Sweet Cranberry and Pomegranate Bruschetta

*Prep time: 25 mins  *Cook Time:  20 minutes  *Serves:18-20

Sweet Cranberry and Pomegranate Bruschetta

*This recipe was adapted from thecafesucrefarine* 

 

  1 bag fresh cranberries

1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh ginger

  1/8 cup agave nectar

3/4 cup sugar 

zest of 1 orange *reserve some for garnish

2 tsp sriracha sauce

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Agave Nectar 

3/4 cup Pomegranate Arils *reseve some for garnish

---

2 good quality baguettes, sliced 1/4" thick

  3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt

black pepper

Tofutti Cream Cheese 

(can be purchased at Publix with the other cream cheeses) 

Step 1: Place the cranberries, ginger, sugar, agave and Sriracha in a food processor. Pulse on and off several times till cranberries are coarsely chopped. Don't process too much.

Step 2: Add cilantro and pulse a few more times. Not too much, you want cilantro bits to be visible and mixture to be a bit chunky.

Step 3: Transfer to a storage container and add pomegranate arils and orange zest. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or till ready to use

Step 4:preheat oven to 350˚F. Line 2 sheet pans with foil or parchment paper, if desired for easy clean up.

Step 5:Place baguette slices on prepared pans. Brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and a grind of pepper.
Step 6: Bake for 14-18 minutes or until golden, rotating pans halfway through baking time

Step 7: To assemble bruschetta, whisk cream cheese until creamy. Spread about ½-1 tablespoon on each crostini. Top with a scoop of the relish. Garnish with a bit of orange zest

This is surprisingly sweet and perfectly seasonal.   

Cranberry Pecan Pinwheels

*Prep time: 20 mins  *Cook Time:  15 minutes  *Serves: 20

Cranberry Pecan Pinwheels

  2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations Seamless Dough Sheet   

1 1/2 cup dried cranberries 

1 1/2 cup chopped  toasted pecans

3/4 cup sugar 

zest of 1 orange 

4 tablespoons Earth Balance butter, melted 

2 tablespoons water 

Agave Nectar

Step 1: Preheat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (don't skip this step, trust me). 

Step 2: Mix cranberries, pecans and sugar in a bowl.

Step 3: Roll out your dough sheets. Roll them out into squares. Brush the inside with melted butter. Evenly sprinkle the cranberry mix over the two dough sheets. 

Step 4:Roll each sheet into a log. Pinch the edges to seal. Brush the log with more melted butter.

Step 5:Cut each log into 10 pieces.Set onto parchment paper, bake 12-15 minutes. 
Step 6: Drizzle with agave nectar and top with orange zest.

Sometimes its time for a little burnt, caramelized sugar.  

Cranberry Apple Stuffing Muffins

*Prep time: 15 mins  *Cook Time:  30 minutes  *Serves:12+

Cranberry Apple Stuffing Muffins

Filling

  1 fourteen ounce*Pepperidge farm* herbed seasoned stuffing package

  5 tbsp Earth Balance Butter

1 cup chopped apple

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 chopped onion

2 tbsp rubbed sage

2 tbsp dried thyme leaves

2 tbsp rosemary

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 cups vegetable broth

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add apples, celery, cranberries, onion and herbs. Saute 3 minutes. 

Step 2: Add broth. Stir in stuffing. Mix lightly. Taste for salt and pepper.

Step 3:Spoon into a greased, non stick muffin tin.

Step 4: Bake for 25-30, until the tops of the muffins are browned and crunchy.

Step 5:Allow to cool 20 minutes before removing from tin.

I love stuffing, I love muffins. So, here we are.  

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole Puffs

*Prep time: 30 mins  *Cook Time:  22 minutes  *Serves:18

Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole Puffs

Filling

2 *Pepperidge farm* puff pastry sheets

3 heaping cups yams (canned in syrup)

3/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup original *Earth Balance* buttery spread, softened

can be bought at target, publix and most walmart's

1/2 cup warm Soy or Almond Milk

1 1/2 tsp real vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Melted earth balance buttery spread
Saigon Cinnamon

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/3 cup earth balance, melted

Step 1: Thaw out your pastry sheets if frozen. Toast your pecans by heating in an ungreased pan over medium heat until they turn a shade darker and have an oily sheen, about 3-5 minuted. Chop.

