (can use Brown Rice Vinegar as well), separated
1 tsp HP Sauce or vegan Worchestiershire Sauce
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/8 tsp Maramite
3 cups and 6 Tbsp Water, separated
1 Vegetable Bullion Cube or Watered down stock at a 2:1 ration water to stock

Directions
Bring the 3 cups of water, 1 tsp vinegar and the bullion to a low simmer in a 2 quart pot. Combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk to blend it thoroughly. Mix the small wet mixture into the dry to incorporate well. Kneed for 2-4 minutes. Drop by flattened and pinched pieces into the slowly simmering broth. These should be about the size of your thumbnail and flat. Simmer in the broth for five minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the broth for 15-30 minutes.

At this point you have a chewy small mouthful vaguely resembling the sea flavor of clams. You can utilize them in a multitude of recipes as noted below!

Mom's Clam Dip
Ingredients
Half a batch of Seitan Clams, minced if desired
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Garlic Salt
8 oz Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, softened

Directions
Blend all the ingredients together well, stirring the cream cheese well first then incorporating everything else. Serve with Wheat Thins or Fritos.

Nana's Linguine and Clam Sauce
Ingredients
1 batch Seitan Clams, minced if desired
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, minced
1/4 cup Garlic, fresh minced
1/4 cup Earth Balance Margarine
1/2 cup Seitan Clams broth liquid
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2 tsp Lemon Juice
8 oz linguine or other pasta of choice
1 -2 cups water

Directions
Make the clams and removed them with a slotted spoon to reserve for later. Ladel out half a cup of the broth and reserve this for later as well. Bring the cool broth up to a boil, adding 1-2 cups of water if needed. Cook the pasta in this watered down broth. Saute the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the garlic and saute a minute more but do not brown! Add the butter, clams and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broth a bit at a time to make enough sauce to coat the pasta. Once the pasta is cooked move it with a slotted spoon or tongs into the clam pan. Shake and flip to combine the two well. Season with salt, pepper and lemon. Serve hot and garnish with lemon slices.

The best thing about these clams are that they do not have that rubbery or gritty tooth feel. They are lightly chewy with a hint of ocean from the seaweed but mostly just a rich flavor from the broth. You can also fry these rather than simmer them, making them a great appeziter to pop right in your mouth or dunk into tartar sauce. I also envision the ability to make clam chowder, adding these at the very end to make a realistic addition.

Steak Stew

2008-12-03T23:18:00.001-05:00

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
2 tbs. olive oil
12 oz. of your favorite steak strip substitute, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. onion, coarsely chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
1 c. celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1.5 c. potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes (I used a mix of red, yukon gold, and russian blue)
8 c. favorite mushroom soup (I used Imagine Organic - 2 boxes)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic granules
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
salt to taste
optional: for a creamier soup, stir in a few tablespoons of vegan sour cream before serving

Directions:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot until shimmering. When the oil is ready, add the steak strips and onions, cooking until onions begin to brown. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to give up liquid. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes). Check seasonings and add 'sour cream', if desired. Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Scallops

2008-12-03T23:16:00.001-05:00

Scallops:
1 block (12oz) Tofu, firm but not frozen
1/4 c Earth Balance Margarine, softened
1/2 t Miso paste
1/2 t Lemon Pepper
1/2 t Salt
1 t Lemon Juice
1 T Vegetable Oil
1 Vegetable bullion cube
1/4 c Seaweed, crumbled
1 c Water

Directions for Scallops:
Blend the margarine, miso, lemon pepper, salt, and lemon juice into a thick paste. Cut the tofu into thick blocks and cut into circles with a biscut cutter, washed can or shot glass. Spread the paste all over the tofu circles and let sit 30 minutes in the fridge. After that time bring the oil to medium heat in a grill pan and add the scallops. Sear on both flat sides until golden. Add the bullion, seaweed and water and poach in the hot liquid for 10 minutes, stirring and spooning the broth around and over the tofu. Remove the tofu and strain the liquid to use in something else, like a side dish or vegetable. Return the pan to the stove and return to medium heat.

Seafoodesque Stuffing:
1 c Tofu Scraps made from cutting the circles out
1 c Garbanzo beans, cooked and drained
1 T Veganaise Mayo
1 t Garlic powder
1 t Onion powder
1 t Brown Rice Vinegar
1 t Lemon Juice
1 t Lemon Pepper
1/2 t Mustard powder
1/2 t Celery seed
1/2 t Mustard seed
1/2 t Basil
1/2 t Smoked Spanish Paprika

Directions for Stuffing:
Mash together well and set aside.
(Note: This makes a lot more than is needed by the scallops above. Reuse the rest by adding more condiments and enjoy!)

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Scallops
1 or more batches of soaked, browned and poached scallops.
1 batch Seafoodesque Stuffing
1 package Smart Bacon by LiteLife
2 t Vegetable Oil

Insert the stuffing into the scallops by cutting halfway through the poached circles and inserting a small amount with a spoon. Press the flat sides together, compressing the stuffing slightly. Wrap the bacon strips around the circumfirence of the scallop and secure with a toothpick. Shallow fry the bacon on the edges in the oil until browned all over and crispy. Remove the toothpicks before serving!

‘Nana Split Ice Cream Pie

2008-08-07T11:14:00.000-04:00

Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe from Vegan Ice Cream Paradise blog, but with changes)

1 c. light coconut milk
1 c. soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)
3/8 c. sugar
1 T. arrowroot
1 t. vanilla extract

Mix 2 Tbsp of soy milk with the 1 tablespoon of arrowroot and set aside.

Mix the soy creamer, soy milk, and sugar together in a saucepan. When the mixture has just started to boil, take off the heat and stir in the arrowroot slurry. This should immediately cause the liquid to thicken (not a lot, but a noticeable amount; it will be thicker when it cools).

Stir in vanilla extract.

Set the ice cream mixture aside to cool in fridge.

Graham Cracker Crust:

½ box graham crackers smashed to crumbs (Keebler brand Original are vegan, I believe)

¼ cup Earth Balance, melted

Mix the EB and graham cracker crumbs, then press into pie plate

Set aside.

Pie Assembly:

1 or 2 bananas, sliced

Handful of strawberries, sliced

Chocolate ganache ( 2/3 cup of chocolate chips melted in ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp warm soymilk)

Chopped peanuts

Layer the sliced bananas in the crust. I did one layer with one banana, but it depends on how big your banana is (hehe). Do the same with the strawberries. Pour the ice cream mix over the strawberries and bananas (there might be extra). If you don’t mind waiting around, you could let the ice cream freeze a little before doing the chocolate layer, but if you’re anxious to finish the pie (waiting for desserts is no fun) just carefully pour the chocolate over the top of the ice cream layer, garnish however you like with bananas, strawberries, and chopped peanuts and then stick it all in the freezer til frozen. Let it soften a little before slicing. Eat!

Coconut Lime Pie w/ Whole Wheat Oat Crust

2008-08-06T20:14:00.001-04:00

Pie Filling:
2 1/2 cups fresh shredded coconut
3 1/2 T lime zest
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 T vanilla
1 T agave nectar
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup non dairy milk (coconut or 1/2 coconut 1/2 vanilla soy)

Crust:
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup ground oats
1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat Oven to 425F. Mix the dry ingredients for the crust. Cut in the margarine and add the water to the dry. Knead until blended and smooth, then roll out on a generously floured surface to fit the size of your pie pan. You can also just use an unbaked store bought vegan pie crust. Put the crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling. Mix everything for the filling together, except for the cornstarch and milk. Blend the cornstarch and milk together until smooth. Add that to the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well. Pour the filling ingredients into the chilled pie shell and bake for 60 minutes. Cover the edges with foil if they begin to brown too quickly. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool (or else it may be a little runny), slice and serve. Enjoy! :)

Minty Mudd Pie

2008-08-06T18:35:00.000-04:00

Crust

Ingredients:

1/4 cup melted EB or vegan margarine

22 oreos, finely ground (approx. 1 1/4 cup crumbs)

Directions:

1)Crush oreos.

2)Stir in melted marg.

3)Press firmly into pie pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool.

2 Layer Filling

Ingredients:

2 Deep Forest Mint chocolate bars, broken into pieces

1/2 cup vegan choc chips

1 box silken tofu

1/2 container tofutti

2 TB EB or vegan margarine

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Topping

1 cup vegan choc chips melted or chocolate shavings, mint leaves, etc….as garnish.

Directions:

1)Blend silken tofu until smooth in processor.

2)Melt chocolate bars and 1/2 cup choc chips in microwave until smooth. Stir every 30 seconds to prevent burning.

3)Pour melted chocolate into processor with tofu. Blend until fully incorporated.

4)Pour chocolate mixture into crust and chill until firm (about 2 hours).

5)To make mint crème layer, blend tofutti cream cheese with EB.

6)Blend in peppermint extract.

7)Slowly blend in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time.

8)Spread on top of chocolate layer and chill.

9)Drizzled on melted choc chips as garnish.

Chocolate Banana Coconut Crème Pie

2008-08-06T18:34:00.001-04:00

Macadamia Graham Crust

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely ground macadamia nuts(unsalted)

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers

3 TBS sugar

1/3 cup EB melted

Mix all crust ingredients together well. Press firmly into pie plate. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

2 Layer Pie Filling

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas

1 12oz box of silken tofu

8 oz vegan choc chips

1 3.5oz package of vegan vanilla pudding mix

1 1/2 cups coconut milk or soymilk(for making pudding)

I/2 cup shredded coconut

1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Slice bananas and place in a single layer on bottom of pie crust.
Blend tofu in processor til smooth.
Add choc chips to microwave safe bowl and microwave 2 minutes, stirring every 30 secs until smooth and melted.
Pour melted chips into processor with the tofu and blend until completely incorporated.
Pour this chocolate mixture into crust covering banana slices.
Place in refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours or until set.
When choc layer is almost set, begin making the pudding layer.
Make pudding according to directions on box. (This should involve adding liquid to the mix and heating) *When making pudding for pies, I always use just a little more than half the liquid called for in directions. This makes a nice thick and flavorful pie filling.
Remove pudding from stove and stir in 1/2 cup of shredded coconut. Allow pudding to cool to room temperature.
Pour pudding on top of choc/banana layer. Chill.
Toast shredded coconut in a skillet over med heat. Stir often and don't let it burn. Sprinkle on top of pie before serving.

PMS Pie

2008-08-06T18:32:00.002-04:00

1 9” graham cracker crust

Peanut Butter Brownie
¾ cup flour
½ cup cocoa
½ t baking powder
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 T oil
1 ½ T flax meal mixed with 4 T water (let stand a few minutes until gummy)
½ t vanilla
½ cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar, oil, vanilla, soy milk and flax mixture.
Add dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture and mix until combined- batter will be thick.
Scrape into graham cracker crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 26 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out relatively clean. Let cool; prepare cookie dough.

Cookie dough
1 cup flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¼ cup margarine
4 T soy milk
1 t vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Cream brown sugar and margarine, add margarine and soymilk and combine, add flour and optional chocolate chips and mix well. Spread dough over cooled brownie and refrigerate while you prepare mousse.

Mousse
½ block extra firm tofu (about a cup)
1/3 cup sugar
2 ½ T cocoa
½ t vanilla

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, creamy, light and fluffy. Depending on the strength of your processor this could take a couple of minutes…there should be not traces of tofu at all. Refrigerate for an hour or so then pipe decoratively on pie.

