Everyday Almond Cake
from "Sweet Vegan Treats" by Hannah Kaminsky

​Makes 10-12 Servings
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For a more decadent rendition, she suggests to double the recipe for both cake and ganache and create a double-decker layer cake by sandwiching extra ganache between the two rounds!  Served that way at Nourish Cafe in San Francisco.

ALMOND CAKE:
1/2 cup almond meal
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup nondairy milk
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
7 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon maple syrup
whole almonds, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 350 F and generally grease one 8" cake pan.

Combine the almond meal, both flours, baking power, baking soda and salt.  Stir to combine and set aside.

Separately, whisk together the oil, nondairy milk, maple syrup, and vinegar vigorously until the mixture is slightly frothy and bubbly on the surface.  Incorporate the two extracts.  Slowly add in the dry mixture, whisking just until everything is combined.  Don't be alarmed if the batter seems thin, almost like crepe batter rather than your traditional cake.  That means you've done it right!

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool for at least 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool.  Make sure it's completely cool before decorating.

To make your ganache, heat the chocolate, coconut milk, and maple syrup together in a medium saucepan over very low heat, stirring well until completely smooth.  Pour generously over the top of the cake, allowing it to run down the sides.  Use a flat spatula to smooth over any gaps until it's fully covered.  Place whole almonds decoratively around the border, if desired.  Let the ganache cool and set completely before serving.
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Here's a salad I like to have for lunch as it's healthy and filling.  I've also taken this one to potlucks with a good response.  This is a good one for those new to quinoa as the classic tomato, cilantro and black bean combo is a winner!

Sunflower Zucchini Bread
Robin Robertson

​1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups grated zucchini, squeezed dry
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

​1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9" loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, zucchini, soy milk and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until well blended.  Quickly fold in the sunflower seeds, mixing well.

4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.  Bake until the center springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes.  During the last 10 minutes of baking time, cover the loaf loosely with foil to prevent the top from getting too dark.  Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
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I've got a new favorite Christmas cookie....  that happens to be vegan by my idol Isa Chandra Moskowitz. 

I'm not a huge peppermint candy fan but it works here.  I didn't have peppermint chocolate that the recipe calls for but I did get a gift of candy canes I crushed up in the food processor and had some Enjoy Life mega chunks in the cupboard. 
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They are not overly sweet or minty, they are the perfect dark fudgy chocolate that I respect in a cookie!  

Candy Cane Fudge Cookies
The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook byIsa Chandra Moskowitz

1/2 cup refined coconut oil, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk), at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 - 3 oz peppermint chocolate bars, chopped up
4 candy canes, crushed up (in pieces no bigger than 1/2"

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease 2 rimmed baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce and milk and mix gently; it might make the oil clump up and firm up a bit, but that's okay. Mix in the vanilla.

Add 1 cup of the flour along with the cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix well.  Mix in the chocolate peppermint chunks and then the remaining 1 cup flour and mix until it firms up. You might need to use your hands to get it fully incorporated. 

Place twelve 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops of dough on each baking sheet, a few inches apart. Flatten slightly with your hand. Place a pinch of crushed candy cane in the center of each and press gently into the surface.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely. 

Vegan Biscuits & White Pepper Gravy
"The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook" byIsa Chandra Moskowitz

Biscuits
2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Unsweetened Vegan Milk
2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Four
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Cup unrefined Coconut Oil, room temperature

Gravy
1/2 Cup Cashews, soaked in water at least 2 hours and drained
2 Cups Vegetable Broth
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
Chopped Fresh Parsley, for garnish

​Make the biscuits.  Preheat oven to 425.

In a small bowl mix together the apple cider vinegar and milk, set aside.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar into a large mixing bowl making a well in the center.  Cut the coconut oil into the dough with a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Pour in the milk mixture and blend with a fork, being careful not to overmix. 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll into a 1" thick disc.  Use a 2" round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut out biscuits, adding them to a baking sheet.

Bake until puffy and golden brown, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.