Step 2:Mash the sweet potatoes. Add butter, sugar, almond milk, vanilla, salt and 1/4 cup toasted pecans. Mix well.

Step 3:Roll out your puff pastry sheet with a rolling pin to at least 15" x 15". Cut into 9 squares. Brush centers with melted butter.

Step 4: Place 1 tbsp filling in the center of each square. Top each with a dash of cinnamon and 1 tsp melted butter. 

Step 5: Mix all of the topping ingredients together. Place 1/2 tbsp over your filling.

Step 6: Fold your puffs up by pinching together opposite corners of the puff pastry squares. Some filling will poke out from the sides, that is ok, just make sure all of the corners are pinched together to make a purse.

Step 7: Place the puffs into a greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes. Brush puffs with melted butter and top with another dash of cinnamon. 

Everything should be topped with butter... 

Vegan Peach-Kissed Chelsea Buns

*Prep time: 2.5 hours  *Cook Time:  30 minutes  *Serves: 3-4

Vegan Peach-Kissed Chelsea Buns

This is a revised version of a London recipe- originally sold in the Old Chelsea Bun House.

 They are a sweet, crunchy, peachy sticky bun made to be eaten with your morning, afternoon, evening or midnight coffee. We won't judge. 

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups Bread Flour

1/4 oz Dry Active Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 cup warm Soy or Almond Milk

1/2 oz (about 1 spoon) softened Vegetable Shortening

1/4 tsp salt

1-2 tbsp Soy/Almond Milk

1 Chia Egg 

(using ground chia meal)

1/4 cup melted Earth Balance Margarine

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup currants

1/4 cup dates

2 heaping spoonfuls of Peach Preserves

1/3 cup brown sugar

for glaze:

1 1/2 cup Confectioners Sugar

1 tsp almond extract

1 - 2 tbsp Soy Milk

1 tbsp Agave Nectar

Step 1: Grease a 7" square baking pan. Put 2/3 cup sifted flour into a bowl. Add yeast, sugar and milk. Mix well into a batter. Leave in a warm place for 20 minutes until risen. 

Step 2: Mix the shortening into the remaining sifted flower using an electric mixer. Add the salt, yeast mixture,  and egg. Mix well and add 1-2 tbsp milk. You want a fairly dry dough but you dont want all crumbles. Knead on a floured surface 5 minutes. Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp warm cloth. Set in a warm place and let rise for 1 to 1.5 hours. 

Step 3: Knead the dough another 5 minutes. Roll out into a thin 9" x 12" rectangle. Leaving an inch border brush the dough with your melted butter- go ahead and use all of it. Then spread your peach preserve on- again keeping that border. Then evenly sprinkle on the brown sugar, raisins, dates and currants (don't touch that border!). 

Step 4: Then roll everything up like a jelly roll. Cut off the ends- then cut the remaining log into 9 slices. Set them down in your greased pan and let it set in a warm place for another 30 mins. 

Step 5: Pre-heat the oven to 375. Once the buns are done rising bake them for 30 mins. Carefully remove them from the pan to your serving plate. 

Step 6: Mix your glaze together: put everything into a bowl and whisk together. You want a thick but pourable glaze- so add more milk by the teaspoon if needed.  **Note: if you prefer you can omit the glaze and just drench the buns in agave. 

Step 7: Put it all together! Go ahead and pour all of the glaze onto the buns. 

Go get sticky. 

Ridiculously Drunken Vegan Brownies

*Prep time: 15-20 mins  *Cook Time:  40 minutes  *Serves:  12-16 brownies, depending on cut 

Ridiculously Drunken Vegan Brownies

This is another one of my altered and made vegan  versions of a Southern Living recipe. 

I whipped these up for Patch after a long day and they are now a permanent installment in my personal recipe book.

 If you're looking for a healthy dessert option- this isn't it. 

Ingredients

6 squares (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

1/2 plus 2 tbsp Earth Balance butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed)

3 Chia Seed Egg Replacer (using ground chia seed meal)

(you can also use enerG egg replacer if you have it)

1/4 cup soy or almond milk

1 tsp lemon juice

4 tsp instant espresso powder

2 tbsp plus 2 tsp coffee patron, divided

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 tbsp silk soy creamer

2 tbsp vodka

2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Ghirardelli chocolate chips, for garnish

Sea Salt, for garnish

Step 1: Toast pecans in a small pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until their skins become shiny. Set aside.