Tropical Delight Pie

2008-08-06T18:30:00.001-04:00

Crust:
1 cup ground almonds
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 T sugar
2 T margarine (soft)

Mix almonds, coconut and sugar in bowl. Add margarine and mix in until mixture is the consistency of damp sand. Press mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of 9” pie plate. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly golden.

Let cool and proceed to pie filling;

2 cans coconut milk
2/3 cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot
1 ½ water
1 t vanilla
¾ cup drained crushed pineapple
¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Optional:

½ cup shredded unsweetened toasted coconut*
1 cup diced mango
1 thinly sliced kiwi

In a bowl combine sugar, vanilla and water; set aside.

In a med largish saucepan bring coconut milk to a boil. Once coconut milk has come to a boil add cornstarch to sugar mixture and whisk until smooth and satiny. Stir into the boiling coconut milk. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat while stirring almost constantly with a wooden spoon. Filling should become very thick and creamy. When done remove from heat and mix in pineapple and non-toasted coconut, pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The longer it chills the better. Garnish if desired with mango, kiwi and toasted coconut.

To toast coconut- add to dry skillet over medium heat moving coconut constantly ..should only take a minute or too. Due to fat content coconut will continue to cook when removed from heat so be careful not to burn.

Oatmeal Raisin Choclate Chip Cookie Pie

2008-08-06T18:29:00.001-04:00

1 pie shell, homemade or storebought (graham cracker works well)
2 flax eggs
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar - packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup earth balance - softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg or allspice
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325.

Mix everything together in one big bowl and pour it into the pie crust. For a 8" crust bake for about an hour and 10 minutes. For a 9" crust it might not take quite as long. Either way, when the top looks cooked and when a knife inserted halfway between the crust and the center of the pie comes out clean, it's done! Serve warm from the oven or reheat slices in the microwave.. it's delicious served a'la mode with some vanilla soy cream!

Choconut Pie

2008-08-06T18:27:00.001-04:00

crust:
about 16 oreos (store brand, name brand, newman o's, doesnt matter)

chocolate layer:
1 pkg firm silken tofu
1/4 c turbinado sugar (white sugar would work as well)
1/2 c chocolate chips

peanut butter layer:
1 pkg silken tofu
1/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c p-nut butter

chocolate p-nut topping:
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/2 c unsalted p-nuts

caramel topping:
1/8 c turbinado sugar (white sugar will work as well)
1/4 c water

Crush the oreos finely and push into crust form at bottom of pan and up about an inch of the pie pan.

Chocolate layer: blend tofu and sugar. Double boil the chocolate chips until melted. Add the chocolate chips to the tofu mix and blend. Pour this mix on top of the oreos and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Peanut butter layer: blend tofu, powdered sugar and peanut butter. Pour this mix on top of the chocolate layer. Put in freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate peanut topping: prepare a piece of parchment paper over something flat, small and freezable. Put peanuts on top of parchment paper. Double boil chocolate chips until melted. Pour chocolate over peanuts, cover the peanuts in chocolate and flatten out as thinly as possible. Put in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. After the chocolate topping and the peanut butter layer are solid, break apart the chocolate topping into small pieces (you wont be able to easily cut through these, so make sure they're small enough to cut around them when slicing the pie) and place on top of peanut butter layer. Leave the pie out while you make the...

Caramel layer: Toast the sugar in a small pan on medium high while boiling the water. When the water is boiling, pour the water over the sugar and heat until it bubbles and thickens. When its at your desired thickness, drizzle the caramel over the entire pie. Place pie in freezer until its time to eat!

Michigan Madness Cobbler

2008-08-06T18:25:00.005-04:00

This is an everything but the kitchen sink kind of pie/cobbler as I used random things that I had around the kitchen— it turned out extremely yummy and easy and can’t imagine anyone not liking it, unless you hate pie in general, and if that’s the case why the heck would you be looking at pie recipes?

Crust

I adopted the Almond Oat crust from the Extra Veganza book

Ingredients:
2 cups almonds, finely ground
1 cup oats, finely ground
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy milk

Mix almonds, oats and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the ingredients. In the well, put the syrup and oil, combining these two ingredients together first. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until all are thoroughly mixed together. Add in sugar, mix. Add in soy milk, mix. Add more if needed to get a moist consistency. Press into oiled pie pan.

1 Quart Michigan strawberries (fresh or frozen) hulled
1 pint Michigan cherries (sweet or tart, fresh or frozen) pitted
½ jar American Spoon Michigan sweet cherries “perfect fruit” (it’s like a baking sauce with whole fruit—it’s beyond awesome—but if you can’t find it you can use a similar canned or jarred cherry pie filling—but you don’t need a lot—maybe only 8 oz.)
¼ cup sugar

Combine everything and pour into crust

Cobbler Topping
½ cup raw quick oats
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ to ½ cup earth balance (I really wasn’t paying attention while I was measuring…)

Combine everything together to get a crumble mixture. Pour on to fruit filling.

Bake the whole thing for 30 minutes at 325 F then broil for 2 to 3 minutes to brown cobbler.
You can definitely dig into this right away—just don’t burn your tongue *ouch*

Tipsy Blueberry Cheesecake

2008-08-06T07:17:00.000-04:00

Ingredients:
1cup Sugar
2cups Blueberry Wine with Brandy
1pint fresh Blueberries
8oz Cream Cheese
1/2cup Sugar
1tsp Vanilla
1tsp Lemon Juice
Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Directions:
In a medium pot over medium high heat stir together the 1c sugar and wine. Once the sugar granules are dissolved add in the blueberries and simmer until reduced by 3/4ths. This can take up to 90 minutes.
Beat together the cream cheese, 1/2c sugar, vanilla and lemon until creamy and smooth.
Gently fold the blueberry reduction.
Spoon into crust.
Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Butterscotch Cream Pie w/ Hazelnut Macadamia Crust

2008-08-06T07:14:00.000-04:00

Butterscotch layer:

2 Cups raw cashews
1 Cup buttershots/butterscotch schnapps (can use 1 Cup water w/ 2 tsp butterscotch extract)
1 TBSP maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place cashews and buttershots in a bowl and let soak for at least 4 hours, preferrably overnight. Drain completely, reserving the liquid. Place cashews in the blender and blend until smooth. Add buttershots, maple syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth. Place in fridge and let chill until ready to use.

For the crust:

3/4 Cup raw hazelnuts
3/4 Cup raw macadamias
3/4 Cup sweet rice flour
1 TBSP Kahlua (or soymilk)
3 TBSP shortening
1 TBSP maple syrup
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 350
Place hazelnuts and macadamias in food processor or blender and grind into a fine powder. Empty into a bowl and add kahlua, shortening, maple syrup and salt. Incorporate well. Dough should form a ball when pressed together. Press into a greased pie plate evenly and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Chocolate layer:

12 oz. Firm silken tofu (such as mori-nu)
1 Cup chocolate chips
1 Cup soymilk
3/4 Cup sugar
3 TBSP arrowroot
1 T godiva liquer (or 1 tsp chocolate extract)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place tofu in blender and blend until completely smooth.
Place 1/2 cup soymilk in a container and whisk in the arrowroot until completely dissolved. Set aside. Put the other 1/2 cup of soymilk and all of the chocolate chips in a small saucepan and turn heat on to medium. Cook until chocolate melts completely. Once melted, whisk in the arrowroot mixture and sugar, stirring constantly until thickened, about 4-6 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in godiva liquer and vanilla extract. Add to the tofu and blend until smooth. Pour into cooked pie crust and place in fridge to cool.

Once the chocolate layer is set, pour butterscotch layer over and let it chill for another 30 minutes, or until firm. Top with soy whipped cream and chocolate syrup (melt some chocolate chips in a double boiler and whisk in some soymilk or godiva liquer) drizzled over the top.

Shroom Mush

2008-04-20T22:07:00.002-04:00

Ingredients:
1/3 cup almonds (whole or slivered)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
2 large portabello mushrooms (or 2-3 cups of white mushrooms)
1 small zucchini
olive oil, for frying
salt, to taste
chili powder, to taste
juice of 1/4 of a lime

Directions:
If using whole almonds, roughly chop them. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until fragrant and golden (careful not to burn them). Remove them from the pan and set aside.
Roughly chop the mushrooms (about 3/4" cubes). Thinly slice the zucchini. Heat some oil in the frying pan and fry the mushrooms and zucchini with the garlic until the zucchini is transluscent and the mushrooms have released their juice (5-10 minutes).
Put the mushroom/zucchini mixture in a blender, along with the rest of the ingredients except almonds. Blend until smooth. Add water to get the desired consistency.
Stir in the almonds. Serve room temperature or chilled with veggies, crackers, or flatbread.
Makes about 2 cups of dip.

Notes: If you want a smooth dip you can blend the almonds with the rest of it. Personally, I like it a bit chunky. I also recommend using whole cumin and coriander seeds and toasting them (in a dry pan, after removing the almonds) and grinding them yourself. But pre-ground is fine

Sent in by Amy

“Cream” of Mushroom Soup

2008-04-19T13:02:00.004-04:00

Creamy soup without the added fat of cream.

1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
6 cups chopped mixed mushrooms*
2 or more cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
1 cup plain soy milk
2 vegan "beef" style bouillon cubes
½ cup instant mashed potato flakes
Pepper to taste

In a large saucepan saute onion and garlic in margarine until onion starts to caramelize. Add the chopped mushrooms, 1 cup of water, and salt. Cook until wilted and reduced. Remove 1 cup of drained mushroom mixture and set aside. To the mushroom mixture left in the pot add the remaining 3 cups water, soy milk and bouillon cubes. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the bouillon cubes and then remove from heat. Add the potato flakes and using an immersion blender, puree until very smooth. (If an immersion blender is not available use a regular blender.) Return pureed mixture to burner and add the reserved mushrooms and onions. Heat thoroughly. Makes 6-8 servings.

*I used white button, shiitake, and Portobelo.

Submitted by Isabella

Mushroom Pinwheel Hors d'oeuvres

2008-04-19T13:00:00.004-04:00

Serve these little mouthfuls hot or cold.

Filling_:
3 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine
1/2 teaspoon steak spice
Pinch of cayenne pepper, or to taste
Pinch of garlic powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon white flour
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 or 3 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

In small saucepan saute mushrooms and onions in margarine until onions start to caramelize. Add spice, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Stir in the flour and mix well. Add the water and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and red pepper. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Set aside to cool while making the pastry.

_Pastry_:
1 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup very cold non-hydrogenated margarine
1/4 cup cold water
2 tablespoons very cold non-hydrogenated margarine

In medium sized bowl mix flour with salt, garlic powder, baking powder. Rub in margarine until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in water and make a soft dough. Do not over mix. Gather dough in a ball and wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator at least one hour. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll on floured surface into about a 9 x13-inch rectangle. Spread the dough with the 2 tablespoons margarine. Starting at short end fold one third of the dough towards the middle and then fold the other side of dough over that. You should now have a small rectangle of dough. Re-roll into the original 9x13-inch size. Spread cooled filling over the surface of the pastry and starting at long side roll up in a jelly roll fashion. Cut into slices and place on greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in 375 F. degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Server hot or cold. Makes 12-15 pinwheels.

Submitted by Isabella

Mushroom Pizza Crazies w/ Pumpkin Sauce!

