Thanksgiving Pie!!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

I've never been a fan of cheesecake or creme brûlée. Frankly, something about the intense dairy tasted like snot to me. I think I was always a natural vegan who never knew it. However, several months ago I sampled some vegan cheesecake at Karyn's Cooked and really liked it's comforting consistency.  I remembered that my pretend friend Alicia Silverstone had a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake with cranberry topping on the Kind Life and suddenly I had to make it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries from The Kind Life via The Vegetarian Times.

• 2 cup(s) of fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained

• 2 cup(s) of sugar substitute (either maple syrup or agave nectar, whichever you prefer)
• 1 Pre-made organic vegan graham-cracker crust (for ease)
• 1/4 tsp. of salt

• 12 ounce(s) of silken tofu

• 8 ounce(s) of vegan cream cheese

• 3/4 Whole Foods Organic Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 1/4 cup(s) of agave nectar
• 1/4 tsp. of ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp. of ground cinnamon



Steps

1. Prick each cranberry several times with straight pin.

2. Bring sugar substitute and water to boil over medium heat.

3. Cook until sugar reaches 230 F on candy thermometer.

4. Add cranberries, and cook ten minutes or until syrup gels a bit.

5. Remove berries with slotted spoon and lay out on plate.
6. Save in refrigerator for adding to top of cheesecake later.


7. Process crackers and salt into fine crumbs in food processor.
8. Puree all ingredients in food processor until very smooth, about 3-5 minutes.

9. Pour into crust and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes.

10. Chill completely in refrigerator at least 3 hours, up to overnight.

11. Garnish with candied cranberries, slice and serve.

  Nothing says gorgeous like fresh cranberries in my vintage marigold Tupperware!

The silken tofu made this so creamy and dreamy. It's such a wonderful ingredient for baking, sauces, and soup!!

The filling poured into the crust so beautifully!

It baked up so nicely. What perfect pumpkin-y golden color!

The finished product. It has a celestial glow about it, because this pie is HEAVENLY!

No doubt that I really loved this! The cranberry topping's tart and strong sweetness complimented the mild pumpkin filling so well. I will definitely make it again and would like to experiment with different fruit compotes on top. I think blackberry would be so incredible! I opted to put the topping on each piece as it was eaten rather than layer the whole pie with it. Mr. BB30 isn't a cranberry lover so he opted to eat his cranberry-free. For the record, he is also a traditional cheesecake lover and found this to be really delicious. Huzzah!

Souper Sunday: The Mother of All Carrot Gingers

Firstly, I went with The Fat Free Vegan's Eggplant Spread to use up my eggplants last week. It was a delight. I used her round 2 method of adding in chickpeas for protein. Such a great spread.

Secondly: Oh weekend, nothing can somewhat ease my insurmountable Sunday Blues like soup making. I love the thrill of searching the produce market for the day's awesome deal to reveal what veggie will be the star of my pot. I love chopping and peeling. I love the smell of onions and garlic cooking and all it's promise for a delightful, cozy meal. This week I have created one of my favorite batches of soup yet. I'm calling it The Mother of All Carrot Gingers.

It all started with a score on THREE pounds of carrots (purchased for a mere 99 cents total)........

....and chopped 'em up!

Look at that color!

Truly if you want a super easy veggie soup of any kind, all you really need to do is blend a vegetable, broth, salt/pepper. However, we know that this isn't how I roll. I wanted more depth of flavor! 

The Mother of All Carrot Gingers:

3lbs Carrots, chopped

1 large onion (I used Spanish), chopped

1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped (yellow would work too)

1/4 large sweet potato, pre cooked, chopped

1 large palm full of dill

1/4 palm full cinnamon

1/4 palm full fennel seed

1/2 palm full curry powder

1/2 palm full cumin

1/2 inch fresh grated ginger

4 cups veggie broth

2 cups water

1 Tbsp Earth Balance

3 giant garlic cloves (or six regular), grated

In a large stock pot, melt the Earth Balance and toss in your carrots. Stir and get your carrots coated.