Step 2: Melt 4 chocolate squares along with your 1/2 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally until blended. Transfer this into a large bowl. 

Step 3: Add sugars, blend well. Then add eggs, 2 tsp espresso powder, 2 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp coffee patron. Mix it all up. 

Step 4: Take your 1/4 cup milk and mix it with 1 tsp lemon juice. Let it sit about 10 mins- you will see it start to curdle. You want that. Mix in. 

Step 5: Gradually add your flour and salt, stirring until well blended- then mix in your pecans. 

Step 6: Pour your batter into a well-greased pan and bake in a preheated oven at 325 f for 35-40 mins. ** that was 35-40 mins in my crappy oven. So keep an eye on your brownies after about 30** Once they are done a toothpick should come out of them cleanly. Once done let your brownies cool completely. 

Step 7: Now for the fudge-y topping.  Melt your remaining 2 chocolate squares along with 2 tbsp butter as before.  Transfer to a medium sized bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tsp espresso powder, soy creamer, vodka and 2 tbsp coffee patron. 

Step 8: Add your powdered sugar and mix very well with an electric mixer. Then spread it over your brownies. Top it with 1 tbsp chocolate chips and 1/2 - 1 tbsp (depending on your taste) sea salt. I used about 1 tbsp- but I have a salt and chocolate problem...

Step 9: Let your frosting set overnight. This gives the frosting time to blend with the brownies and moisten them up. 

If these brownies make you sick from the butter, sugar and liquor know this: 

it's worth it. 

When my husband and I got married we got a Southern Living Cookbook as a gift. As a vegan my first thought was- what am I supposed to do with this? 

My answer: 

Make it vegan.

Chia Seed Egg Replacers

*Prep time: 10 mins  *Cook Time:  0  *Serves: 1 egg

Chia Seed Egg Replacers

This is a great egg replacement when you are baking something a bit heavier. Chia seed 'eggs' go a long way in yielding moist baked goods. There are two ways of whipping these eggs up: 

Version 1

1 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp hot water

Step 1: Combine ingredients and let sit 15 minutes. Stir and then you are done! 

Version 2

1 tbsp chia seed meal

(can't find it? just use a coffee/spice grinder and make your own)

3 tbsp hot water

Step 1: same story as above

Vegan Cauliflower Bisque- A Southern Living Recipe made Light

*Prep time: 5 mins  *Cook Time:  40 minutes  *Serves: 4-6

Vegan Cauliflower Bisque

This recipe is one of those creamy, homey soups you crave after a long day. 
It has made its way into my permanent recipe collection. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoon Smart Balance Light Margarine

1 Cup Leek, chopped

1/2 Cup Celery, chopped

3 Cloves Garlic, chopped

4 Cups Cauliflower Florets

 (about 1 small cauliflower)

3 Cups Water

1 1/2 Squares Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bullion  

(you can use any brand of vegetable bullion you like, but this brand is my personal favorite. You can get it at Wholefoods)

1/2 cup Light Original Soy Milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp White Pepper

Chives, for garnish

Step 1: Melt butter in a large stockpot. Add leeks, celery and garlic. Saute 10 minutes, stirring regularly to keep veggies from browning. 

Step 2: Add cauliflower and saute another 2 mins. 

Step 3: Add water and bullion. Bring to a boil and stir until the bullion is dissolved. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. 

Step 4: Puree in a blender and pour the soup back into the pot. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat for 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with chives if desired. 

This is the perfect recipe for a rainy day. 

When my husband and I got married we got a Southern Living Cookbook as a gift. As a vegan my first thought was- what am I supposed to do with this? 

My answer: 

Make it vegan.

Trust Your Instict: A lesson learned from losing my dog

Pretty much all of you know that we lost Nuff Nuff recently.
But: most of you don't know why- because I haven't really been ready to talk about it.

In the evening one night Nuff Nuff seemed to have a tummy ache. He wouldn't eat all of his food, which worried me. It was late, so I took him to the vet in the morning. That morning he looked even worse but the vet seemed pretty confident that Nuff just got into something he shouldn't have. I really, really didn't feel like that was right: but he's the vet right? He put Nuff on fluids for no more than 3 hours and then sent him home.