2008-04-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

Dough:
2 ¼ cup Flour
¾ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Yeast
¾ cup warm Water
1 clove Garlic - minced
Cornmeal

Sauce:
10 Dried Shitake Mushrooms – rehydrated and minced
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
3 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
¾ cup Mashed Pumpkin
½ cup Veggie Stock
1 tablespoon Sugar
2 teaspoon Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic - minced

Toppings:
10 Oyster Mushrooms - sliced
20 Button Mushrooms - halved
1 can Straw Mushrooms - halved
1 large Onion - sliced
1 cup Pineapple - diced
3 cloves Garlic - minced
10 leaves Basil - julienned
1 ½ tablespoon Hot Pepper Flakes or 1 Habanero Pepper - minced

Dough:

Combine dry ingredients (except corn meal). In a separate bowl combine yeast and water and mix until dissolved. Let the yeast get frothy, about 10 mins. Add the oil and garlic to yeast mixture, then add the wet to the dry. Knead for a few mins then roll out into a pizza shape. Grease a pan and dust with cornmeal. Bake on 450F for 5-10 mins or until firm to the touch.

Sauce:

Combine all ingredients for sauce. Heat to boil then lower to a simmer and cook while you prepare toppings. If its too thick add a little more stock.

Pizza:

Take dough out of the oven and cover with the sauce. Layer all of the toppings in order listed. Cook for 20 mins at 450F. Slice and enjoy! :)

Submitted by Tiffichan

Mushroom Carbonara

2008-04-19T12:57:00.001-04:00

2T Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, Minced
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced finely
2 Large Portabello Caps, sliced thinly and diced
8 oz White Button Mushrooms, diced
8 oz Shitake Mushrooms, diced
10 oz Baby Bella Mushrooms, diced
2 t Thyme, dried
1/2 t Liquid Smoke
1 t Basil, dried
1/2 t Parsley, dried
1/2 t Smoked Paprika
1 lb Thin Spaghetti Noodles
1/4 c Earth Balance Margarine
1/4 c Flour
2 c Unsweetened Soy Milk
1 c Nutritional Yeast
1/2 t Mustard, dried
1/2 t Lemon Juice

Directions:
Saute the onion in oil for 5 minutes, or until softened, on medium heat.
Add garlic and saute 2 more minutes.
Add mushrooms and lower heat to medium low and saute for 5 minutes.
Add Thyme, Liquid Smoke, Basil, Parsley and Paprika to the mushroom mixture and saute 10 more minutes.
Boil noodles to preferred doneness and drain in a collander, set aside.
In the large pasta pot add the Earth Balance and melt on medium high heat.
Once the margarine is melted add the flour and stir together.
Cook the roux for 2 minutes or until it darkens just a bit.
Gradually add the soy milk a little at a time, stirring well between each addition and returning to a low boil so as to not break the roux.
Once all the soy milk is added add the Nutritional Yeast and whisk together for a few minutes before adding the mustard and lemon juice.
When the sauce is thick enough for your tastes, gently fold in the mushroom mixture and then the noodles.
Serve with garlic toasted Focaccia bread.

Submitted by KL

Tifichan's Tom (Yummy) Yum Soup

2008-04-19T12:53:00.004-04:00

1 15 oz. can broken straw mushrooms
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or cubed
1 15 oz. can baby corn
8 oz. tofu, sliced or cubed, browned in oil
1 ½ t dried wakame
2" piece of konbu
½ a bag dried lemongrass or 2 fresh stalks bruised and cut into 1" pieces
6 c vegi-chicken stock
10 dried red chilis, halved lengthwise
6 T lime juice
2 kaffir lime leaves or zest from 1 lime
3 T sriracha
2 T soy sauce or miso dissolved in water
1 small can bamboo shoots, sliced into matchsticks
1-2" knob ginger or galangal, minced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced
½ a bunch cilantro, chopped, stems and leaves separated

bring the first 15 ingredients + cilantro stems to boil, simmer for 10-20 mins. garnish w/ cilantro leaves and green onions after finished cooking. if using miso, add it after cooking so you don’t kill the good bacterias in it. the lemongrass, dried chilis, lime leaves and konbu aren’t very fun to chew, so remove them before serving. this is SUPER spicy, so beware :) the seaweeds add a fishy/ocean-y taste to replace the fish sauce in a traditional recipe.

to make tom yum into tom kha, replace 2 cups of stock w/ 1 can of coconut milk. some other alterations you can do are replace the bamboo shoots w/ water chestnuts (also sliced into matchsticks), use 5 fresh small scotch bonnet or habanero peppers, sliced into matchsticks, instead of the dried chilis, and/or add a clove of minced garlic. this recipe is really fun to just mix and match to your preference :)

Super Hoagies

2008-03-27T22:19:00.001-04:00

Winner, Cabbage Battle
Oh gosh, where to begin? I was inspired to make these hoagies one day while daydreaming about my very first job ….. a waitress(of course) at a little dive restaurant in a super small town. The only good thing about that job was unlimited access to the sundae machine :) and a fabulous hoagie that inspired these tasty sandwiches. Hope you enjoy!

First off you are going to want to whip up some coleslaw...

Sweet Poppyseed! Coleslaw
6-8 cups(loosely) shredded cabbage
1 cup of vegan mayo (for best flavor, use a kind that tastes like "Miracle Whip", if you remember what that tastes like…..my fave is Nasoya-Original.)
1/4-1/3 cup sugar
2 TBS lemon juice
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Pinch of salt
Splash of soymilk

Ok, ready. Put everything in a big bowl and stir it up. All done! Place in the fridge for an hour before serving.

Then you will need a patty…..

Smokin' Oat 'n Bean Patties
White kidney beans (cannellini beans) could possibly be my favorite bean. They have a wonderful flavor that makes a quick and easy patty.
1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 TBS dried onion
1 TBS dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup quick oats

1)Empty beans into medium glass bowl. Use masher or fork to smash until mostly smooth.
2)Mix in salt, pepper, dried onion, and dried parsley. Heat mixture in microwave 1 min. 3)Stir in oats. Heat an additional minute in microwave.
4)Let mixture sit a couple of minutes while you heat the griddle or oven.
5)Form into patties and cook on oiled skillet for about 5 minutes each side. Turn gently. (You can also bake these at 350 for about 25 minutes. I've put them into greased muffin tins and made tiny little loaves.)

Finally, you will need to assemble you Super Hoagie! Take a pumpernickel hoagie roll, slice it in half, add a piece of vegan mozz or swiss. Heat in microwave about 30 seconds to slightly melt cheese. Add tomato slices, then patties. And the best part of all, top it with a huge helping of coleslaw. Now, do your very best to shove it all in your mouth, its worth it!

Fab Cab Smoothie

2008-03-10T22:31:00.003-04:00

A fruit smoothie with infused with the health benefits of red cabbage.

1 cup chopped red cabbage
1 small apple, cut into chunks
1/2 frozen banana, cut into chunks
1/2 cup frozen mixed berries
water

Place the cabbage, apple chunks, banana, and berries in a blender. Add about 1/4 cup water and blend. Add water until the mixture reaches desired smoothie consistency. Continue blending until smooth.

Roasted Cabbage and Fennel Bulb Stuffed Baked Potato

2008-03-10T22:29:00.003-04:00

This recipe combines traditional St. Patrick’s Day ingredients in a different way.

2 baking potatoes
1 fennel bulb, cored and finely chopped
1 head Napa cabbage
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon herbs de provence
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Baking the Potatoes
On a baking pan, place 2 potatoes. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, reserving the skins.

Cabbage & Fennel Bulb
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add chopped cabbage and fennel bulb. Sauté for 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and set aside. If you have a smaller skillet, do this in batches. Spread the mixture on a pan and put in oven alongside potatoes. Stir cabbage mixture approximately every 10 minutes, roasting for about 30 to 40 minutes. It may seem like a lot of cabbage, but it will reduce as it roasts.

Toasted Pecans
In the skillet, add pecans, bread crumbs, and herbs de provence. Heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Assembly
Scoop potato flesh to a bowl, food chopper, or food processor. Blend to a mashed consistency, adding a little water if necessary. Remove to a bowl and stir in cabbage mixture, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into potato shells and sprinkle bread crumb mixture on top.
Return assembled potatoes to the oven and broil until bread crumbs start to brown, about 2 minutes.

Makes 4 servings (one-half potato per serving).

Chocolate Cabbage Cake

2008-03-10T22:25:00.006-04:00

This is a cabbage dessert using sauerkraut. I hope sauerkraut qualifies as cabbage. I have
veganized a chocolate sauerkraut cake which is a common recipe found on dozens of recipe sites. I decorated it from inspiration derived from Mirabel Catering . The instructions for the leaves was adapted from here.

At least one day before you assemble the cake make the chocolate cabbage leaves.

You will need 1 or 2 heads of cabbage for best selection of outer leaves. Cut off about 8 to 10 perfect cabbage leaves wipe both sides with a dry cloth. Don't use water (and soap) to clean the leaves; the oil of the leaves will be removed and will make peeling the chocolate difficult. You may want to trim the thick vein running up the back of the leaf so it will not be too thick. Set leaves aside.

Melt about 1 cup of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips over hot water in double boiler or bowl set in pan of simmering water. Make sure no water splashes in the chocolate. When chocolate chips are just about melted stir until smooth. Turn heat down just enough to keep the chocolate liquid.

Line several cookie sheets or trays with waxed paper. Prepare one cabbage leaf at a time. Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, spread a layer of chocolate on the inside of each cabbage leaf making sure the edges are coated. Make sure to spread a thick coat over the larger veins, especially the one running down the middle of the leaf; otherwise, the leaf will crack.

Place leaf in freezer leaves for about 3 to 5 minutes to quickly solidify the chocolate. Remove and inspect the chocolate leaves. If any veins are exposed, them recoat them with more melted chocolate to cover them; freeze them again in the same manner. This side of the leaf does not have to look neat.

Take the hardened chocolate covered leaf and carefully peel the real cabbage leaf off the chocolate and then place the chocolate leaf on the prepared cookie sheet. Avoid handling the chocolate leaf as much as possible; otherwise, you will leave fingerprints and the chocolate will melt in these areas. Place chocolate leaf in refrigerator while you make
the rest of the leaves. If a chocolate leaf breaks just pop it back in the bowl and remelt.

Store leaves in refrigerator until ready to assemble cake.

Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake
2/3 cup soft margarine, full fat
1 1/2 cup white sugar
Egg replacer for 3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups soy milk
2/3 - 1 cup rinsed, drained, chopped sauerkraut

First, turn the sauerkraut into a strainer and rinse it thoroughly. Allow it to drain well. Cut sauerkraut finely into small pieces with a knife. Rinse again and let sit in strainer until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line with strips of waxed paper two 6 or 7-inch oven proof bowls. If you have only one bowl, bake one cake layer and then clean the bowl and bake the second half.

Cream margarine until light and fluffy, add sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in egg replacer and vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients, then add alternately with the soy milk to the creamed mixture.

Using your hands, squeeze the excess water from the sauerkraut, measure it and carefully stir into the cake, mixing thoroughly.

Fill each prepared bowl about 1/3 full and bake 30-35 minutes in 350 degree F. oven or until middle is baked. Test with cake tester or toothpick. If cake is still not baked after 35 minutes lower oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake another 10 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out on cake rack, peel waxed paper off, and cool thoroughly.

Bake remaining batter into cupcakes and freeze for a treat another day. Make chocolate cream frosting while cake is cooling.

To Assemble Cabbage Cake:
You will putting both cakes together to make a sphere shaped cake like a cabbage. Slice each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers all together (2 layers from each cake). Place one of the small layers cut side up on the plate you will use to serve cake and cover with about 1/4 cup of frosting, top with next layer and repeat until you have four layers stacked in a sphere. Frost all around the cake. Layer the outside of the cake with the chocolate cabbage leaves to resemble a real cabbage. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cover loosely with waxed paper or plastic wrap.

