Two-Step-Back Pie

This pie is not for the faint of heart (or pancreas).  It was originally called Maple Cream Pie.  It does have maple in it, but flavor-wise it just wasn't prominent enough for so deserving a title (in my opinion).  But then I was stumped on what to rename it.  What description would sum up something so smooth, creamy, buttery, with smackerels of brown-sugar chewyness?  It's just freakin' good.  To quote my eldest daughter..."It's so creamy!  I think it's the best pie I've ever had!"  The pre-veganized version called for heavy cream and butter.  Back in the day, I thought "wow, this really puts ya two steps back on your diet." And so, for lack of nothing better, we have Two-Step-Back Pie.

You might try throwing some pecans on top because it's almost reminiscent of a pecan pie, only not so over-the-top sweet, and more creamy.  Great for any holiday dessert table.  Just try to stay out of it while it's waiting patiently in the fridge, though.  Lock up the spoons!

Pie Shell (or use your favorite):
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup walnut oil
4 Tbsp water

Mix the flour and salt.  Add the oil, and mix with a fork until combined.  Add the water, and mix again.  Roll out, or simply press into a pie plate with your hands. 

Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Mix all with a fork and sprinkle evenly over the pie shell. 

Pour 1-1/2 cups almond & cashew cream (I used MimicCreme brand) over the flour/sugar mixture, and gently stir around a bit.

Dot the top with 3 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread.

Cover the edges of the pie with foil, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60-65 minutes, til set.

Let cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate.

This is pure dessert decadence....but worth every step back.

Secret Agent Peanut Butter Cookies

 

I can't really consider these "secret agent" since my 9-yr-old watched me make them and sampled along the way, with giggles of ecstasy as she licked her fingers, the bowl, the scoop, and then at last nibbled down the finished cookie warm from the oven.  "Oh my goodness!" and "can I have another one??" is a sure sign of success, especially from that girl.

I did see a glimpse of my chickpea-hating husband sneaking off to the other room with a handful, though, before any ingredient info could be given.  What he doesn't know is good for him.

The original recipe came from www.texanerin.com.  The recipes are not all vegan, but she's got some good-looking whole-grain/natural-sugar recipes on her site, so check it out!

My daughter talks of a peanut butter hummus they made at school, and I have a sneaking suspicion the recipe is similar, because this uncooked dough would make a really yummy dip!

So, enough already - you're hungry -  let's make cookies!  This makes about 18 small ones.

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, blend til smooth:

1-1/4 cup canned drained and pat-dried chickpeas
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup

Add (mix in or pulse a few times in the processor):
1/3 cup dairy-free chocolate chips

Using a 1/8 scoop, drop onto a sprayed baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. 

These are especioally yummy right out of the oven!

Autumn Shepard's Pie

This is just one of many variations for veggie shepard's pie that I make, depending on the friends and family it will be feeding and the season in which it hits the table.  This one is particularly yummy, if I do say so myself.  I was going to rename it something snappy like "Shep-less Pie," but like an autumn evening with friends bundled around a fire (gazing in vain at an overcast sky for the Harvest Moon), there's just something comforting in the name. 


Toss and roast at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes (squash roasts faster than carrots, so I use a separate pan):
1/2 of a good-sized buttercup squash, diced large (peeled, if you don't know where it came from)
4 large carrots, sliced
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
Salt & pepper
Dried thyme
Garlic powder
4 Tbsp EVOO

Whip:
3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced, boiled til fork tender
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
Salt & pepper

Set aside:
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 cup frozen edamame

Make gravy by simmering/whisking in a small saucepan until thickened:
2 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie's Naturals)
2 Tbsp flour (and/or corn starch) & 1/4 c water (eyeball the measurements), whisked

Layer in a casserole dish, pressing down as you go:
Squash
Carrot/onion/celery/edamame mixture
Corn
Gravy
Mashed potato

 

 

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes, covered loosely with foil.

 

 

Energy Balls

These originally came from an episode of "Get Fresh with Sara Snow," which I used to watch diligently back in the day.  I changed the recipe just a bit and have been making them for years.   They make a good school snack or breakfast.  With my early-morning work hours it's nice to have something to grab quick and munch on to tame the beast that is my tummy.

This makes about a dozen.