When I got there to pick him up Nuff looked even worse. When I asked the vet assured me that he just needed to fast and get whatever it was out of his system. This really didn't seem right to me, but he's the vet: right?

Nuff got worse and worse. So again the next morning I was at the vet. Our usual vet was gone. This vet knew this was a little worse than an upset stomach. She told us it was Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis, aka mutant diarrhea. She told us she was going to put him on fluids and sent us home. Still, something felt way off: to both my husband and I. I called the office every hour for 5 hours. The vet was always busy and was always going to call me right back. Only: she never did. In the late afternoon we just drove down there and showed up. They took us into a room and brought in Nuff- then they left and no one told us a thing. We were in there 45 minutes: nuff completely non-responsive.

We were supposed to be saying goodbye. When I told my husband my suspicion he went out and demanded the doc come in and talk to us. She did. She told us that she had tried every leg and she wasn't able to get fluids in him and that he wasn't going to make it through the night. (yes. they had him there for 5 hours and never bothered to pick up the phone and tell us they couldn't get an IV in him. So, they weren't giving him anything at all. He was just there wrapped up in a towel for 5 hours).

My husband knew that there were options when it came to getting the fluids in. He pressed her for at least 15 minutes. She finally told us that there was a chance a more well equipped animal hospital could have gotten in a central line: but they couldn't. (again, she didn't tell us this as soon as she had figured it out several hours earlier...) He pushed her some more, asking her what she would do with Nuff if he was her dog. She told us she would take him to a 24 hour animal hospital not to far from us: so we literally ran out with Nuff and drove the heck away.

When we got there the nurses came and took him straight back. Within 15 minutes the vet there was able to get fluids in him the old fashioned way, no central line needed. After another 30 he was perking right up. He went from total unresponsiveness to standing up when we came in to see him. The verdict: pancreatitis. All he needed from the minute he got sick was fluids until his body cleared everything out. Things were looking good now that he was on fluids and in a good animal hospital things seemed to be looking up.

But not for long.
He had been off of fluids, not eating or drinking for so long prior to us moving him to PBVS that his kidneys had failed. The vet there told us that had we gotten him in earlier things likely would have turned out very differently.

We lost him because our vet was to busy to tell us that they couldn't get a line in him, that there was a place literally right down the road that could do it straight away. And really: we lost him because neither my husband or I acted on our initial instinct the first night they sent him home that this was something much worse than they were telling us.

So the moral of the story:
ALWAYS listen to your gut, and NEVER be subdued by the authority of a doctor. There are other  doctors. And do it right away. Imagine how much you would regret not following your instinct?

Vegan Cranberry Maple Sauce

*Prep time: 10 mins  *Cook Time:  15 minutes  *Serves: 6-8

Vegan Cranberry Maple Sauce

This recipe is from Southern Living's Christmas Recipe Collection. 

Even Southern People eat vegan food and they never have a clue they are doing it. 

Ingredients

One 12oz bag of Fresh Cranberries

3/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1/2 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Water

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Step 1: Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. 

Step 2: Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Reduce heat and simmer 8-10 minutes, until at least half of the cranberries have popped. Use a fork or potato masher to help the other half along. Remove from heat.

Step 4: Let cool, chill before serving. 

This recipe converted even the die hard canned cranberry sauce devotees at our Thanksgiving dinner. 

So, yeah. Yummy stuff. 

Vegan Sesame Vegetable Noodles

*Prep time: 10 - 15 mins  *Cook Time:  10 minutes  *Serves: 2

Sesame Veggie 'Noodles'

Ingredients

1 Zucchini

1 Yellow Squash

2 Carrots

2 tsp Canola Oil

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Sesame Seeds

Step 1: Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler, peel/slice veggies into ribbons.

     ~Set your mandolin to 1/8 in or

     ~Run your peeler along the veggies lengthwise to create long, thin ribbons.

Step 2: Heat the canola and sesame oils in a large pan or wok

Step 3: Throw in the carrots and saute 2 mins. 

Step 4: Add your 2 squash and saute it all for 2-5 mins, until they begin to soften.

Step 5: Add the soy sauce and continue to cook until the 'noodles' are at your desired tenderness.

Step 6: To with sesame seeds and serve!

Did you know you could use veggies in lieu of noodles?

Crazy talk.