Serves 6 to 8

Chocolate Cream Frosting
1/3 cup margarine
2 1/2-3 cups powdered icing sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a mixing bowl beat margarine with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Sift powdered sugar and cocoa together. Slowly add powdered sugar and cocoa powder to creamed margarine. Add vanilla. Beat in soy milk a little at a time. Beat in more milk and sifted powdered sugar, to make frosting spreadable but not runny. (Be very careful not
to add too much milk in the beginning. Add slowly until desired consistency is reached. If your frosting is too runny, add more sugar; too stiff add more milk, a few drops at a time.)

For a 2 layer cake: Bake in two greased and floured 8" square or 9" round cake pans which have been lined with waxed paper. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Allow to cool on rack for 10 minutes, then turn out, peel off paper and finish cooling. Fill and frost with your favorite icing.

St. Patrick’s Day Corned "Beef" and Cabbage Family Dinner

2008-03-10T22:24:00.003-04:00

This recipe serves about 8 but can easily be halved for smaller families. Use a smaller cabbage and half the filling. The cabbage and filling can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to cook. The bouillon cubes are vegan beef flavored.

1 4-5 pound green

Remove outer wilted leaves and 3 or 4 good leaves and cut bottom off cabbage (stem end) making a wide flat surface. Discard wilted leaves; lay aside good leaves for later. Carefully, using a paring knife, remove core from cabbage. Hollow out cabbage leaving at least a 1- 1 1/2 inch wall. Use the interior cabbage for coleslaw or another recipe. Set
hollowed cabbage aside and make the filling.

Filling
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoon oil or margarine
1/4 pound firm tofu (3/4 cup crumbled)
3/4 pound veggie burger (about 1 3/4 - 2 cups)
1/2 cup favorite nuts, chopped fine or ground
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/3 cup Vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon meat pie or hamburger spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, start with a pinch and add more if needed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beef flavored bouillon cube
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cold water plus more if needed

Fry mushroom and onion in the oil until limp. In large bowl crumble tofu into small pieces like cottage cheese size. Add veggie burger, nuts and fried vegetables. Mix oatmeal, breadcrumbs, gluten, spices and together in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to tofu mixture and mix until well blended together. Use your hands to get it well mixed. Dissolve the bouillon cube in the hot water and add it to the cold water. Add the water until mixture is soft but not oozing water. You may need more or less depending on the wetness of the tofu. Taste the filling and adjust seasonings if needed. Use this mixture to fill the cabbage. Any left over filling can be made into patties and fried for another meal.
To Stuff and Cook Cabbage
2 beef flavored bouillon cubes
2 onions, peeled
Cheese cloth or dish cloth
Large stock pot or Dutch oven with cover
Pot trivet or canning ring
Boiling water

Lightly salt the inside of the cabbage and fill with the “meat” filling. Lay the 3 or 4 good leaves that you put aside on top of the meat to cover. Sit the stuffed cabbage (stuffing side up) in the middle of the cheese cloth or a clean dish towel, and bring the four corners of the cloth up to enclose the cabbage. Tie the cloth tightly on cabbage. Place the cabbage in a pot of boiling water in which a trivet or canning ring has been placed so the cabbage will not be sitting directly on the bottom of the pot. Put the bouillon cube and onions in with the cabbage. Taste broth and adjust for salt. Cover pot, turn heat down and boil gently for 1 1/2 -2 hours or until cabbage is cooked. Test with fork.

Potatoes, carrots and turnip may be placed in the pot if there is room the last 30 or 40 minutes of cooking. Serve with onion gravy and sweet
mustard pickles.

Cabbage!

2008-03-10T22:22:00.002-04:00

it seems like such an obvious way to use cabbage, but I’m just hoping that I’m the only one to use it as a bowl. heh.

serves 3

baked portion

1 lb tofu
1/2 sliced onion
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T veggie oil
5 garlic cloves sliced
1 in. ginger sliced

sautéed portion

6 not so intact cabbage leaves sliced
2 green onions chopped
1 corn cob with corn cut off or 1/2 c corn
1/4 c cashews
1T soy sauce
1T sesame oil
1t veggie oil

raw portion

6 very intact cabbage leaves (these will form bowls for the dish!)
1 corn cob with corn cut off, or 1/2 cup corn
1/4 c raw cashews
2 green onions chopped

peanut sauce

2T peanut butter
1t soy sauce
1t sesame oil
1t sugar

Now that this is all written down, it seems much more complex than it actually is...but here we go

mix all baked portion ingredients on cookie sheet or in casserole dish. Bake at 450* for 30 minutes. stir every 10 minutes.

mix all sautéed portion ingredients except cashews. sauté on medium low -medium until tofu is done in the oven.

mix peanut sauce in small bowl

when tofu is done, dump baked mix into sauté mix, add cashews. sauté for a couple more minutes.

split up sautéed mix throughout each intact cabbage "bowl", put a dollop of peanut sauce on top, sprinkle on raw corn, green onions and cashews.

2008-02-11T23:25:00.002-05:00

Coconut Sconecakes with Strawberrys

dry

1.5 c flour (unbleached)

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c fine grated coconut (unsweetened)

3 tsp baking powder

1 big pinch of salt

wet

3/4 c soymilk

1/4 c oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

topping

12 strawberries, sliced (can use frozen, as I did)

Preheat oven to 350 f.

Combine all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Combine all wet ingredients in another bowl. Once oven is at temperature, add the wet to the dry, stirring lightly until everything is mixed up. Be careful not to overmix and make sure you get the dry on the bottom of the bowl.

Spray a 10 inch metal (oven safe) skillet with oil and add dough, lightly pushing to evenly fill the pan (you can use an 8x8 pan, but I use a skillet because I used to bake everything for my better half back in his "batchlor pad" in this pan because he had nothing else!). Bake for 25 minutes or until brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Once cooled, slice and serve with berries on top.

I call these "sconecakes" because it is like shortcake but sweeter. And because I can.

2008-02-11T23:17:00.001-05:00

Sugar Cookies

These sugar cookies are not very sweet. The sweetness comes from the icing. They are a modified version of my favorite childhood omni recipe. I submitted the recipe here because I know that if I submit it on VW it'll take forever to be posted.

Cookie

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

1 2/3 + 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup nut milk

In a bowl, sift together 1 2/3 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, cream together shortening and vanilla before gradually adding the sugar. Stir in flour mixture and then alternatively stir in 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup milk.

Roll to about a 1/4-inch thickness, cut with a cookie cutter, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Icing

When the frozen raspberries thaw they are mushy enough to easily incorporate into the frosting. Allow them to thaw completely before using.

1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
2 tablespoons thawed frozen red raspberries

Mix all ingredients together. The consistency may be fine-tuned by adding more sugar or raspberries.

2008-02-11T23:12:00.001-05:00

Portabel-love-ya Stuffed Mushrooms

The ingredients for this recipe are red and white, but the onions turned purple when roasted and the nutritional yeast turned the white rice and red bell pepper brilliance a creamy, yummy shade of yellow. To pick up on more red, you could stuff small red bell peppers and increase the amount of rice stuffing.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

4 stuffing Portabella mushrooms
24 cherry tomatoes
12 red pearl onions
12 while pearl onions
1/2 small red bell pepper, minced
1 teaspoon oil
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice, prepared (I used jasmine)

Roasted Vegetables
Pop the stems out of the Portabella mushrooms and reserve the stems. Chop off the ends of the onions and remove the tough outer layers.

Line a cake pan with parchment paper. Place the mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions on the paper and roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and use a spatula to lift the items off of the paper.

Stuffing
Rice may be reserved from a meal a day or two earlier. If you don’t have prepared rice on hand, start making it when there’s about 25 minutes left for the vegetables to roast.

When there’s about 20 minutes left for the vegetables to roast, mince reserved mushroom stems and bell pepper. Add oil to a small saucepan and sauté mushroom stems and bell pepper over medium-low heat until soft. Transfer to a small bowl. In the same saucepan over medium heat combine flour, nutritional yeast, garlic, and salt. Add water and stir until smooth. If it remains clumpy, use an immersion blender or transfer mixture to a food processor or blender to smooth and return to saucepan. Add the rice, mushroom stems and bell pepper and heat until uniformly warm.

When the mushrooms have roasted, transfer them to serving bowls. Spoon the rice mixture into the cup of each mushroom and arrange the tomatoes and onions on the plate.

Makes 2 servings.

2008-02-11T22:51:00.002-05:00

choco berry pie

filling
2 containers of silken tofu
1 c chocolate chips
a dozen or so strawberries
3-4 T soymilk (depending on how dry/firm your tofu is)
1T vanilla

blend all.

crust
3/4 c margarine
1c powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
about 7 dates (or an extra banana)
2c flour
1/2 cocoa
1 banana

blend margarine, add sugar until crumbly, add vanilla, flour and cocoa. reserve one cup for middle of pie. add dates and banana to the rest of the mixture in the processor, process until forms a doughy ball.

assembly
put ball of crusty dough in pie pan, spread out, pour in half of filling mixture, sprinkle on reserved chocolate/crust stuff, lay down slices of strawberries, pour rest of filling on top, arrange strawberries or sprinkle a little bit of more chocolate/crust stuff on top.

note: i wanted to use cherries, but our store didnt have any more. i think this would be good with cherries, but i have not tried it.

2008-02-04T23:08:00.000-05:00

Cherrychocochocochip Cookie

2 1/4 C flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 C cocoa powder
1 C earth balance margarine
1 C organic white sugar
1 C turbinado sugar
2 Fleggs ( 2 Tbl flaxseeds coffee grinded, then mixed with 6 Tbl water)
1 Tbl vanilla
1 bag chocochips ( i use whole foods vegan chips cause theyre tiny= more chips)
1 C dried cherries ( I use trader joes tart montmorency cherries)

MIx dry ingredients in a small bowl. (U really should sift in cocoa)
Cream butta and sugars in a large bowl.
MIx fleggs in a small bowl than add to butta. add vanilla.
Add dry floury things to buttery things.
MIx it up good.
Then add in chips and cherries, saving some of each to garnish each cookie if u want.

Scoop out 1/3 C chunks for serious cookies. (it will make 14 this size) Flatten slightly with palm.
Bake at 375 for 15 mins. Then cool on the trays for at least 10-15 min before moving to wire rack.

These are great. They are chewy, brownie like cookies. The hard chocochips and crunchy turbinado contrast nicely with the chewy cherries.
And the sweetness of the cookie contrasts great with the tart cherries. Enjoy! (PS theyll be real gooey if u dont let them cool first so chill out)

Cranberry Spritzer Tea Cakes

2007-12-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

Winner, Cranberry Battle

1 c. Earth Balance, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. cranberry juice extract (regular unsweetened cranberry
juice will also work fine)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. fresh cranberries, chopped finely
powdered sugar for dusting

Cream the margarine, then add the powdered sugar and whip together
until light and fluffy. Mix in the cranberry juice extract, then
the flour and salt. Add the chopped cranberries and mix well.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Run your hands under cold
water, then form the dough into little walnut-sized balls. Place
on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment
paper, and bake at 400 degrees for 10-11 minutes. As soon as the
cookies come out, drop them in powdered sugar and roll them around
to coat, or (my preferred method) dust with powdered sugar from a
fine mesh sieve. Let cool on a rack.

Savory Cranberry Phyllo Pockets

2007-12-15T12:50:00.001-05:00

Winner, Cranberry Battle
This grocery store friendly recipe is a sweet, savory combination of modestly tart cranberries and pumpkin that has been wrapped and baked in a flaky phyllo crust. It is served with an herbed cranberry dipping sauce. The filling and dipping sauce may be made ahead of time.