(you may want to add a little splash of water)

Add your dill and let the carrots and dill have some alone time (approx 5 minutes)

Add onion and bell pepper

When onion is translucent add the sweet potato and seasonings

Add broth and water

Bring to a boil

Add ginger and garlic

Turned to low and simmer for 20 minutes 

Bust out the immersion blender and blend until your desired smooth consistency.

Not kidding about the giant garlic:

Look at that color!!

This is one of my favorite creations yet! The flavor is so layered and rich and the "next day" factor is off the charts! The bell pepper really makes a difference, and the fennel adds such a nice subtle licorice note! This would be such a "WOW" starter for your Thanksgiving table,  a great lunch on T-Day if you're waiting for a big dinner, or fabulous on Black Friday with a Leftovers Sandwich.

In my Thanksgiving news, Mama BB30 is taking on the challenge of creating some vegan dishes for me (even cookies!) It's so heart warming when people want to try their hand at kind cooking. I will definitely give a report!

What are you cooking for Thanksgiving?

My First Vegan Thanksgiving

Ok Blogger, I think I have your picture posting issues defeated. You've kept  me from my Thanksgiving post long enough!

I knew I'd nailed down one of my dishes for Thanksgiving (the oh so delicious glazed acorn squash), but I was still uncertain about the rest. While I was on vacation I caught an episode of Ellen (adore her) and she had her personal chef on making a faux turkey roast. As I am not the biggest fan of processed Tofurky I was intrigued. I made it the day after we got home and it was a winner. I made it again the night before Thanksgiving:

Ingredients:
4 Cups vital wheat gluten
1 Cup bread crumbs
1 Cup nutritional yeast
3 Tablespoon dried thyme
1 large onion small dice and caramelized
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
4 Cups strong No Chicken, chicken stock (veggie stock)
1 full sheet of cheesecloth
Butcher's twine
Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Steak Magic spices (couldn't find it-I made my own by Googling)
Earth Balance butter

Instructions:
Caramelize the onions over medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the onions to the dry ingredients and mix.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon (I used my KitchenAid mixer as you can see) until a loose batter forms. Shape the batter into a loaf.

Unroll about 24" of cheesecloth on to a clean dry surface. Unfold the cloth completely and then fold it in half to form a two-ply piece of cloth.

Place the loaf in the middle of cloth and roll it up, leaving enough space to tie off at both ends.

Now tie two more pieces of twine over the center of the roast.

Place the roast into a large pot of boiling water and simmer for at least two hours.

Carefully remove the cheesecloth and place the roast on a small sheet tray and rub the roast with Earth Balance butter and sprinkle with blackening spices. Bake roast at 350 for 20+ minutes or until golden brown. Allow roast to rest a few minutes before slicing.

It comes out juicy and delightful! Trust me! Trust Ellen!

I also made fresh cranberry sauce. I used my pretend friend Alicia Silverstone's recipe from The Kind Life as a guide.

Ingredients:
Bag of raw cranberries (4 cups)
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used Trader Joe's Maple/Agave blend)
Juice from 1 orange (I didn't have OJ so I used 1/4c Pom Wonderful dilluted in 1/4c water)

Instructions:
Rinse berries
Transfer to large sauce pan and add syrup, juice and an additional 1/4c of water
Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stir often
When mixture comes to a boil reduce heat, cover, and boil gently until berries pop (10 mins or so)
Chill for an hour before serving

DELISH! This is a thick mixture, so it also makes for a yummy spread for toast! No need for processed canned cranberry sauce-EVER!

Glazed acorn squash, a refreshing fennel and spinach salad w/peach vinagerette (courtesy of my in-laws), and faux turkey roast w/fresh cranberry sauce. My mouth was happy and I didn't feel bloated, weighed down, or remorseful. Yay!

Thanksgiving Test Drive

Blogger was on the fritz yesterday and unable to load pictures, so I was sad not to get to share this yesterday. It's back now, so here we go! Drumroll........One of my Thanksgiving dishes has been solidified!

Sunday night after arriving home an hour later than expected (grr), I got to work on Fast, Fresh & Green's Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings.

