Linzertorte Cookies

These are a Christmastime regular in my kitchen and a favorite treat to add to Christmas gift baskets.

Yield: approximately thirty 2.5" diameter cookies

ingredients:

• 1 cup nuts, toasted and coarsely to finely ground (any combination of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans is great - just use what you have on hand)
• 1 cup oats, regular or quick, ground in with the nuts (see instructions below)
• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup light vegetable oil (I use sunflower)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• zest of 1 orange or lemon (I usually prefer orange)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract
• 1/4 cup jam (I use raspberry, but really any jam will do)

method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a blender, grind nuts and oatmeal together into a coarse meal.

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, combine all wet ingredients.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to form a stiff dough.  Add a bit more flour if the dough looks too wet. You will be rolling it between sheets of wax paper, so it must not be wet or sticky. 

Place a sheet of wax paper on your work surface and place a dough ball of about 1/3 the total mass onto the sheet. Press flat, then top with a second sheet of wax paper and roll out the dough until it is about 1/4" thick.  

Stamp out the desired shape with a cookie cutter and transfer cookies to baking sheet. 

Once all the dough has been used up, make shallow indentations in the center of each cookie with your finger or thumb.  Fill indentations with a small amount of jam.

Bake until slightly golden, about 15 - 17 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Recipe adapted from: Sweet and Natural by Meredith McCarty

Cranberry Orange Nut Loaf

ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup unbleached white flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup light vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• zest and juice of 1 small or 1/2 large orange
• 1/4 cup soy or rice beverage (plain or vanilla)
• 1 cup whole cranberries
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup walnuts (you decide the amount)

method:

Preheat oven to 350.

Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper and oil the sides (I use Earth Balance).

Thaw cranberries and slice each one in half. 

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl combine wet ingredients and add to dry. Mix until combined, then fold in cranberries and nuts. 

Transfer batter to pan and bake 40 - 45 minutes, until cake bounces back when pressed with a finger, is quite golden and has pulled away from the sides of the pan a bit.

Transfer to wire rack and let cool. 

Recipe adapted from: Sweet and Natural by Meredith McCarty

Caramel Chocolate Popcorn

Perfect treat for the winter holidays!

I triple this recipe, as 5 cups popped popcorn really isn't all that much. And, if you're going to the trouble of making some, you may as well make lots 'cause it won't stick around long! (the original recipe called for 4 cups, but I find that quite a bit too sweet)

I'm not sure what the dry volume of popcorn kernels is, but it's about 1/4 cup.  I use an air popper.

ingredients:

• 5 cups popcorn, popped
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery spread
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 non-dairy chocolate chips

method:

Line enough baking sheets for the amount of popcorn you've made with parchment paper (about 1 baking sheet / batch).

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt together olive oil and Earth Balance. Once melted, add brown sugar and maple syrup and bring to a low boil. Cook 3 - 5 minutes, without stirring, until it turns a rich caramel colour. 

Remove from heat and mix in baking soda. Pour over popcorn and mix thoroughly.

If eating right away (movie night?), pour onto prepared baking sheet.  Melt chocolate and drizzle overtop.

If preparing ahead of time, pour the popcorn mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and heat in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. This dries out the popcorn so that it does not get soggy.  Remove from oven and drizzle with melted chocolate. Allow to cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers or bags and store at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from: Rachel Klein; VegNews Magazine Nov+Dec 2010 (issue 76), pg. 81

Vegan Lasagna with Daiya

We've made many a vegan lasagna over the years, but the availability of Daiya vegan cheese has truly revolutionized this recipe.  Daiya comes pre-shredded, and for lasagna we use the "mozzarella style shreds".  The "cheese" melts absolutely beautifully, and this lasagna is always the biggest hit at any gathering we take it to. I have a brother-in-law who is a seriously ravenous meat eater. He's big, beefy, races motorcross....and is a HUGE Daiya fan. It's actually quite funny to hear him rave about it!