Cranberry Phyllo Pockets:
3 cups cranberries, finely chopped (1 12-ounce bag)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon oil
1 celery stalk, finely chopped (~ 1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion, finely chopped (~ 1/4 cup)
1 cup canned canned pumpkin
1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
40 phyllo sheets
Water

Dipping Sauce:
3 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
3 cups cranberries, finely chopped (1 12-ounce bag)
3 medium apples, peeled & diced (~ 3 cups)
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions for Cranberry Phyllo Pockets:

Thaw phyllo dough sheets according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, combine cranberries and sugar and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

In a pan, over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil. When oil is hot, add celery and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, and then transfer celery and onion to a medium bowl. To the bowl add the pumpkin, nuts (other nuts may be substituted, according to preference), and cranberry-sugar mixture.

Refrigerate for one hour or until filling is cool.

When filling is cool, prepare phyllo dough sheets. The sheets come wrapped in plastic. Carefully unroll the sheets and place them on your countertop. Place the plastic the sheets came wrapped in on top of the sheets. On top of the plastic, place a damp towel. Do not expose sheets until immediately before use. Remove only the sheet(s) with which you will be immediately working.

Remove a sheet of phyllo dough and brush or spray with a portion of 1/4 cup of oil. The sheets I used were 9 inches by 17 inches. (If your sheets are slightly different in size, follow the same directions.) Fold the longest side in half and then in half again, so you have a four-layer-thick 9 inch by 3-1/2 inch strip.

Put about 2 tablespoons of filling (a cookie scoop’s worth) at one end of the strip. Fold the phyllo dough in a triangle pattern, pushing the filling toward the corners as you fold.

At the end of the strip, brush the remaining dough with water. Fold the last of the strip of dough onto the triangle and smooth with more water, if necessary. Spray or brush the triangle with oil.

Repeat for the remaining filling.

Cook on an ungreased cookie sheet at degrees 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 38 triangles.

Directions for Dipping Sauce:

In a saucepan, bring the water and white sugar to a boil over medium heat. Then add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.

The dipping sauce may be made ahead of time and refrigerated. If refrigerated, bring to room temperature before serving.

Makes about 3 cups of sauce.

Global Interaction

2007-12-15T11:41:00.001-05:00

1/4 cup sesame seeds 2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (~ 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (~ 1 teaspoon)
1/2 pound Brussels sprouts (~ 10 small), cut in half
pepper, to taste

On a rimmed cookie sheet, toast sesame seeds in a toaster oven, or in a conventional oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until the seeds just begin to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until about half of the cranberries burst. Turn off heat. Transfer cranberry mixture to a medium bowl and stir in sugar.

To the saucepan the cranberries were cooked in, add the red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Transfer to bowl with cranberries.

To a large pan, add 1 tablespoon oil and Brussels sprouts. Arrange the Brussels sprouts so the cut side is facing down. Cook the Brussels sprouts over medium-low heat for approximately 7 minutes, or until the cut side is just begins to caramelize.

Strain orange juice from cranberries over the Brussels sprouts.

Cover and cook over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are tender, yet still slightly crisp. Add water as necessary while Brussels sprouts are cooking. At the end of the cook time, the orange juice should be just about cooked down all of the way.

Remove from heat and add to bowl with cranberry mixture. Toss with toasted sesame seeds and pepper, to taste.

Serve warm.

Cranberry and Mushroom Creamy Rice

2007-12-15T11:38:00.002-05:00


This is inspired by risotto. However, being both lazy and a fan of
brown rice,this is my holiday (and lazyness) inspired adaptation.
The cranberries add a little cheer to this dish and the mushrooms
give it a yummy chew.

2 c short grain brown rice (sweet or regular)
Water for cooking the rice
8 oz of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 TB oil
3.5 c veggie or mushroom broth (prepared or from bullion)
2 TB nutritional yeast
spices to taste:
thyme (1 tsp),
sage (1/8 tsp ground)
and rosemary (1/2 tsp crushed)
pinch of salt and peper
1 small squirt (about 1 tsp) stone ground mustard
1.5 c fresh, raw cranberries
1/4 c sugar
2 TB corn starch
handful of raw pecan pieces

Start by preparing the rice using your preferred method (rice cooker,
stove top). You want to start with 2 c uncooked rice and you will end up
with about 4 c of cooked rice.

Meanwhile, prepare the mushroom-cranberry mixture. In a large, wide pot,
heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic and cook until
mushrooms and onion are soft. Add 3 c of the broth, spices, nutritional
yeast, mustard, cranberries, sugar and simmer 20 minutes, stiring
occasionally, or until the cranberries are broken and everything looks
"good." Meanwhile, you can mix the cornstarch with the reserved broth.

To finish this dish, turn the heat up on the stove and pour in the
cornstarch-broth mixture. Stir and boil for a bit, until the broth
thickens up some. It should look like a thin gravy. Turn off heat and add
the cooked rice and the pecans. Stir until everything is coated and serve.

* I don't cook with salt generally, so you might want to add salt to the
dish if you like salted food.

Holiday Cranberry Cupcakes

2007-12-14T12:52:00.001-05:00

Winner, Cranberry Battle
The perfect host/ess gift for a holiday dinner party! It's nice because the orange juice flavors perfectly with the cranberry, but also allows you to cut the oil down. If you use whole cranberries, instead of the canned ones, you may want to add a little maple syrup to get the sweetness and viscosity of the batter right (it should be a soupy consistency when it goes into the oven).

3/4 cup canned whole cranberries

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 flax "egg" (3 tblspoons water mixed with 1 tblspoon ground flax seed)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put liners in your cupcake tin.

Mix the flax seed with the water and let set.

Cream the cranberries, oil, vanilla extract, brown sugar, pumpkin spice, and flax.

In a bowl/mixing cup quickly stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Alternatively pour the flour and then orange juice into the cranberry goodness and mix inbetween pours.

Ladle the batter into the liners until 3/4 full and bake for 32 minutes.

Top with a regular frosting but add dab of almond extract or orange juice. For pizazz, sprinkle sliced almonds or orange zest on top. Go wow your friends so you get invited to bring dessert to EVERY dinner party and they'll make yummy vegan entrees as an excuse to invite you and your cupcakes over!

Fresh Cranberry Salsa

2007-12-14T11:45:00.001-05:00

1/4 cup cilantro (just leaves, no stems)
1/4 cup scallions (white/light green part only, not the dark green part or the bottom roots)
one small deseeded hot pepper (I think I use a chili pepper, jalapeno should work too)
one clove garlic

3 cups FRESH cranberries (frozen does not work)
1/2 cup light agave nectar or 3/4 cup sugar

Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor so they are chopped very finely.
Add the cranberries and sweetener and pulse until the cranberries are chopped but not mush.
Let sit for an hour or so to let the flavors mingle (if you can wait!) If it still seems too sour add a little more sweetener and/or a little salt.

I like to eat this plain with tortilla chips, but it is also good on tofurky or layered on a plate over tofutti cream cheese and served with crackers. Next time I make it I'm going to try it layered over avocados mashed with cilantro and lots of lime and eaten with hearty tortillas.

Harvest Tempeh "Chops"

2007-11-01T08:45:00.001-04:00

This is a veganized and scaled down version of an old family pork chop recipe.

one 8 oz pack of tempeh
soy sauce
liquid smoke
fresh ground pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
thyme
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup of cranberries
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup brown sugar

serves 2-3

Slice the tempeh into 2 or 3 squares and coat with soy sauce, a couple drops of liquid smoke on each piece, and season with fresh pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and thyme. Let marinade for an hour, or all day while at work. Preheat oven to 350. Brown the tempeh in an oiled skillet over medium heat. Combine the apples, cranberries and sugar and place in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the tempeh on top, then cover with apple cider and bake, uncovered for one hour. Best served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Green Apple Risotto

2007-11-01T08:44:00.001-04:00

A fun alternative to traditional bread stuffing!

Start to finish in 45-60 minutes.

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 c. chopped shallots or red onion
1 c. shitake or other flavorful mushrooms, sliced
1 c. green apple peeled and diced
1 c. arborio (aka risotto) rice [can sub barley or other grain, if desired]
¼ c. dry sherry [can sub broth w/ a little vinegar mixed in]
2 tsp. poultry seasoning OR ½ tsp. each: thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary
¼ tsp. cayenne powder [optional]
6 c. un-chicken or light vegetable broth, heated
2 Tbs. unsweetened soy milk, yogurt, buttery spread, or your favorite cream substitute
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast OR your favorite parmesan substitute

Optional garnishes

¼ c. fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
¼ c. almonds or walnuts (Marcona almonds pictured)
¼ c. fresh chopped apple sprinkled with lemon juice

1. In a Dutch oven or other large pan, heat olive oil until shimmering.

2. Add shallots and sauté until golden, 5-8 minutes.

3. Add mushrooms, apple, and Arborio rice, sautéing until rice is translucent.

4. Deglaze the pan with sherry or broth/vinegar mixture.

5. Add dried spices and stir to coat.

6. Begin adding heated broth, 1 cup at a time, to rice mixture and stir until the liquid is nearly absorbed. (I find the easiest way to do this is to microwave the broth in a large glass measuring cup with a pour spout.)

7. Continue to stir and add broth until the rice is tender. (It usually takes about 4-5 cups, but I always heat up extra just in case it’s needed. You can save whatever you don’t use.)

8. Remove from heat and stir in ‘cream’ and nutritional yeast.

9. Transfer to individual bowls and top with parsley, nuts, and diced apple, as desired.

Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Healthy Apple Casserole

2007-11-01T08:41:00.001-04:00

3 apples chopped
1/4 cup of pecans
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of raisins
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of oat flour (or rolled oats ground in the blender)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup of orange juice

Combine the apples, pecans, sunflower seeds, and raisins. Place them in a casserole dish. Then combine the oat flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then spread the flour mixture on top of the apples. Then very slowly pour the orange juice over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

COCOA APPLE CAKE

2007-11-01T08:39:00.001-04:00

Decorate w/ a drizzle chocolate ganache or apple cider
icing or both!!
Very impressive when cooked in a decorative bundt pan!

1/2 cup applesauce
1 NRG egg replacement, prepared as directed
1 3/4 to 2 cups sugar
1 cup margerine
1/2 to 3/4 cup soymilk
1 Tbs vinegar or lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 Tbs baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup chocolate bitties
2 cups apples, peeled, cored and chopped small

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt or tube pan.

"Sour" soymilk by adding vinegar to milk, set aside
(it will foam up).
Sift together dry ingredients, in separate bowl:
flour, baking soda, cocoa, cinn. and allspice. Set
aside.

Whip margerine until fluffy. Add sugar and whip.
Add vanilla, NRG and applesauce. Continue whipping and
add 1/2 cup of soymilk, slowly.
Slowly add in dry ingrdients. If you add this slowly
enough, you do not have to overmix batter, and it will
become super-fluffy, like mousse! Go ahead and try to
resist eating the batter!
If batter is too dry, slowly add a bit more milk.
Fold in apples and choc. bits.

Pour or spoon batter into prepared pan, careful to not
deflate batter.
Cook at 325 for 60-70 mins, or until knife/ toothpick
comes out clean. Do not overbake. (The cake may seem
to fall in the center near the end of cooking time,
but its okay.)

When cooled, dust with powdered sugar, icing or
chocolate ganache drizzled.