2-1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 TBSP spirulina
1 TBSP cinnamon
1/2 cup nut or seed butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup fresh-brewed (hot) coffee

Mix all until thoroughly combined, adding the coffee last.  Let set until no longer sticky.

Using a 1/4-cup scoop, place balls on parchment or other surface until set enough to transfer to an airtight container. 

Store in the refrigerator. 

GF Banana Bread

I'm kinda sick of bananas at present...and I'm kinda fussy about banana bread too...but just saw a recipe posted on-line for some and got to pondering the three disheveled and blackened once-yellow and robust fruits in my refrigerator.  There's been a twinge of fall in the air the past couple days, what with school starting and the first changing of the leaves, and I've been hankering to be in the kitchen.  So, alone in the house, yelling at the dog who keeps getting into the rubbish, and swatting away the fruit flies that promptly appeared out of oblivion when I moved said bananas from fridge to counter,  I set to work.  Warm banana bread will make it better.

That inspiring on-line recipe was a Hawaiian variation which included macadamia nuts and coconut.  I went old school to avoid the grunts and looks of disgust from my youngest child.  But feel free to add nuts, etc to your own batter.  It was also not gluten free, but I feel better about baking with less wheat of late.  I'd never used quinoa flour before, but it gave the bread a nice nutty richness and apparently can be readily swapped out for white/wheat flour.  Way cool. 

Makes one loaf.

3 overripe bananas
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
1/4 cup almond milk
2 cups quinoa flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat your grandma's bread pan with baking spray.

Whisk maple syrup and buttery spread together in a bowl, and then add bananas, mashing as you go.  Add milk, and combine.

Add the dry ingredients, and mix until you have a nice silky batter.

Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

 Let cool a bit, then transfer to a wire rack.

Put the naughty dog to bed, set out a jar of vinegar for the fruit flies, and put your feet up on the backyard swing, enjoying a buttered slab of banana bread and one of the few remaining lazy evenings of summer.

Quickie Stirfry Wrap

My uncle gave me a cabbage the size of a bowling ball, and I never seem to think about making coleslaw until it is already dinner time (it's so much better if it festers for a few hours).  So, I've been whipping (er, shredding) up these wraps for a few days as a quick and yummy lunch.  I do not measure - just eyeball it...my filling is generally too much for the wrap, but you know where you keep the forks and napkins.

A Tbsp or so peanut oil
Bragg's Liquid Aminos, a good squirt
1-2 cups shredded/sliced cabbage
4 oz tempeh, sliced thin
A handful of sungold tomatoes, halved
A generous shmear of Nayonaise
One wrap (I used one made from rice flour)

Heat the oil in a medium saute pan. 

Add the cabbage, tempeh, and sungolds.  Stir and fry until tender and browned, about 5 minutes, adding the liquid aminos during the last couple minutes.

Warm the wrap over the top of the pan, if you like, to make it more pliable.  And then spread the middle with Nayo.

Pour veggies onto the center of the wrap. 

Messy and delicious!  The way lunch should be.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

The family picked a quart or so of blues off our two bushes the other day.  They were a bit tart.  It hasn't stopped my youngest (a serious blueberry aficionado/lover) from gobbling them down.  But before she could annihilate the entire container, I whipped up some muffins this evening.  I only had (gasp!) all-purpose white flour in the cupboard, so I just quickly whizzed up some oatmeal in the food processor to make my own oat flour.  Easy peasy and so much more nutritious and hearty. 

Makes 12 regular-sized muffins

2/3 cup sweetener of your choice
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter (or oil)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp water
2 cups oat flour
1/3 cup oatmeal
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rice milk (or other nondairy milk)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a muffin pan.

Mix sweetener, buttery spread, and flax mixture together. 

Add dry ingredients and milk/vanilla alternately into the wet mixture.

Add blueberries, mixing just until evenly distributed.

Scoop into muffin tin, and bake for 20 minutes. 

Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack. 

But don't let them cool too much...they need to be warm to slather more butter on (of course!)

Soft, moist, and blueberry-y-y...simple and delicious.  Blueberry muffins always remind me of my gramma's baking on weekend mornings at our family camp on Crescent Lake when I was a kid.  We'd pick the berries from the bushes by the water, and she'd toss them into her little Jiffy mix.  But I swear the 30 seconds it takes to make oat flour is just as convenient and even more yummy!