1 small acorn squash (1 to 1.25 lbs)
2 T. unsalted butter, plus 2 t. more if needed (I used Earth Balance)
2 t. pure maple syrup (I used a Trader Joe's Maple Syrup/Agave blend)
1.5 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. ground cardamom (I didn't want to spend $15 on something I would only use 1/8 teaspoon of, so I googled alternatives and used cinnamon)
Kosher salt (I used sea salt)

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a large (18x13x1-inch) heavy-duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2. With a sharp chef's knife, cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise (though both the stem end and the pointy end). Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon.

2. Put each half, cut side down, on a cutting board. Slice off about 3/4-inch from each end, and discard. Slice the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-rings. If you want, you can trim away any remaining fibers from the rings by running a paring knife around the inside of each. Put the half-rings on the parchment paper.

3. In a small sauce pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the maple syrup, vanilla, and cardamom. Stir well. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the squash pieces with a little less than half of the mixture. Season the pieces very lightly with salt and turn them over. Brush this side with more of the mixture, but reserve about 1 tablespoon for brushing on after cooking. (If using a larger squash and you wind up with less than 1 tablespoon of liquid, add 1 to 2 teaspoons more butter to the saucepan). Season the tops very lightly with salt.

4. Roast the squash for 12 minutes. Use tongs to flip the pieces over. Continue to roast until they are nicely browned (the bottoms with be browner than the tops) and tender when pierced with a paring knife, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the piecces over again when they come out of the oven so that the browner side is up.

The squash was in the oven for only a few minutes before the essence of fall filled my kitchen and livingroom. It was heavenly!

5. Reheat the butter mixture briefly over low heat if necessary (or to melt the additional butter). Brush the butter mixture over the squash slices and serve.....and submit to the mind numbing goodness....

I think next time I make this I will trim the skin. It softens up and is edible, but it was a tad weird texture wise so I peeled it off. This squash is so delicious it's criminal! Plus, it so easy and fast to make and now that I have my agave/maple blend this dish will only cost me a few dollars to make each time depending on how much squash is going for. Right now at most groceries stores it very inexpensive. Tis the the season for hard squash. I think the glaze would be brilliant on other veggies as well like carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash.

When the amazing smell hit the air the uncontrollable urge to have stuffing took over. So, I used this recipe from Savvy Vegetarian as a guide, cut it down and made a little stuffing using a leftover baguette I had.

Sautee basic onions, celery, and garlic.

Tear up baguette in awesome 1970s tupperware.

 Mix cooked veggies together with bread using your trusty Princess spatula.

 Add veggie broth, let it soak into mixture, bake, and voila!

Fall Sunday supper!

Test Kitchen

First of all, last night I had a triumphant return to Bikram after several days away. Thanks to the holiday for some (not for me-boo), class wasn't as jammed as it usually is. I am glad that I will have more time to devote to class. I only have about a month until my beachy vacation, so I have to tone all I can! It's great motivation not to sink my weary self into the couch never to return. I've also licked my nasty cold! Triumph!

A week ago, with only a little time to spare I knew I had to get a grab-n-go lunch soup made for the week, and I needed to use up a beautiful butternut squash I had. I decided it was the perfect time to test out the Thanksgiving Contender of Ina Garten's Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Condiments.

The Recipe:

Ingredients

For the Soup:
3 to 4 pounds butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 yellow onions
2 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (I used Knorr Vegetable Boullion)
1/2 teaspoon good curry powder

For the Condiments:
Scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced diagonally
Flaked sweetened coconut, lightly toasted
Roasted salted cashews, toasted and chopped
Diced banana

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the butternut squash, onions and apples in 1-inch cubes. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Divide the squash mixture between 2 sheet pans and spread it in a single layer. Roast for 35 to 45 minutes, until very tender. I tried peeling the squash to cube it per Ina's instructions, but I am pretty sure peeling hard squash is one of the most tedious, dangerous, and awful tasks ever, so I roasted it the standard way. Split down the middle, seeds scooped, face down. I also just used one sheet pan.