Make the gravy.  Combine the cashews and broth in a blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  

Preheat a sauce pot on medium.  Add oil, then sprinkle in the flour, stirring until smooth and brown, about 5 minutes.  Add blended mixture, lowering heat.  Cook while stirring, about 3 minutes until thickened.  Add salt and pepper, cook for 2 more minutes.

Serve the biscuits with the gravy, garnishing with parsley.
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I feel in love with these peppers when spotted on a small plates menu at one of our favorite places...  "really?  peppers?"  I asked the waiter skeptically.  He explained "yes, they are amazing...  not too spicy but once in a while you will get one with a kick."  Alright I said and the rest is history.  Immediately I was addicted and had so many small plates of these little peppers!

Fast forward a few years and another state later when filling up my new garden space my favorite heirloom plant grower was selling interesting pepper varieties, including Shishitos!  I was so excited to have my own plant full of it and just as I forgot about it for a minute I was browsing one of my favorite garden summer time cookbooks and spotted this gem.

Just Plain Nuts Burger
Wendy McMillian for naturalhealthmag.com
July/August 2011

This gluten free patty at Crazy Burger Café & Juice Bar in Narragansett, RI is loaded with heart-healthy cashews and walnuts - both good sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fast as well as omega-3 fatty acids.  Lentils add fiber, folate and iron.

1/2 cup dry mixed lentils - French, Green, Red, equal parts
1/4 red onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1/2 carrot, grated
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 zucchini, grated
1/4 pound cashews, roasted on a sheet pan for 3 minutes
1/4 pound walnuts, roasted on a sheet pan for 3 minutes
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Gulden's mustard
2 tablespoons Fry Salt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 handful fresh basil, washed and minced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. To prepare lentils, simmer in 1 1/2 cups water for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

2. Sauté onion, celery and carrots in 1/8 cup canola oil, until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.  Add zucchini toward the end.  Season vegetable mixture lightly with some of the salt and pepper and place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Drain the lentils.  Season lightly with some of the salt and pepper, and add to the vegetables.

4. Coarsely grind the roasted cashews and walnuts in a food processor and add to the mixing bowl.

5. Mix in all remaining ingredients until everything is incorporated evenly.

6. Form mixture into burger patties and arrange on a lined sheet pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 500 F.  (Alternatively patties can be pan-fried in a small amount of canola oil.)  Serve open face on polenta with a side of sun-dried tomato-artichoke pesto.

Being vegetarian is easy for me since I never liked meat.  Vegan is another story.  I'm from Wisconsin, I love cheese!!!  I was very skeptical of cheese replacements but after falling in love with Daiya and getting my skeptical husband as addicted I started to ponder other dairy free cheesestuffs.  I started with my Vitamix book and hit the jackpot.  This sauce is versatile and good, better than any processed cheese sauces.  I've used this to make mac n cheese, nachos and to top anything.  And unlike my friend Daiya, it's oil free so ok for the Engine 2 Diet!  It has been a lifesaver, elevating any oil free veg dish.  The consistency of this sauce as below is very thin.  I prefer it on the thick end so only add as much water to get everything moving at first then slowly adding the boiling water just to make it smooth.  I use a little under half the amount of water they suggest.  It lists a few choices for nuts, I've only tried with cashews but it looks like almonds work as well.

Not-So Cheese Sauce Vitamix
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup canned pimentos or roasted red pepper
1/2 cup raw cashews or almonds
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons potato starch, mixed in 1/4 cup cold water

Place all ingredients, except the boiling water and potato starch mixture, into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.

Select variable 1.

Turn machine on and quickly increased speed to Variable 10, then to High.

Blend for 6-7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.

Reduce speed to Variable 7 and remove the lid plug.  Pour boiling water and potato starch mixture through the lid plug opening.

Continue to blend until mixture is thickened, about 1 minute.
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Brooklyn Deli Macaroni Salad
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Veganomicon page 91

​DRESSING
1/4 cup veganaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

SALAD
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 radishes, grated
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1 pound elbow macaroni

​​1.    Prepare the dressing:  Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Mix with a fork until completely blended.  

2.    Add the radishes, carrots and peas and set aside while you cook the macaroni.