Bean Burger

Truth be told I generally don't eat these as an actual "burger," but I put it in a bun for you to be more official. Shortly thereafter I extracted it and all its lovely toppings and just ate it as is with a fork. These are great to keep in the fridge and grab when your tummy starts growling. I'm going on a field trip tomorrow with my youngest, and I'll be repeating tonight's dinner as my brown-bag lunch. Mmmm!

You can switch up the veggies (carrots and collards) or leave them out altogether.  I just like to pack them in where I can.  Just remember the more you add, the wetter your burger will be, and therefore more fragile.

1 can beans (I used pinto today), rinsed & drained
2 Tbsp vegan mayo
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp cilantro (fresh from my rain-soaked garden! so fragrant!)
2 Tbsp onion
1 small carrot
1 collard green leaf
Salt & pepper

Set one half of the beans aside.  In your food processor, blend the other half of the beans and the rest of the ingredients. 

When smooth, mix in the remaining whole beans.  Form into 3 patties.

Heat a well-oiled skillet and then add the patties. 

Cook about 5 minutes on each side, until browned and firm.

I made it a perfect bean burger by topping with tomato, onion, avocado, and coleslaw.

Tator Salad...and a Leftovers BBQ Stack

I was never much a fan of potato salad.  Cold potato?  Meh. 

I have always maintained that my mom's version is "the best," and that's probably true to my taste buds because we grew up on Miracle Whip instead of real mayo, and that's what she still uses.  So there's Reason #1.  But as I got older I realized Reason #2 is probably because I always had hers fresh...aka...on the lukewarm side.  It went from assembly to the table.  No refrigeration = no cold potato = no "Meh."  In fact, I could sit down to a whole pile of the stuff and go back for seconds and thirds.

My parents host a family Memorial Day feast at their house every year, complete with steaming lobsters and grilled steak.  I decided I'd try my hand at a potato salad (albeit cold) so that I would be sure to have something to eat (other than the choco chip cookies I was also bringing...not that I'm opposed to making a meal out of those) and also so that my egg-allergic niece could partake too!  It came out truly yummy, and I think it's safe to say that nobody did or would even notice that it was vegan.

To my delight, my aunt and uncle made a meatless hot potato salad; and my sis-in-law brought a cold spaghetti salad with pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, etc too.  I was in carb coma heaven for the holiday.

The Salad:
1 lb red potato, in bite-size chunks
1 lb sweet potato, in bite-size chunks
4 oz shelled fresh peas
About 1/2 a jar of Dijon-Style Nayonaise (or use regular vegan mayo and add a touch of mustard, vinegar, horseradish, etc.)
1/2 an onion, thinly diced
Paprika
Fresh chives, snipped into bits
Salt & pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the potatoes and boil for about 10 minutes, until fork tender but not falling apart.  Remove with a slotted spoon into a drainer and spray with cold water to stop the cooking. 

Bring the water back to a boil and add the peas.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Drain the peas, and also spray with cold water.  When the potato and peas are both cool, combine them. 

In a separate bowl, combine the Nayo, onion, salt, and pepper before mixing with the potatoes and peas. 

Sprinkle the top of the salad with paprika and the chives.  Cover, pop in the fridge, and you're ready for your next summer get-together!

If there are any leftovers...the next night you could, hypothetically, brown up some sliced tempeh and carrots in peanut oil in a small frying pan.  Then add some Annie's BBQ sauce and stir it around for just a minute.  Turn off the heat, and stack a plate with baby spinach, a pile of the potato salad, and then the tempeh.  It's like Memorial Day all over again, maybe even better.

And please do not forget to thank the veterans in your life.  I have many.  Thank you.

Spaghetti Pie

My best friend's mom used to make this for me every year for my birthday.  Think, the best lasagna you've ever had but without all those awkward-to-cook/awkward-to-eat lasagna noodles.  The original recipe used browned hamburg, but I've replaced that with shrooms and onions.  By all means, use some faux meat crumbles if you like, but I prefer it as is.  I find the veganized version to be as addicting as the original.  My daughters love it too, and my husband says he could eat the whole pan.  So, I guess it's not just me. 