Meanwhile, heat the stock to a simmer. When the vegetables are done, put them through a food mill fitted with the medium blade. (Alternatively, you can place the roasted vegetables in batches in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add some of the stock and coarsely puree.)

When all of the vegetables are processed, place them in a large pot and add enough stock to make a thick soup. Add the curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings to be sure there's enough salt and pepper to bring out the curry flavor. Reheat and serve hot with condiments either on the side or on top of each serving.

I couldn't wait until the next day to taste it! I made a baby bowl in one of my favorite sauce dishes and garnished with green onion and banana. I didn't have cashews or coconut, but I am certain they are delicious as well. (Seriously, I use these Crate & Barrel sauce dishes all the time for food prep, making flavored Earth Balance butters and to control portions with snacks.)

As with most recipes I try, I would have preferred some garlic, but overall, this soup was a sweet and savory delight. The next time I dished up a bowl, I added some cumin for extra spice and even more green onion. In true soup fashion this was even yummier the next day.

*Recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.

The Unavoidable and Another Thanksgiving Contender

What's unavoidable when you work yourself silly and people around you are irresponsible? GETTING A COLD FOR YOUR OPENING NIGHT. I am so exhausted that my immune system is shot. Other than not getting enough sleep, I pack healthy food for the day and take care of myself, but alas, no ZZZZs=open door for germs. On I trudge with my quest for work/work/life balance. Thank you for bearing with me! I will get this down yet! I have been downing hot tea to sooth my throat and have plenty of my favorite cold medicine, but alas, I'm sick. All went well and the powers of adrenaline powered me through. One secret weapon when my voice gets worn out from drainage is gargling several times with an apple cider vinegar/warm water solution. Apple cider vinegar is magical. Seriously. Google it. There are websites devoted to its many uses. So, if you ever lose your voice, gargle with an apple cider solution-you'll get your voice back for a while...at least I do.

source

I call this stuff Liquid Magic!

Awesome husband alert: On his way home Mr. BB30 ordered me some healing spicy brothy thai soup for dinner last night and had it waiting for me! Huzzah!

Enough about my snot. Let's talk Thanksgiving!

Meet another contender:

Vanilla and Cardamom Glazed Acorn Squash Rings

A salty squash with a syrupy vanilla glaze. *Drools* This recipe is from page 51 of Fast, Fresh and Green by Susie Middleton and looks so simple and so flavorful!  

It supposedly serves 2 to 3 (but mostly likely 1 if you are me- hahahaha)

1 small acorn squash (1 to 1.25 lbs)
2 T. unsalted butter, plus 2 t. more if needed (I will use Earth Balance.)
2 t. pure maple syrup
1.5 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. ground cardamom
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a large (18x13x1-inch) heavy-duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper.

2. With a sharp chef's knife, cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise (though both the stem end and the pointy end). Scrape out the seeds and fibers with a spoon. Put each half, cut side down, on a cutting board. Slice off about 3/4-inch from each end, and discard. Slice the squash crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-rings. If you want, you can trim away any remaining fibers from the rings by running a paring knife around the inside of each. Pout the half-rings on the parchment paper.

3. In a small sauce pan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the maple syrup, vanilla, and cardamom. Stir well. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the squash pieces with a little less than half of the mixture. Season the pieces very lightly with salt and turn them over. Brush this side with more of the mixture, but reserve about 1 tablespoon for brushing on after cooking. (If using a larger squash and you wind up with less than 1 tablespoon of liquid, add 1 to 2 teaspoons more butter to the saucepan). Season the tops very lightly with salt.

4. Roast the squash for 12 minutes. Use tongs to flip the pieces over. Continue to roast until they are nicely browned (the bottoms with be browner than the tops) and tender when pierced with a paring knife, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip the piecces over again when they come out of the oven so that the browner side is up.

5. Reheat the butter mixture briefly over low heat if necessary (or to melt the additional butter). Brush the butter mixture over the squash slices and serve.

YUM!!!!!!! Look at that color! They look like fall leaves! Sweet and savory fall leaves!