Holiday Pecan Pie

Ingredients
2 cups chopped pecans
2 tablespoons molasses (blackstrap or regular)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons bourbon (or water)
2 tablespoons nut butter (any kind, or vegan butter)
1/4 cup ground flaxseeds
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Pre-bake your pie crust (if using homemade crust). Bake crust without fillings for 10 minutes at 400F.

Whisk together all ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes in the fridge, during which time it will thicken, thanks to the flaxmeal. If the flax is good, the mixture will be noticeably thicker when you take it out.

Preheat oven to 350F. Pour filling into the pre-baked crust. Arrange any extra pecans over top, if desired. Bake on the center rack 35 minutes. Do not open the oven door, let sit in the turned-off oven an additional 10 minutes.

Adapted from
https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2017/12/11/vegan-pecan-pie-recipe/

Makes
One 9" pie

Simple Pie Crust

Ingredients
1-1/4 cup all purpose flour, plus a bit more for rolling
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons vegetable shortening (or vegan butter)
4-6 tablespoons cold water

Directions
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl. Cut the shortening into cubes and scatter on top of the flour. Use a fork to cut the shortening into the flour. Keep going until the mixture reaches a crumbly texture.

Add the cold water 1-2 tablespoons at a time (you want the water to be cold so that it doesn't melt the shortening). Mix. Continue to add water until the dough comes together-- you should be able to form a ball. Flatten your ball of dough into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator. Let chill for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

When you're ready to make your pie, take the crust out of the refrigerator, and roll it flat on a flour-dusted surface.

Some recipes require a pre-baked or blind baked crust. For others, you will simply add the crust and filling at the same time. Make sure to check the pie recipe.

Makes
One 9" pie crust

Sofritas Burrito Bowl

Ingredients
21 oz extra-firm tofu (1-1/2 normal-sized blocks of tofu)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder

SAUCE
Blend these
1 or 2 medium poblano peppers
1/4 cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with additional adobo sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, divided
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Stir in
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions
Prep the tofu
Preheat your oven to 400F.

Drain and press the tofu for several minutes.

Slice the tofu into about 1/2 inch thick slices. Place on parchment paper covered baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of garlic and cumin on top. Place in oven and bake. You'll need to flip the tofu once or twice. It should take about 15 - 25 minutes per side, depending on the size of the slices.

Once the tofu is a browned and crispy at the edges, remove from oven to cool.

Make the sauce
The poblano peppers need to be roasted until blackened on the outside. The easiest way to do this is broil them in the oven, on a baking sheet, for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Once they're nice and charred and the skin is starting to split, take them out of the oven. Use a fork or tongs to peel the skin off. Cut them open and remove the seeds. Chop or dice into small-ish chunks (they're going into the blender, so it doesn't matter too much).

Blend together the poblano peppers, peppers in adobo, 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth, diced onion, garlic, tomato paste, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Stir into the sauce: the nutritional yeast, salt, cumin, coriander, pepper, and oregano.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sauce mixture to the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes, to allow the onion and garlic to cook down. Add the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable broth.

Finally, turn the heat down to medium, and crumble or dice the tofu, and add it to the pot with the sauce. Simmer everything together for 5 - 10 minutes. Then your sofritas is ready to eat.

Prepare other burrito bowl additions, such as:

• Rice
• Beans
• Salsa
• Corn salsa
• Diced onions
• Chopped lettuce
• Tortilla chips

Combine everything in layers, and enjoy! Also makes a great meal-prep option for to-go lunches.

Makes
This recipe makes enough softritas for about 3 burrito bowls.

Adapted from
https://yupitsvegan.com/copycat-chipotle-sofritas/

African Peanut Stew

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon ginger powder (or 1 inch fresh ginger)
1 medium sweet potato
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
6 cups vegetable broth
1 bunch chopped collard greens
1/4 bunch cilantro garnish (optional)

Directions
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Dice the onion and add it to the pot. Once the onion starts to become translucent, add the garlic and ginger. Saute for a few minutes.

Dice the sweet potato (small dice-sized cubes), add it to the pot. Continue to cook until the sweet potato takes on a darker, slightly translucent appearance.

Add the cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir. Add the tomato paste and peanut butter, and stir until everything is evenly mixed. Add the vegetable broth and stir to dissolve the thick tomato paste-peanut butter mixture. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up to high.

While the soup is coming up to a boil, prepare the collard greens. Rinse the greens well, then use a sharp knife to remove each stem (cut along the side of each stem). Stack the leaves, then cut them into thin strips. Add the collard strips to the pot.

Once the soup reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and allow it to simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes-- until the sweet potatoes are tender enough to poke a fork into. Once soft, smash about half of the sweet potatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to help thicken the soup. Taste the soup and add salt if needed.

Serve the stew hot, topped with any of the following, if desired: peanuts, cilantro leaves, or sriracha.