10 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
8 oz brown rice spaghetti noodles (or spag of choice)
1 jar (2-1/2 cups) organic spaghetti sauce
1 jar-ful of water
2 bay leaves
14 oz organic firm tofu
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
1-1/2 cups Daiya mozzarella shreds (estimated amount....due to 9-yr-old running off with hand- and mouthfuls, with a muffled "I do LOVE THIS CHEESE!")


In large saute pan, cook shrooms and onions until translucent and tender. 

Add spaghetti sauce and bay leaves to the pan.  Fill the sauce jar with water, cover, shake (to get all the sauce), and add.  Bring the sauce to a boil, and add the spaghetti noodles.  Simmer until tender (bendy) but not fully cooked. 

Meanwhile in food processor, blend the tofu, spices, and nooch until smooth and ricotta-ish.

Preheat oven to 350.

Spoon half the spaghetti mixture into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish (I leave the bay leaves right in to bake...yeah, I have a fetish).  Top with tofu mixture and a sprinkling of mozzarella shreds. 

Top with the other half of spaghetti mixture and more shreds. 

Bake, covered (if using foil, tent it so it doesn't stick to the melty shreds), for 30 minutes.  Uncover, and bake another 5-10 minutes.

 

Let rest before cutting, or it'll look like this instead of the pretty picture at the very top (but oh...so delicious):

...and be sure to warn those at your table of the potential of bay leaves.

Rhubarb Pie

I harvested the rhubarb last weekend after a beautiful day of planting in the gardens.  I made a couple pies.  I tried one with stevia for my diabetic husband.  I've had success with it in other baking, but the pie came out a little bitter (altho it got mostly eaten), so I made him another one yesterday with a different Artificial Sweetener That Shall Not Be Named.  But the other one I made on Sunday was with maple syrup, and it was absotively delicious.  Notice "was" in past tense.  Yeah, it was gone in less than 2 days.  The girls helped only a little.  I think I could eat a whole rhubarb pie...by myself...in one sitting...if it wasn't for the shame factor.  If one were to ask what my favorite pie was, I'd probably say chocolate cream; but then spring rolls around...those red-green stalks emerge at the edge of my garden...and I can't control myself.  So, hands down...favorite fruit pie:  Rhubarb!  And we're purists here on the hill.  Adding strawberries is for wussies. 

The crust here is my standard quicky, and it's yummy and flaky.  It's an offshoot from my parents' crust recipe that I grew up on and still love (nobody, and I mean nobody, makes apple pie like my mom...nope, sorry, yours just doesn't cut it).  They use all AP flour and shortening in theirs.  My husband prefers the heartier dark flour and olive oil (with which I'm more than happy to oblige). 

The Crust:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup spelt (or white wheat) flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup olive oil (or other oil/shortening)
7 Tbsp water

Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl.  Pour the oil in the middle and mix with a fork until all the flour is saturated.  Add the water, and mix again.  Don't worry if it seems watery at first.  In no time, the flour will soak up the water too and take on a nice doughy texture.  Let it rest in a ball while you prepare the filling.

The Filling:
6 Tbsp AP flour
1-1/3 cup maple syrup (or other sweetener)
6 cups diced rhubarb
1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance butter (optional)

In a bowl, coat the rhubarb with the flour.  If you're using a dry sweetener, add that to the flour before mixing with the rhubarb.  If you're using maple syrup or other wet sweetener, pour it on after you've placed the rhubarb/flour in the pie shell. 

Split the dough in half.  I just press the first (bottom) half into the pan with my hands.  Make sure to give yourself a good lip at the edge.  Place the filling on top of this.  Dot with Earth Balance butter.

For the top crust, sprinkle your rolling surface generously with flour.  Sprinkle the top of the dough also and roll out with your pin.  When sizable, cover the filling with the top crust and seal the edge.  I grew up cutting around the circumference and crimping with a fork, but now I always just tuck the extra dough underneath and flute the edges with my fingers.  I think it just looks prettier.

(fluting)

(fluted)

Pierce the top crust with a knife to allow steam to escape.  Make sure to line the bottom of your oven with foil, in anticipation of pie juice seepage. 

Bake the pie in a preheated 450-degree oven for 15 minutes.  Then reduce the temperature to 350, and bake for another 40 minutes. 

Let cool completely before slicing, if you can.

Nom nom nom...Repeat.