Important Recipe Notes: 

• This "recipe" is actually more of a guideline so that we can replicate it again in the future.  There are no exact measurements and you will have leftover veggies and maybe sauce. 
• Dish size:  The lasagna dish I use is made by Le Creuset and is 8" wide x 11.5" long x 3" deep (not including lid)
• We pack the dish 3 layers deep, it ends up looking too tall for the dish but the heavy lid keeps everything down.  It shrinks down quite a bit during cooking, leaving you with nice thick slices.
• Do not pre-cook the lasagna noodles!! The veggies provide enough liquid to cook the noodles during baking! 

Ingredients:

• 2 jars tomato sauce of your choice
• 1 large eggplant
• 1 large, or 2 small zucchini (green or yellow)
• approx. 4 cups sliced mushrooms (or half a brown "mushroom" bag)
• red chard, 1 large bunch or 2 small
• 500 grams regular lasagna noodles
• lots of Daiya vegan cheese, have at least 5 cups on hand
• salt
• olive oil

Method:

Slice eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms very, very, very thin.  It's time consuming, but necessary.

Wash, dry and chop red chard.

In the very bottom of your lasagna dish spread a thin layer of tomato sauce and layer the first noodles side by side. DO NOT OVERLAP THE NOODLES. 

Spread another thin layer of sauce over the first layer of noodles.  Sprinkle a bit of salt over top. 

Layer eggplant slices on top, then layer zucchini slices on top of the eggplant, followed by mushrooms on top of the zucchini. 

Sprinkle a very light amount of Daiya over the mushrooms, then drizzle  a thin stream of olive oil over the cheese.  This may seem odd - please read the following note....

**The only fat content in this lasagna is coming from Daiya, and with all the volume of veggies, noodles and sauce that's not all that much.  Traditional lasagnas are full of meat and dairy, so the addition of a small amount of olive oil just "rounds out" the dish.

Place a layer of the chopped red chard over the "cheese".

Cover with another layer of noodles, taking care not to overlap the noodles (the overlapped portions will not cook properly).

Important Step!  Using a small pan, gently but firmly press the noodles down.  This compression will help you get an extra layer in the dish.

Spread tomato sauce over the noodles and repeat exactly as above for the second and third layer, making sure to top off the third layer with noodles, spreading sauce on top but no cheese!

The third layer will be itching to bust out of the edge of your dish. Not to worry, it'll shrink down during cooking. 

Place the lid on the dish - this will ensure that all the steam from the veggies will remain inside and cooks the noodles.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Both times we've made this, we've left it in the oven overnight before baking, then baked it the following day in the afternoon. I'm not sure if this affects the consistency, so if it's not completely done after 1 hour (test with a knife, it should slice easily through all the layers), just cook a bit longer. 

Remove from oven, remove lid, sprinkle a generous amount of Daiya vegan cheese over top, replace the lid and let sit for 10 minutes.  

Once you lift the lid, the top layer of "cheese" will have melted beautifully.  

Your lasagna is now ready to eat!

Outrageously Awesome Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The title says it all! These are "the" perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, and of course the recipe can be adapted to really contain any kind of goodies.  Substitute or add raisins, walnuts, dried apricot, you name it.  If adding to the choco chips, you'll have to reduce their amount a bit.

Yields: about 2 dozen

ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup rolled oats; quick or whole
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup light oil (I use sunflower)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup of something else; raisins, chopped walnuts, dried apricots, etc.

method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare several cookie sheets, I like to cover them with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk together to mix.

In a small bowl combine the water, oil and vanilla extract, stir well to combine.

Pour liquid ingredients over dry, mix well to form a stiff dough.  Add in chocolate chips and other goodies.

Drop tablespoon sized balls of the dough onto your prepared cookie sheet, about 2" apart.  Bake 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned.  

Remove from oven, but let cookies cool on pan for at least 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Watch them magically disappear!