Adapted from
https://www.budgetbytes.com/african-peanut-stew-vegan/

Way Too Much Vegetable Korma

Ingredients
STIR FRY
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons ginger powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

ROAST THESE
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium gold potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, diced
1 head cauliflower
salt to taste

MIX IN LATER
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 can of coconut milk
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup green beans
1 cup frozen peas
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

TOPPINGS (optional)
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop: the potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. Toss with some olive oil and salt. Spread on a baking sheet. And put into the oven, once it's heated. These will need to bake for about 30-45 minutes, stirring twice throughout. Bake until veggies are soft enough to poke a fork into, and nice and crispy on the outside.

While veggies are roasting in the oven, start prepping the other ingredients. Heat the coconut oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 1 minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the rest of the spices, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until spices are fragrant.

To the wok, add the coconut milk, diced tomatoes, brown sugar, and 1 cup of water. Simmer on medium for 5-10 minutes. Continue to stir frequently, so not to burn the mixture.

If you want to make white rice to go with this, start it around this time (making white rice on the stove top needs about 12 minutes to simmer).

Add the peas, garbanzo beans, and green beans. Stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Add the veggies from the oven (everything except for the toppings should be in the wok now). Stir the entire mixture. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for a few more minutes.

Top with cashews and/or cilantro and serve over rice with naan.

Note: I made this with 2 cups (dry) rice, and that was enough for dinner for 2 plus 4 more leftover lunches!

Nutrition
Makes way too many servings for 2 of us

Adapted from
https://www.delishknowledge.com/weeknight-vegetable-korma/

Yellow Lentil Daal

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups yellow lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

Directions
Prep the dry lentils ahead of time. First rinse and sort through to make sure there isn't any debris in them. Then soak in a bowl of cold water for 4 to 8 hours. If soaking for more than 8, place in the refrigerator. Don't soak for any longer than 24 hours. When you're ready to cook, drain the lentils.

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in cumin seeds and red pepper flakes, and saute 1 minute. Add onion, garlic, and salt, and saute for a few more minutes, until the onions start to become clear.

Add pre-soaked and drained lentils, vegetable broth, 2 cups water, and turmeric. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 25-45 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Test the lentils to make sure they're done and not still crunchy.

Serve over rice or other grain.

Adapted from
https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/yellow-lentil-dal

Makes
about 3 large servings

Picnic Pasta Salad

Ingredients
Salad
16 oz tri-colored spiral pasta
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 oz black olives, sliced

OPTIONAL: diced vegan cheese

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon dry basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper

Directions
Cook the pasta per the instructions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking, wash and dice all the veggies.

Make the dressing by stirring together all dressing ingredients.

When the pasta is done, drain and let sit for a bit to cool (you don't want to steam the veggies in the hot pasta). Once pasta is cooled, stir together all ingredients. Recommended to refrigerate for a hour or two before serving to let the dressing get absorbed.

Vegan No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine (such as vegan Earth Balance)
2 cups sucanat (or regular sugar, if you prefer)
1/2 cup non-dairy milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions
In a large pot, bring margarine, sugar, soy milk and cocoa to a boil. Stirring constantly, let boil for 1-2 minutes until mixture is completely melted. Do not over boil.

Take mixture off heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until completely melted. Stir in oats.

Drop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto cookie sheets lined with wax paper or foil and allow to cool. When cool, turn cookies over to dry the bottoms.

Store in airtight plastic container in the refrigerator.

Adapted from

https://detoxinista.com/vegan-no-bake-cookies/

Wedding Salad

Grapefruit, Roasted Beet, and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Arugula
Romaine
1 avocado
1/2 cup (dry) quinoa
2 grapefruits
3-6 roasted beets, depending on the size
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Directions
Roast the beets a day ahead of time, if possible. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and clean beets, leaving the skin on. Wrap each beet in aluminum foil with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Place the wrapped beets in a casserole dish (or on a baking sheet) to catch any beet juice that will inevitably drip out. Roast beets in oven for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how large they are. Let them cool before you try to peel the skin off. But now that they're roasted, it should be much easier to simply rub the skin off them. Cut the peeled beets into large cubes and refrigerate in an air-tight container until you're ready to make your salad.

Cool quinoa according to package instructions. This is usually 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of  dry quinoa. Simmer for 12-15 minutes. Then let stand, covered, for another 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork.

Peel and cube the grapefruit. Dice the onions. Cut the avocado from its skin and slice it.

To assemble the salad, first massage the avocado slices into the arugula and romaine. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Sangria Two Ways

Red Wine Sangria
Ingredients
2 bottles red wine
1 cup brandy
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup simple syrup
1 orange, sliced
2 apples, sliced
Blackberries
Blueberries

OPTIONAL: Sparkling water

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Serve over ice, topped with sparkling water.

Adapted from
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/red-wine-sangria-recipe-1944675

White Wine Sangria
Ingredients
2 bottles white wine
1/2 cup triple sec
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
Strawberries

OPTIONAL: Sparkling water or lemon-lime soda

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and let stand in a tightly sealed container or pitcher for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Serve over ice, topped with your choice of sparkling water or lemon-lime soda.