Cider Icing
Mix 2 Tbs. apple cider w/ powdered sugar until able to
be drizzled over top.
or
Chocolate Ganache
Melt choc bits w/ a Tbs of margerine, drizzle over
top.

Apple Frushi

2007-11-01T02:02:00.001-04:00

3 cups short-grain white rice, or other sushi rice
3 cups water
4 Tbsp apple juice
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 apples, of different varieties
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 package "party sushi" soy wrappers (there's a variety pack without the non-vegan pink ones)
dipping sauce of your choice

Place the rice in a saucepan and cover with water. Swish it around and drain the water (carefully!). Repeat until the water runs clear. Drain water a final time, and let the rice sit for 5 minutes. After five minutes, add the 3 cups water and let sit for another 5 minutes.

Heat the saucepan over high heat, and simmer (on low) and cover for 10 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time! Do not stir! Do not pass go!

Check the rice after 10 minutes by pushing it away from the wall of the pan with a rice paddle. If there's still water, let it simmer more; if not, let it sit (no heat) for 10 minutes.

Add the apple juice, vinegar, sugar, and salt to a small saucepan, and heat over high. Stir rapidly, and once it starts to bubble, pour evenly onto the cooked rice.

Now it's time to cool the rice. You can just leave it covered on the counter for forever, cheat and put it in the fridge, or charge one of your unwitting roommates with the duty of fanning it.

Once the rice is cool enough to handle, core the apples and slice into eight wedges each. Slice each wedge in half lengthwise (the non-symmetrical way). Lay out a soy wrapper on a sheet of plastic wrap. Place a quarter of the rice on it, cover with another sheet of plastic wrap, and press and spread the rice around until it evenly covers the wrapper.

Now here comes a decision. Do you want inside-out rolls? If you do, flip the plastic wraps/rice stuff over. If not, well, don't do anything. Take off the sheet of plastic wrap facing you, and line up you apple slices along one side of the rectangle. Overlap them, and if you have extra apple, eat it =) Take a ½ tsp of the pumpkin pie spice and sprinkle evenly over your apples.

Roll up your sushi by picking up one end of the plastic wrap (the one with the apples) to press the rice. If you have a sushi mat, that's great, if not, we're using plastic wrap. Slice your rolled sushi into sixths. Eighths. Whatever you want.

Arrange all pretty on a plate and serve with your favorite fruity dipping sauce. I ate them plain =)

Apple "Pad Thai"

2007-11-01T01:58:00.001-04:00

Not too authentic, but you'll like it anyway.

8 oz rice noodles, ¼" width
½ cup teriyaki sauce (I used SoyVay Island Teriyaki. It has pineapple juice!)
½ cup apple juice
juice of one lime
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 apples, finely diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 shallots (about 1.5 inches diameter), finely diced
½-1 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Heat water in a saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, add the rice noodles, and turn down to low. Stir, and simmer for 5 minutes or until noodles are cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Combine the teriyaki sauce, apple juice, lime juice, and tomato paste in a small bowl and mix to combine.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add apples. Let brown, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add carrots and onion, and sautée until everything is a little browned and cooked through.

Add the noodles to the pan, and add the sauce mixture immediately after. Stir to coat and loosen noodles; simmer at medium heat for 5 minutes. In the last minute, add chopped cilantro. Serve!

Scotch Apples

2007-11-01T01:49:00.000-04:00

(Original vegan adaptation of Scotch Eggs)

1 pkg of vegan soysage (I use 14 ounce Gimme Lean "tube")

8 small Lady apples or equivalent (egg size)

1 block of favorite vegan cheddar style "cheese"

2 Tablespoon Parsley, fresh chopped organic

2 Tablespoon Onion, grated organic

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground organic

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground organic

2 Tablespoons Brown sugar, organic

1 Tablespoon Vegan Worchesterhire Sauce (The Wizard's Organic recommended)

1/3 cup Whole wheat flour, organic

1/3 cup Oatmeal, rolled organic

1/4 cup bread crumbs, organic

1/4 cup corn meal, organic

1/2 cup (or to taste) Scotch 12 year single malt whiskey

Vegan butterscotch sauce for garnishing

Combine soysage, parsley, onion, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, whole wheat flour, oatmeal & Scotch in a bowl. Stir well until all ingredients are blended into a uniform consistency.

Roll mixture into a flat rectangle (like rolling out cookie dough). Divide mixture into 8 equal parts (cut down the length of the rectangle & then cut those pieces into fourths - half & half again is easiest method for me).

Core each apple to remove seeds & other center inedible parts.

Cut vegan cheddar "cheese" into pieces that will fit into hole left by coring process.

Put 1 cheddared apple in the middle of each 1/8 piece of soysage.

Wrap soysage around the cheddared apple to completely enclose it in the soysage covering, pressing all edges together for a completely smooth seal.

Mix bread crumbs & cornmeal in a shallow bowl. Roll each soysaged apple in the bread crumb/cornmeal mixture until coated.

For prettiest Scotch Apples, deep fry or pan fry in enough oil to cover 1/2 of the Scotch Apple and turn when bottom is golden brown, removing when whole Scotch Apple is uniformly golden brown.

For healthiest Scotch Apples, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 C) & bake for approximately 20 minutes until each side is golden brown (turning 1/4 turn every 4 - 5 minutes).

Serve whole, sliced in rounds across the apple ("cheese" in the center) or in quarters lengthwise ("cheese" on top of slices).

Garnish: Artistically drizzle vegan butterscotch sauce on a plate & over the whole or sliced Scotch Apples.

Scheherazade's Delight

2007-11-01T01:47:00.000-04:00

A Memorable Introduction to an Arabian Nights Entertainment

Bed grain of choice (2 cups of organic brown rice or 1 cup of cous cous
or equivalent of your favorite, i.e. quinoa, basmati, etc)

4 Tablespoons of organic soy margarine (Earth Balance recommended)
4 Apples, sliced thin (blend of favorite crisp varieties is best for interesting taste combo)
2 Onions (medium or my favorite for added green color is one medium sized sweet onion & 2 large green onions), chopped
2 Bell Peppers (small - one red & one orange for added color), chopped
1/2 cup Currents (convenient option is raisins)
1/3 cup Cashews, raw - pieces
1/3 cup Almonds, raw - shaved or slivered
1/3 cup Walnut, raw - pieces
1 Tablespoon Curry powder

Rinse chosen grain well in cold water & drain. Boil water in 2 quart pot (twice the amount of grain, i.e., 4 cups for brown rice or 2 cups for cous cous). Pour chosen grain into boiling water & bring to a boil again. Lower heat & simmer covered for 30 - 45 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Place 4 Tablespoons of organic soy margarine in a large skillet. Add bell peppers, onions, apples, currents or raisins, cashews, almonds, walnuts & sprinkle curry evenly over ingredients. Saute, stirring regularly until ingredients are blended & of your desired
consistency (crunchy to mushy ... I prefer a slight crunch)

Spread chosen grain in a casserole or other "Arabian" looking dish. Cover with sauteed ingredients.

Optional:
Vegan Eyeballs (Arab countries consider certain animal's eyes a
delicacy when served with grain dishes ... I find this option much more
appetizing & definitely a more humane & colorful garnish) - take a green pimento olives & wrap in soy cream cheese shaping an "eye ball" shape ... arrange fresh parsley around the edges of the dish placing vegan "eye balls" artistically embedded into the parsley wreath. Carrot "flowers" (see garnish cookbook), Mandarin orange "butterflies" (back to back placement) or other appropriate garnishes add to the overall effect of the dish.

Place completed dish in the center of the table (lazy susan if available).

Present to your special Scheherazade, Sultan or group of enthusiastic vegan gourmet groupies.

Other suggestions: serve with light sprouted salad, arabian coffee/tea (hot or cold/plain or sweetened/soy creamer or not ... per personal preference) & arabian pastries with sugared dates for dessert.

Serves: 8 determined dieters, 4 average avatars or 2 eager epicures

Uber Fantastic--Can't Live Without--Baked Apples

2007-11-01T01:46:00.000-04:00

4 apples (I recommend golden delicious)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1.5 T nutmeg
1/4-1/2 crushed walnuts (depends on how much you like nuts!)
2 T soy butter (I like the creamy Earth Balance)
Vanilla soy milk (I use Silk)

Preheat oven to 350. Peel, core and slice your apples, place in a container with a lid. Add walnuts, brown sugar and nutmeg and shake until well coated. Place into a greased baking pan and add soy butter. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on how smushy you like your apples. Serve immediately with a little soy milk for cream.
If you dice the apples this makes a wonderful ice cream topper!
Enjoy and bake often :)

Apple Stuffing & Seitan Roast

2007-11-01T01:17:00.000-04:00

If you are feeling seitanically inspired you can stuff the stuffing into the seitan to make a roulande. Be very sure to seal the roast completely so that none of the cooking broth seeps in and makes the stuffing soggy. In flipping the roast you will need to be careful not to pierce the puffing seitan so the use of parchment paper is advised to assist in flipping. Though simply serving them side by side is acceptable as well.

This recipe is based on Bryanna Clark Grogan's "Pork Tenderloin" and you will know this by her distinctive cooking method. The adaptations to the ingredients are mine.

Combine:
2c Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2c Chickpea or Soy Flour
3T Nutritional Yeast
2t Onion Powder
2t Garlic Powder
1t Sugar
1t Pepper

In a blender puree into a liquid the following:
1/2c Water
1/2c Apple Juice
1/2c Apple Sauce
1 1/2c Cooked Canillini Beans
2t Olive Oil
1T Tahini

Mix the wet ingredients to the dry until incorporated fully. Kneed 15 minutes. Allow the seitan dough to rest 1 hour covered. Kneed 15 minutes then form into a roast shape and place in a lightly oiled baking dish.

Pour over the roast:
2c Boiling Water infused with:
Fresh herb sprigs: Rosemary, Thyme, Sage
1t Paprika
1t Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325 before turning down to 200. Bake for 3 hours covered. Carefully flip and bake covered in a 325 oven for 30 minutes. Gently flip the roast, bake 30 minutes. Repeat until the liquid has all been absorbed. Remove the lid or foil for the last time if desired.

Savory Apple Stuffing
3c Diced Bread cubes - Sourdough
1t Olive Oil
1/2c Onion, diced
1/2c Celery, diced
1/2c Carrots, diced
1c Apple, peeled, cored & diced
1/2c Earth Balance Margarine
1T Sage, dried ground
2t Rosemary, dried diced
1/2t Salt
1t Nutmeg, fresh ground
1/2c Vegetable Broth

Saute the onion, celery and carrots in oil until tender on medium high, approximately 5 minutes. Add in apples and saute 1 minute more. Add margarine and spices. Once margarine is dissolved add in the broth and bring to a gentle boil. Pour carefully over the bread crumbs until just moist, stirring to combine.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Serve with the Apple Roast Seitan.

FRUMPKINS!

2007-09-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

I predict that this will become a staple of the vegan diet. I can't believe it hasn't been invented yet, it's that brilliant. I briefly tampered with the idea of pumpkin on a stick and calling it pumpdogs, but this is even better. I introduce to you: FRUMPKINS!

Here's what you need:

Equipment

Large pot

Oil/water/candy thermometer <-- if you plan on deep frying more than once a year, this is key. I've even found them at hardware stores for $2-3US

Fry basket (mesh strainer on a spoon) or tongs

Crapload of paper towels

Mixing bowl, measuring spoons, the usual

Ingredients

Crapload of oil

1/2 small pumpkin

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

and now, for the secret ingredient that makes it all worth it....

