Medjool Date Pecan Pie

Medjool Date Pecan Pie
(makes 1 pie)

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of salt
1 pie crust
1 1/2 cups soft Medjool dates (pitted and coarsely chopped)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Directions:
1. Mix the eggs, sugar, butter, corn syrup, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Place the pie crust into the pie plate and form the edge.
3. Place the dates and nuts into the pie and pour the mixture from step one into the pie plate.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until set, about 40-50 minutes.

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2009/11/medjool-date-pecan-pie.html

Sweet Potato & Veggie Dish

Sweet Potato & Veggie Dish

1 Sweet potato, chopped into half inch cubes
2 cloves garlic (deveined. this isn't entirely necessary, but will make it more digestible. Of course, so does cooking it in general so, up to you!)
1/2 red onion (or white. or yellow. I like the red for colour in this dish)
1/3 block extra firm tofu, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 leaves kale, chopped (don't dry after washing)
pinch sea salt
pinch cayenne (or to taste)

to make:
saute the garlic and onion (both chopped) in a bit of olive oil and water
once translucent, add the tofu and sweet potato.
Keep cooking at medium heat, stirring occassionally, until the outsides are crispy and the inside of the sweet potato is soft (can be determined by whether it easily spits with the spatula/a form - should be quite easy to do).
Once this is achieved, add the kale, still a bit wet from washing. The bit of water on it will help it steam more quickly. Cover the whole affair up until kale is a bit tender and a nice bright green - probably about 1-2 minutes.

Add a bit of sea salt and cayenne, toss and enjoy!!! If you'd prefer a more complete protein form (i.e. one with more nutrients than just protein and iron) go for beans! I like this dish with red kidney beans.

Bonus! the vitamin C in the sweet potato and kale help with iron absorption from the tofu/beans!

http://kellysfacesmells.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-06-19T08%3A13%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=4

Chocolate Raspberry Tart

chocolate raspberry torte
crust
1c almonds
1c macadamia nuts
5T cacao powder
1/2c dates

filling
raspberries

Pulse nuts in food processor until finely crumbly. Add cacao and pulse until well blended. Add dates and blend until it forms a dough. Press into pan, chill in fridge 15 min (or until ready to serve). Fill with raspberries, drizzle chocolate sauce on top and serve.

http://kellysfacesmells.blogspot.com/2009/11/first-blog-post-in-forever-and.html

Basic Bundt Cake (with variations)

Basic Bundt Cake

3 Tb Flaxseed Meal
1/2 cup Water
1 cup Alternative Milk (Soy, Almond, Coconut, Rice)
1 1/2 cups Organic Cane Sugar
1/2 cup Oil
2 tsp Vanilla
2 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour
1 Tb Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt

Combine the flaxseed meal and water, let stand a few minutes. In a large bowl, combine the milk, sugar, oil and vanilla and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients together. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir to combine, careful not to over mix. When the batter is mostly mixed, add any extras and finish mixing. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes.

Variations:

Orange Spice- Add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground clove, zest of one orange, replace 1/2 cup orange juice for milk alternative.
Berries- Add 1 cup berries of choice (blueberry, strawberry, cranberries).
Lemon Poppy seed- Add 2 Tb Poppy seeds and replace 1/4 cup lemon juice for milk alternative.
Double Chocolate- Add 1/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Raspberry White Chocolate- Add 1/2 cup vegan White Chocolate Chips (if available) and replace 1/2 cup fresh raspberry juice for milk substitute.
Apple Walnut- Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and 1 cup finely chopped apple.
Coconut Almond- Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut and 1/2 cup sliced almonds.

You can also be creative, or basic, with a topping for the bundt cake. You can simply combine powdered sugar with milk alternative until you reach the consistency you desire. Or you can use orange/lemon/raspberry juice instead of a milk alternative with powdered sugar. The cake can also go bare since it can stand alone.

http://flavorvegan.blogspot.com/2009/11/basic-bundt-cake.html

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH THYME AND MUSTARD

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH THYME AND MUSTARD
2-3 servings

300 g/ 10,5 oz butternut squash, peeled and diced
150 g/ 5,3 oz potatoes, peeled and diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
800 ml/ 3,4 cups water
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp thyme, dried
3 tblsp thick youghurt or crème fraîche
4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Gently fry shallots with thyme and mustard seeds for 3-4 minutes in some olive oil, then add squash and potatoes and go on cooking for another 4-5 minutes.
- Add salt and the water and let it simmer with half closed lid for 10-15 minutes, it depends on how big the vegetable dice are.
- While the soup simmers, mix yoghurt, honey and Dijon mustard really well. Taste it and add more mustard if you want.
- Run the soup in a blender until smooth and serve topped with a dollop of mustard yoghurt.

http://lucullian.blogspot.com/2009/11/butternut-squash-soup-with-thyme-and.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LucullianDelights-AnItalianExperience+%28Lucullian+delights+-+an+Italian+experience%29

Button Ornaments

The basic technique for all the ornaments is the same. Bend a pipe cleaner in half and twist once at the top for a loop. Slide buttons over pipe cleaner ends, slipping one end into each hole (if the button has four holes, use two diagonal ones). Use larger buttons for bellies and hat brims. When finished, twist ends of pipe cleaner to secure, and trim. For reindeer legs and antlers and for Santa's arms, bend 2-inch pieces of pipe cleaner in half, slip on between buttons, and twist. Glue on felt for Santa's beard and the snowman's nose. To hang the reindeer, loop a thread around its middle and tie.

http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.3a0656639de62ad593598e10d373a0a0/?vgnextoid=b34ece908332f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&backto=true

Mostly Just Carrots-Cake

Mostly Just Carrots Cake

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup apple sauce (you can use oil also if you don't want the "lower fat" version)
3 "eggs"-- flax seed and Ener-g eggs both work well
3 cups shredded carrot
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon or pie spice

Directions:

Mix all of the wet ingredients and the sugar in a bowl until well mixed. Add the carrots and mix.

In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Once both bowls are ready, mix together to form batter.

Pour into a 9 by 13 cake pan. Put into preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about 40 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean. If you use other sized pans (rounds, for example) be sure to adjust your baking time.

Let cool and enjoy! I just put powered sugar on mine but you can be more creative.

Feel free to also add other goodies, like coconut, walnuts, or whatever sounds good to you.

Source of recipe: This is a modified version of a carrot cake recipe I have. All of the vegan recipes I was finding had other ingredients (pineapple, coconut, etc) in them. I wanted straight up carrot cake. This makes a nice, moist cake. My officemate and carrot cake lover requests this.

Makes: 12 servings, Preparation time: 20 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes

www.vegweb.com

Lentils-superfood

see link below for the health benefits of lentils:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1319160/the_amazing_health_benefits_of_lentils.html?cat=5

Broccoli-Superfood

To see the health benefits of Broccoli see the link below:


http://healthfood-guide.com/HealthBenefitsOfBroccoli.aspx

Flaxseeds-superfood

I have been adding ground flax to my muffins, breads & other baking, smoothies, granola, and in my oatmeal every morning.
Flax oil cannot be heated or it will turn rancid, I sprinkle it on my popcorn, potatoes, already cooked veggies, Salads, etc.

To learn the benefits of flax in your diet click the link below:
http://www.womenfitness.net/benefits-flaxseed.htm

Walnuts-superfood

see the link below for the health benefits of walnuts:


http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/41750.aspx

Avocado-superfood

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/11-health-benefits-of-avocado/

Garlic-superfood

to see the health benefits of garlic see link below:

http://naturalhealthremedies.org/what-are-the-health-benefits-of-garlic/