Caponata (Eggplant Salad)

2 cloves garlic, minced
diced onion
1 green or red pepper, diced
1 med. eggplant, peeled and diced
1 16oz can tomatoes (draining them is optional)
2 tsp. honey
2 T. lemon juice
1 T. fresh parsley (optional)
salt to taste

Saute veggies together in olive oil/water until soft. Add the tomatoes. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the honey, lemon juice & salt. Allow rest time to blend flavors. It is best eaten at room temperature or cold. Yummy on crusty bread.

Frosting, Frosting, Frosting

I think one of my biggest challenges is frosting. How to make it yummy and healthy at the same time. I've been on a quest... and I think I now have a couple of winners!


Lemony Cream Cheese Frosting

1 T. vegan gelatin
1 c. hot water
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup dates
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T vanilla
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice

Blend the first 4 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients. Blend all together until very smooth. If it's too thick to blend gradually add a little more water. Place in a container, cover & chill. This is enough to frost a 11 x 14 cake. I spread it on the cake before serving. Works great for carrot or pumpkin cake. (See earlier posts for the cake recipes)

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 T. vegan gelatin
1 c. hot water
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup dates
1/4 c. coconut oil
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 cup peanut butter

Blend the first 4 ingredients. Add remaining ingredients. Blend all together until very smooth. If it's too thick to blend gradually add a little more water. Place in a container, cover & chill. This is enough to frost a 11 x 14 cake. I spread it on the cake before serving. Works great for carob cake.

Fruit arrangements

Want a really healthy, sweet treat for a special occasion?? Fruit arrangements are kind of a popular option these days. I have met with success twice -- I am far from a professional at this -- but with some metal cookie cutters and other kitchen gadgets, wooden skewers and toothpicks, it's not hard. Kind of fun. Give it a try! My diabetic boss was on the "impossible to please" list for any kind of a sweet treat until I tried this! Made him a "melon cake" for his birthday. He liked it so much that he made one for his wife for HER birthday. (My boss is a dentist -- that's why there are teeth on the cake!)

Cowboy Cookies

Borrowed this from Isa & Terry and tweaked it...

2 cups quick oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp. Salt

Place all in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2/3 c. olive oil
1 ½ c. sucanat
½ c. soy milk
1 T ground flax seeds
1 tsp. Vanilla

Place all of these ingredients in another bowl. Let rest a bit so that the sucanat melts. It will then stir together nicely. Go ahead and dump the dry mix into this wet mixture. Stir together.

Add:

1 cup carob chips
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup walnuts or pecans.

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment. Scoop cookies out onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Flatten a bit with the back of a spoon or with your hand. Bake 12-15 min.
Cool on a wire rack.

AFRICAN PEANUT SOUP

This isn't a dessert... but it's vegan & it's a delight! Danielle, this is for you!

onion (I use dried)
garlic
green and red pepper

Chop veggies and saute in olive oil. Add:

1 quart canned tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 c. raw brown rice

Cook until the rice is tender.

Add:

1 cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts blended in 1 cup of additional veg. broth
OR
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
cayenne pepper to taste (1/8 tsp.?)

Heat through.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

Another pumpkin recipe for you to try!!!


Crust:
2 c. quick oats
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
½ c. ground nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. Maple syrup or honey

Mix dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together. Add wet to dry & mix. Prepare 9x13 pan. Reserve about 1 cup of the mixture. Press the remainder into pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

While it’s baking, make the filling:

2 cups of pumpkin
1 pkg Morinu tofu
1 tsp. Cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg, ginger & cloves
3/4 cup sucanat

Pour the filling onto the crust. Cover with remaining crust mixture. Bake for at least 30 min. until browned & set.

It's fall, ya'all!

That means it's time for some treats using those "fall things"... pumpkin, apples, apples, pumpkin. So here goes....

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 c. nonhydrogenated margarine
3/4 c. sucanat
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oat flour (make your own by whirring rolled oats in the blender)
2 T. cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
a sprinkle of ginger, nutmeg & cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Start out by cooking the pumpkin on low for about 45 min. to reduce it to 1/2 c. Cool.

Cream the margarine & sucanat together in a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla.

Place all the dry ingredients in a sieve. Sift into pumpkin mixture. Mix well. Spoon onto cookie sheets and flatten with your hand. Bake for 10-12 min. at 350 degrees.


Applesauce Softies

1 1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. sucanat
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. all purp. flour
1 T. cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
a sprinkle of nutmeg & cloves
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Another reduction recipe! (But they are worth it). Cook the applesauce in a saucepan on low until you have 2/3 c. (about 25 min.) OR -- cook in a crock pot all night with the lid off! When it's about done, add 1 c. raisins. This will soften the raisins and thicken the applesauce even more.

Mix the oil, sucanat & vanilla together in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled applesauce. Sift in the flours, cornstarch, spices, soda and salt. Mix to form a soft dough. Scoop into mounds on a prepared cookie sheet. Flatten. Bake at 350 degrees. (Soft cookies 8-10 min; more crispy cookie 10-13 min.)

PUMPKIN CAKE ROLL

(Took this for potluck today... my testers were all smiles! They are such willing tasters, too.)

1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer
2 T flax
1 c. sucanat
2/3 c. pumpkin puree
1 T lemon juice
3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
a sprinkle of nutmeg & ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T baking powder
ground cane sugar to sprinkle on towel

Oil a jelly roll pan. Cover with parchment. Spray again.

Put egg replacer and flax in a bowl. Add 1/3 c. hot water. Mix well. Add sucanat, lemon juice and pumpkin. In a sieve, place the flour, cornstarch, spices, salt, and baking powder. Sift into pumpkin mixture. Stir in well.

Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake at 375 for 15-18 min. Allow to cool briefly. Flip cake onto towel dusted with sugar. Start at one end and roll it up. Place on wire rack to cool. Once it's cool, spread with filling. Re-roll and chill. Slice in one inch slices and enjoy!

It's Not Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 c. dates
1/2 c. cashews
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. very hot water
2 T. coconut oil
6 oz. Morinu extra-firm tofu
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. pure maple syrup
2 tsp. Ko-jel

Place dates, cashews, vanilla and water in blender. Blend very well. Add coconut oil,tofu, lemon juice and syrup. Blend until well incorporated. Add the Ko-jel and mix in. Allow this to cool before spreading it on the cake.