1/2 cup flat beeeer! Not just any old beer. If you insist, use a vegan porter or a spicy pumpkin beer, but I found the super-dooper best flavor was au naturelle ROOT BEER, like from Jones, as a bonus, Jones gives a portion of sales from sugar-free soda to the American Diabetic Association. Ok, back to the recipe - I would imagine ginger beer would be tasty too, but then you should not use the ground ginger.

So first off, you need to glug glug glug, pour oil into the pot until it's about an inch deep. A saucepan might work, but definitely don't use a shallow pan because you don't want hot oil splashing over the sides. Put the heat at medium-low and clip the oil thermometer on the side of the pan so the tip is in the oil, but not touching the bottom. If you need, add more oil. You want it to get to the magic 365 degrees farenheit or 185 degrees celsius. If you're a dork, or poor, and don't have a thermometer, you wait until you the oil gets really shimmery and you can see it swirling. If it smokes, it's way too hot, you've ruined the molecular structure of the oil and have to start all over, so start low.

Now get to work drinking the beer because you only need 1/2 cup for the recipe and chopping up that half a pumpkin. The problem is that most pumpkin is thicker than one inch. Want you want to end up with is pieces that are 1/2-inch thin. I suggest peeling it and slicing into strips like melon wedges, then cutting into squares, triangles, whatever your little vegan heart desires, and then slicing those in half so that they're thin enough that the pumpkin will cook through when you fry the crap out of it. When finished, toss the pumpkin with the lemon juice and set aside to get juicy.

For the beer batter, mix all the dry ingredients together, then drizzle the oil on top. Measure out a half a cup of beer and if it's still fizzy and carbonated, just stir it for a few seconds to get the bubbles out. The texture should be thicker than pancake batter, and can be a little clumpy.

You can test the oil by dropping a small bit of batter in and see if it sinks and then rises while bubbly. If it looks good, get ready to cook about 4-5 frumpkins at a time. Drop them in the batter, swish 'em around until they're thickly coated, then gently place them in the oil. If it splatters like crazy, your oil's too hot, turn it down and wait - don't add more frumpkins for a few minutes - see my note about testing with a drop of batter above. Keep an eye on the little frumpkins 'cause they like to hang out in the same corner and end up stuck together. When they're a crunchy golden brown, fish 'em out with the basket or tongs, and place on paper towels on a plate. Cut the first one in half and taste to see if you need to adjust cooking time. Through intense testing, I've deduced that pieces about 2 inches square take roughly 4 minutes to cook give or take a few. Keep in mind that the frumpkins decrease the temperature of the oil, so you'll want to wait a minute between rounds to let it heat up again.

Now, whether you serve them hot as a breakfast, a dessert, or a freakishly tasty appetizer with toothpicks, you need a dipping sauce. This was not a dipping sauce contest, so I have not tried the following suggestions: molasses, thickened coconut milk, tamarind sauce, marmalade, applesauce, lemon juice & nutbutter, perhaps a tasting bar is in order. That's not a bad idea, these things taste sooo good,but if you actually have leftovers, I suggest warming them up the next day under a broiler or in a toaster oven. You will seriously eat these until you have frumpkins coming out your ears! You can thank me later - not right now, I'm busy frying up a midnight snack of rootbeer-battered FRUMPKINS!

Thanksgiving Dal with Pumplings

2007-09-30T23:32:00.001-04:00

I imagine that this is what a homesick American would eat if visiting a good friend in India over thanksgiving: dal textures and ingredients, but pumpkin flavors and spices. It has some wordy steps, so read through first, and the timing and development of the dish will seem perfectly natural.

1. Put a large pot with 6 cups of water on to boil and cover.

2. While waiting for the water, get out a saute pan, veggie oil, 1/2 cup dal, cutting board, large knife, at least half of a sugar pumpkin (approx. 6" wide), 1 large or 2 small parsnips, turmeric and salt. Carefully cut the pumpkin in half by inserting the tip of your knife, then push the blade in to the hilt, and pull the handle down. If needed, pull out your knife and insert farther down, do not try to saw through, it's unsafe. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and set aside to toast with Braggs later if you like. One half you can cover with saran wrap on a plate for all your other great (but not as good) pumpkin recipes. Peel the remaining half and cut in half again, so you have two quarters. Dice one of the quarters into rough 1/2" cubes. Peel the parsnip(s) and dice likewise. Next put the saute pan over medium heat. While it's warming, chop the remaining quarter of pumpkin into rough 2" cubes and set aside. Pour about a tblsp of oil into the saute pan. While it's heating, dump the small pumpkin cubes and parsnip into the boiling water with a half a tsp. each of the turmeric and salt. Finally, saute the dal in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes, careful not to let them burn, then stir them into the pot with the pumpkin and parsnips.

3. Next, get out a large microwaveable mixing bowl, flour, cumin (optional), and 1/3 cup warm water. Make sure there's a clean spot on the counter for rolling out the plumplings in a minute. In the bowl, mix 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tblsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of cumin, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Continue to mix while slowly adding the water (may not need all of it) until the dough attains a satiny texture. That's half-way between tacky and crumbly. You'll end up using between 1/4 - 1/3 cup of water. Now dependent upon your level of ambition, use the entire ball of dough, or a quarter at a time, and roll it out into long snake like you used to do with playdo as a kid, 'til it's a little more than 1/2" in diameter. Using your thumb and forefinger, pinch off inch-long sections of the dough so the pieces look like a cross between gnocchi and orecchiette. Set those aside while you rinse out the bowl. Using the bowl, microwave the large pumpkin cubes for 4 minutes on high. Now's a good time to stir the dal and wipe down the counter.

4. Next, get out a fork, coriander, ground ginger (if you only have fresh, grate or finely chop 1/2"), and cardamom. The microwave should be done by now, so sprinkle 1 tsp of coriander, 1/2 tsp of ginger, and 1/2 tsp cardamom on the pumpkin and smush it up with the fork. Stir the pumpkin mash and the dumplings into the dal, and be sure to occasionally stir getting everything in the bottom mixed up until the dal is cooked. This should take about another 15 minutes, but it depends on your consistency preference. Some people like it soupy, some like it pasty. Regardless, the next step should happen when you're 5 minutes away from considering it "cooked."

5. Turn the heat to medium under the saute pan and add another tablespoon of oil for tempering the spices. While it's heating, get out a stick of cinnamon, a 4"-long chili (preferably a skinny red Thai chili), ground cinnamon, ground clove (if using whole, you need 2 and careful dinner guests), lemon juice (or half a lemon), and 8 medium or 10 small fresh sage leaves (if only have ground sage, use 1 tsp). The oil should be hot, so toss in the cinnamon stick and while it's spluttering (that's the technical term), slice the chili in half. Mix both chili halves in and while it's spluttering, wash your hands. Then toss in the cinnamon and clove and while it's spluttering, mince the fresh sage. Mix in the sage and splash in the lemon juice. Finally stir the whole spluttery mixture into the dal, and let the flavors meld for 2-3 minutes while you wash up and set the table.

Serve heaping spoonfuls to hungry dinner guests who love thanksgiving and dal all at once! 45 min to prepare 4 servings

Pumpkin Pine Nut Bread Pudding

2007-09-30T22:14:00.002-04:00

1 large red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
3/4ths a loaf of sliced bread, torn into bite-size pieces or smaller
2 1/2 cups of plain soy milk
1 1/2 cups of pureed pumpkin
1 16 oz. package of silken tofu
1/2 cup of pine nuts
2 tbs brown mustard
1 tbs dried basil
1 tbs cumin
2 tbs braggs or soy sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dill weed

This savory bread pudding serves 8!

Add the oil to a pan, and saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes or until they become soft.
In a large blender, add the tofu, pumpkin, mustard, soy milk, and all of the spices, though not the pine nuts. Blend until smooth, then stir in the onions and garlic.

Oil a 9X13 inch baking dish, and place the pieces of bread inside in an even manner. Sprinkle the pine nuts at different layers of the bread. Pour the pumpkin liquid evenly, covering all of the bread, and wait 30 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Put pan in an oven preheated to 375 for an hour, or until the top of pudding nicely browned. Serve with garnish of avocado.

Spicy Pumpkin Brown Rice Sushi Rolls

2007-09-30T21:24:00.001-04:00

2 mini pumpkins
4 scallions
about 12 medium-sized shiitake mushrooms
1 cup (dry) short-grained brown rice
2 Tb + a dash of rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 TB agave nectar
4 sheets toasted nori
Shriracha sauce
bamboo mat for rolling

Bring 2 cups of water to boil, add the rice and simmer for 50 minutes. Cut the pumpkins in half and remove the pulp and seeds. Cut away the skin, and cut the flesh of the pumpkins into strips, about the width of your pinkie. Adjust for nonaverage pinkies. Steam the pumpkin for about ten minutes, until it is tender when pierced with a fork. Steam the mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes, until they are tender but not squishy. Slice the mushrooms into strips. Slice the scallions lengthwise into thin strips.

When the rice is finished and has cooled for a few minutes, mix together the sugar, agave and 2 TB of vinegar in a large, wide bowl -- glass is best. Add the rice, and toss. Prepare a bowl with a dash of vinegar and about twice as much water, to dampen your hands while rolling. Place a sheet of nori on your bamboo mat. (Rolling is possible but difficult without a mat.) Cover the lower half of the sheet with a thin layer of rice. In the middle of that layer of rice, place a row of pumpkin strips, a row of shiitake, and a row of scallions.

For presentation, try to allow the ingredients to protrude about half an inch (or more) from the edge of the nori. Roll the sushi, using the mat to keep the roll tight. Use a dab from your vinegar/water bowl to dampen the top of the nori sheet to close the roll. Slice the rolls into 6 or seven pieces each.

Place a small dab of shriracha on each piece. Enjoy! Yield: 4 rolls of sushi, about 24 pieces.

Three-Bean, Cornbread Chili Stuffed Pumpkin

2007-09-30T17:33:00.001-04:00

1 pumpkin about 7 inches in diameter

1 cup dried (or one can) Kidney beans (soaked over night)

1 cup dried (or one can) Pinto beans (soaked over night)

1 cup dried (or one can) Black beans (soaked over night)

1 medium sweet, red onion, chopped

5 cloves- 1 whole garlic, minced

11/2 cups or 12 once can tomato paste

½ cup or one small can diced green chilies

2 tbs maple syrup or sweetener of your choice.

Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, to taste

2 cups cornbread of choice, cubed and dried for one day.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Prepare pumpkin. Cut around stem of the pumpkin about 4 inches in diameter and set aside. Scrape seeds from pumpkin (you really ought to dry them out and eat them) but leave pulp intact. Set aside.

3. Take all beans, drain and then bring to a boil. Boil 1 hour or until all the beans are tender. Drain

4. Combine onion, tomato paste, garlic, green chilies and maple syrup with beans

5. Add Salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, to taste

6. Gently mix in the cornbread crumb

7. Put chili mixture into the pumpkin and place the pumpkin inside of a sturdy pie pan on a cookie sheet (note, the pumpkin will need to be served on whatever its cooked on because the bottom will become weak and break easily) bake for about one hour or until the sides of the pumpkin are malleable to the touch.

The stem may be returned tot eh top of the pumpkin for presentation. Before serving, mix up the contents of the pumpkin, scraping the sides to release the pulp and mix it in with the chili. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Banana Creme Brulee

2007-09-30T11:40:00.000-04:00

Winner, Pumpkin Battle
1 cup of pureed pumpkin
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs corn starch
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs of rapadura
3 tbs of maple syrup
4 tbs vegan pure cane sugar

Makes 3 servings.