Daiya Cheese Breadsticks

I've been meaning to make these for at least a year and finally got around to it.  I've never made bread sticks before, but am an old hand at the bread machine thing, so thought I'd give it a whirl.  We used to love the cheese sticks that the Queensdale Market on Lonsdale sells, but these are easily just as tasty.

So, you do need a bread machine for this recipe, unless you're savvy at adapting these for the traditional method.

ingredients:

In a breadmachine, add the following ingredients in the order as they appear:

• 1 1/3 cups tepid water
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread
• 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp bread machne yeast

You will also need about 4 - 5 cups Daiya vegan cheese (2 packages should cover you)

method:

Fit pan into bread machine and select "Dough Cycle"

Once done, remove dough onto a lightly floured surface, cover with a large bowl and let rise for 10 - 15 minutes.

Divide dough into sections (however many you want, size is up to you), and roll into long stick-like shapes, like in the photo below.

Pop your pan, or pans, into an oven preheated to 375 degrees, and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on size of bread sticks.

Remove from oven, brush dough with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with Daiya, patting it onto the dough to "stick" and letting it crumble around the edges too.  The more the better!

Bake another 5 - 7 minutes, or until edges of the Daiya cheese are just slightly crispy.  Remove from oven and try not to eat them all within 24 hrs!

Perfect Blueberry Muffins

This recipe makes 6 medium - large muffins.  I highly recommend doubling the recipe! These are very light and fluffy, they'll be gone before you know it!

ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup white, 1/2 cup whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum (can omit if you don't have it)
• 3/4 cup soy milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Line a muffin tin with paper cups.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and pour in the soy milk, oil and vanilla extract. 

Mix lightly, then fold in blueberries.

Drop batter into prepared muffin cups, then bake 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Banana Split Muffins

This recipe came to me in my weekly email from the VegNews Recipe Club.  I happened to be really hungry the moment the email came in, had all the ingredients in the house, so I very quickly whipped up a batch and, woah, these little guys are dynamite! I think between Andre and myself we went through half of them in 24 hours!  I actually did sub out the dried cherries for dried cranberries, which worked great, but am going to try the cherries next time.

ingredients:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1/2 cup white in there)
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (or 1/2 package) firm Mori Nu silken tofu, mashed well
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
• 3/4 - 1 cup walnuts, crushed

method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Fill 12 muffin cup tins with paper liners, or just "grease" if you don't have any on hand. (I buy unbleached liners and find they really help with the cleanup of the tins after baking. The muffins pop out and once the tins are cool they just go right back in the cupboard. I find washing muffin tins a deterrent from making muffins)

In a large bowl combine mashed bananas, tofu, sugar, oil, vanilla extract. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix in just until moistened.  Fold in chocolate chips, cherries and walnuts.

Spoon mixture into muffin tin.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chickpea Spinach Wraps

This is not an exact recipe, but more of a guideline. With these sort of ingredients you can't really go wrong anyways, it's just one of those things you throw together and its always a bit different but always really tasty!

ingredients:

• lots of chickpeas (pre-cooked or canned)
• lots of cooked rice (or potatoes will work well too)
• 1 large bunch spinach, washed & steamed
• green peas, maybe a cup or so
• red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion
• a few cloves garlic
• chopped fresh ginger if you have it
• chili
• tumeric
• salt

method:

In a skillet fry the onion in some oil for about one minute. Add garlic & ginger and cook one more minute. Add the spices and cook for about 30 seconds.

In a large pot on low - medium heat combine the chickpeas, rice (or potatoes), peas, spinach (chop it up a bit first), and red bell pepper.

Add in the onion mixture and combine well.

Heat through and turn off heat.

Spoon mixture into wrap shells of your choice and serve with my "Cheater Chutney".

recipe by Trudel

Cheesy Scones

ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
•  3 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Tablespoon organic cane sugar
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar style Daiya vegan cheese
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread, softened
• 3/4 - 1 cup milk substitute

mtehod:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients together.

Cut in Earth Balance until crumbles form.

Stir in milk and "cheese".

Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until just brown on top.



adapted from this recipe on vegweb.com