Put all ingredients except the pure cane sugar in a blender and mix thoroughly. Preheat over to 375 degrees. Pour mixture from blender into the 3 creme brulee bowls. Put the bowls in a pan of water and put the pan in the oven for about an hour, or until the top looks nice a brown. Some cracking may occur. Remove from water and put the pure cane sugar evenly on the top. Put the 3 bowls directly under the broiler tray until the sugar melts, then take out and let cool. You could also use a food torch and melt the sugar that way. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Crack the top crust with a spoon and dig in!

Pumpkin Spinach Wrap

2007-09-30T11:18:00.001-04:00

Tortillas

1 cup pumpkin, cubed
3 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 - 2 tbsp grated ginger root
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Marinade

3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp lime juice
2 tsp ginger puree
2 tsp minced garlic
tabasco to taste

Peel and cut approximately 1 cup of pumpkin into 2 cm (1 inch) cubes. Combine marinade ingredients in a container with a lid, mix well. Put cubed pumpkin into the marinade and shake container (with lid on!). If you have time, let the pumpkin sit in the marinade for a couple hours, but it should still work fine if you don't. Place pumpkin on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake for about 30 min, or until cooked, at 350. Set the marinade aside to use later.

While the pumpkin is cooking, thinly slice red onion and wash 3 cups fresh spinach. When the pumpkin is ready, quickly stir fry spinach and ginger together 'til spinach is wilted. Place a portion of the spinach in a tortilla, sprinkle with sesame seeds, a portion of the baked pumpkin and drizzle some of the marinade over the top. Roll up and enjoy!

Makes: approx. 4 wraps

Pumpkin Tahini Soup

2007-09-29T16:04:00.001-04:00

1/2 of a small - medium sized onion (finely chopped)
2 large cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp. olive oil
2 C vegetable broth
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1/2 C tahini
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry
salt and pepper to taste

Cut up onion and garlic and sauté with olive oil until onions
are clear. Add the vegetable broth and let warm up a little bit
Add can op pumpkin, tahini, and mustard. stir until smooth and warm.
Add curry, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Let cool for a bit, put in vitamix/food processor and blend until smooth. serve.

Kick A$$ Pumpkin Seeds

2007-09-29T16:01:00.001-04:00

Here is a fast easy treat. Keep a wet cloth handy because your fingers will get sticky.

1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds(shelled)
1 tsp. dry chili peppers
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat, using NO oil or vegetable spray. Add the pumpkin seeds & stir continuously, so they don't burn. When they start to plump & change colour slightly (about 5 minutes), add salt, garlic & chili pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then quickly add the brown sugar & stir until it has dissolved, then stir in lemon juice.

Sweet Pumpkin Ravioli with a Pumpkin Spinach Sauce

2007-09-29T15:59:00.001-04:00

Ravioli Dough (makes 8 fairly large raviolis):

1 cup flour
1/4 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
dash salt

Ravioli Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup vegan ground "beef"
1/3 can pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp soy cream
salt & pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar

Pasta Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 can pumpkin
1/2 can tomato blocks
1/4 cup soy cream
1/4 cup cocount milk
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1 tsp garlic salt
couple shakes of pepper, to your liking
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp oregano

First begin the ravioli dough. Pour the flour in a bowl with the salt, and add the water and olive oil and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Begin kneading the dough with your hands until it forms a nicely mixed ball. Cover with saran wrap and set aside for 20 minutes.

In a shallow pan, heat the olive oil and then add the vegan ground beef. Sautee for 3 minutes, then turn the heat to a low flame and add the pureed pumpkin, mixing thoroughly. Add the 2 tbsp of soy cream to make it blend together better, and then add the pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Keep on the flame for about 3 more minutes, and then remove and set aside to cool.

To make the pasta sauce, add the olive oil, pumpkin, tomato blocks, soy cream, and coconut milk to a pot and simmer until slightly bubbling. Throw in the spinach, and mix well into the mixture. When the spinach has wilted, add the sugar, garlic salt, and oregano, and simmer on a low flame while you prepare the ravioli.

Heat a pot of water and lightly salt. Roll out the ball of pasta dough on a floured cutting board, and then cut circles out of it. Take each individual circle, roll it even thinner, rest it in a ravioli maker (I used a small handheld one that gave half-moon shapes) and place a small spoonful of the ravioli filling in the center. Clamp the ravioli maker shut and hold firmly for a few seconds, and then set the ravioli to the side. When all of them are prepared, put them in the boiling water for about 7 minutes, and eventually they should float to the top of the water. Using a slotted spoon, take them out and place them on a plate to cool down and dry slightly.

Transfer to a plate and top with the pasta sauce, some salt and pepper and enjoy!

Southwest Pumpkin Pizza

2007-09-29T15:54:00.002-04:00

1 pizza crust

1 15 oz. can solid pack pumpkin

1 1.13 oz. (or 4 tbs.) taco seasoning blend

1 lime

2/3-1 package of FYH cheese, nacho flavor (OR cheese sauce from cheesy bean and cheese enchiladas)

1/4 c. black beans

1/4 c. red bell pepper

1/4 c. green bell pepper

1/4 c. sweet onion

1/4 c. black and green olives

cilantro, avocado, salsa, and 'sour cream' to garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare your favorite pizza crust as directed. (If you're using a pre-baked crust preheat the oven to 425F)

2. Combine canned pumpkin with taco seasoning and juice of 1 lime

3. Spread spicy pumpkin mixture on crust

3. Top with shredded cheese and between 1-1 1/4 c. of your favorite southwest veggies (suggestions above)

4. Bake for approx. 15 mins., then broil for 1-2 minutes (watching carefully!) until cheese is melted

5. Garnish with your favorite taco condiments

Maple- Brown Sugar Pumpkin Casserole

2007-09-28T17:27:00.001-04:00

2 15 oz. cans of unsweetened pumpkin

1 apple, chopped

1/3 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 tbs. of maple syrup

pecans

cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg to taste

Combined all ingredients. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Butternut Pita Pizzas with Pumpkin Tomato sauce

2007-09-27T13:07:00.001-04:00

1 small Pumpkin
1 small Butternut squash
5 cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed
1 Cup Water
3 TBSP Tomato paste
2 TBSP dried Italian Seasoning Blend, plus more for garnish
Olive Oil 1 TSP Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
5 Loaves Pita Bread
Onion & Garlic Powder to taste


If you're as busy as me then you might want to spread
this recipe out over several days.  I cooked
the pumpkin and squash the night before I made this
recipe.  This also gave me time to dry out the seeds
and toast them, that way I could use them as a garnish
for the pita pizzas.

Preheat oven to 350. Cut Pumpkin in half and remove
seeds and stringy pulp, save the seeds, you can toast
them and eat them later.  Cut Butternut length wise,
remove seeds, these also are edible I toasted them
with the pumpkin seeds. Place pumpkin halves cut side
down in casserole dish adding 1 cup of water around
the halves.  Next, put the butternut halves cut side
down on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle oil over the
butternut halves and put your garlic cloves in the
middle of the two butternut halves.
Bake both your pumpkin and your butternut for
approximately 1 Hour (more of less depending on the
size of your fruit) until tender.

Let your pumpkin and squash cool off a bit before
attempting the next step, you don't want to burn your
fingers.

Scoop the pumpkin flesh into a food processor with a
metal spoon.  Puree the pumpkin.
Cut the Butternut into smaller sections and peel/cut
the skin off the butternut.  Cube the butternut into
small pieces.  Save those garlic cloves you'll need
them for the next step.

Measure the pumpkin puree, you'll need 1 cup to make
the sauce.
In food processor add the cup pumpkin puree, tomato
paste, Italian seasoning mix  (mine has Oregano,
Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Marjoram, you can use
any dried herbs you already have.), cumin, salt and
pepper, the 5 cloves of garlic and 6 TBSP olive oil.
Process until smooth.  Add more or less olive oil
until you get the desired consistency.

Brush or spray each loaf of pita with olive oil,
sprinkle the edges with garlic and onion powder.
Smooth the pumpkin tomato sauce onto each pita with a
spoon, top with the butternut squash cubes.  Sprinkle
with some of your dried Italian seasoning mix.  I put
some toasted pumpkin/squash seeds on top.  Bake for 15
minutes or so until the crust is nice and brown and
crispy.

Eat and enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup or Autumn Goodness Soup

2007-09-27T12:59:00.001-04:00

I wanted something earthy & savory & this is the result. The taste is warm thanks to the Jalapeño but it is not over-powering. The coconut milk is the right compliment to the spicy pumpkin.

8 cups Pumpkin
10 cloves Garlic
3 Carrots
1 Onion
1 Jalapeno Pepper
8 cups Vegetable Broth
1 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Marjoram
1/2 tsp. Sage
5 or 6 threads of Saffron
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1-13 1/2 oz can Coconut Milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with a non-stick
spray. I used a half of a 10 lb pumpkin. Cut the half pumpkin in half, so
you have 2 quarters & remove the seeds. Save the other half of the pumpkin
for pie, stirfry or some other treat.  Peel the garlic cloves & tightly wrap
in foil. Peel the carrots & cut them about an inch thick. Peel the onion,
then quarter it & wrap tightly in foil. Cut the Jalapeno in half, leaving
the seeds in the pepper. Put the pumpkin, carrots & foil wrapped vegetables
on the cookie sheet & place the Jalapeno cut side up on the cookie sheet as
well. Roast in the oven, keeping a close eye on the Jalapeno, onion &
garlic. Your nose will tell you when they are done (about 20 minutes).
Remove the Jalapeno, onion & garlic, leaving the carrots & pumpkin to
continue cooking until they are tender (another 1/2 hour). When the pumpkin
is done,  carefully peel it  & rough chop it & put it along with all the
carrots, onion, garlic & Jalapenos (with the seeds) into a large pot. Add
the vegetable broth & spices.

Using a food processor, blend small batches into a nice thick consistency,
or if you have an immersion blender, this step will be much easier.
Just before serving, add the Coconut Milk & heat through. Add salt & pepper
to taste.

Serve with a hearty grain bread & a leafy salad for a wonderful warming meal
on a cool Autumn evening.

Rib-Stickin' Layer Bake

2007-09-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

A creamy pumpkin spread highlights a layered-one dish casserole: warm comfort food for the upcoming cooler nights. Serves 3

6 lasagna noodles
2 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 1/4 cups pumpkin, pureed (canned or fresh)
1 1/2 tbsp miso paste
1 1/2 tbsp nut/seed butter (tahini, peanut, almond)
2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
salt & pepper
2 cups kidney beans (canned or otherwise cooked until quite soft) 2 cups shredded spinach
Chipotle Tabasco sauce (to taste)

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, until al dente.
Preheat oven to 350. In small saucepan, sautee garlic until fragrant and golden. Add pumpkin - if using canned, up to 1/4 cup of water/broth may need to be added to make creamy. When pumpkin is heated through, add miso paste and nut/seed butter. Stir well to combine: Mixture will be rather thick - this is necessary for spreading purposes. Spray or oil a loaf pan. Arrange a portion of sliced tomatoes on the bottom of said pan. Layer 2 lasagna noodles side-by-side on top of tomatoes. Spread approx. 1/3 of pumpkin mixture on noodles, followed by 1/3 of the kidney beans. Top beans with 1/3 of spinach, followed by sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt & pepper. End with a layer of noodles. Repeat layering process - final layer will not be topped with noodles, but will finish with tomatoes. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, place in oven until warmed through.
Finally, remove covering, and broil for 5-7 minutes, or until tomatoes are slightly shriveled. Serve with a generous dousing of Chipotle Tabasco sauce and a mixed green salad.