Forest Apple Pie

Pie, pie, pie.  There’s nothing better.  I’ll take pie over cake any day.

Apple pie is always a frugal option because you likely only need to buy the lemon and the apples for about 5 bucks.

It’s really hard to mess up an apple pie, believe me, I’ve tried, but it always tastes good.

It’s not Friday, it’s Pie Day! It’s not apple season, but they seem to be the only pie fruit I can get right now.  My approach to apple pie is to keep the peels on, and cut uber-thin slices.  White sugar is not allowed under any circumstance, (brown sugar only!) and my favorite secret: brush the top of the baked pie with a makeshift caramel made of  1/2 cup fresh, unfiltered apple juice, 1/4 cup melted earth balance, 3/4 cup brown sugar,  2 tbs corn starch and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  You can save leftover caramel for a topping on each served slice.  I bought a few extra apples and juiced them myself for the sauce, but an easier approach is to buy some cider from the store.

Despite all my yammering above, apple pie is simple, and one of the most stress-free things you can bake.  Even if you take the peels off, cut thick slices or use entirely too much cinnamon.  So feel free to ignore the caramel sauce stuff and just make the simple pie below, which is great as it is.

 Apple Pie 

• 3 large green apples, skins intact, sliced paper-thin
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• pinch of salt
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 Tbs cornstarch
• 2 Tbs dark brown sugar
• 2 pie crusts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pre-bake your bottom pie crust for 5 minutes in the pie pan, if you desire.

2. Put sliced apples in a large bowl, then add all other ingredients through the brown sugar. Toss well to coat apples evenly.

3. Pour your apple mixture into your pie crust add holes to the top of your pie crust to properly vent – allows moisture to escape so your pie doesn’t get soggy.

4. Bake pie in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce to 350 and bake for a remaining 20-25 minutes.

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Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

Comfort food!  This creamy, satisfying noodle dish hits all the right notes.  The earthy portobello mushrooms and the hints of white wine and worcestershire make what I thought was a gross,blah dish into something really delicious.  I could eat it every  day for all three meals.  My mom made it once and I hounded her for the recipe for a long time.  Once I finally had it, I put it into the standard meal rotation.  Look for the no-egg noodles next to the egg noodles in your store.  They exist! I promise.  Serve this great dish with a side of your favorite veggies and salad to round it all out.

Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3/4 pound portobello mushrooms, sliced then cut into 1 inch pieces, cut stems into nice chunks
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups veggie broth
• Heaping 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
• 2.5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce (Tamari style)
• 1 tsp worchestershire sauce (The Wizard brand is vegan)
• Dash of dry white wine (cooking sherry is acceptable substitute)
• 8 ounces dry no-egg noodles

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles, and cook until al dente, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. Do not overcook!
2. At the same time, melt “butter” in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic then cook, stirring until softened. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are limp and browned. Remove all contents of pan to a bowl, and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, stir in vegetable broth, being sure to stir in any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3. Reduce heat to low, and return the mushrooms and onion to the skillet.
4. Stir together the sour cream and flour in a small bowl until fully incorporated; then add to mushroom mixture in pan.  Mix well.  Continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens.  Add soy sauce, Worchestershire sauce and wine.  Taste for any tweaks you may desire.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss sauce with noodles in the pan….and voila.

NOTE: If you want to double this recipe, you can keep the sour cream and flour measurements the same, but double everything else.  I’ve found this works well.  And feel free to add a handful of chopped parsley for some lovely green color at the end!

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Eggy Scramble

After making scramble the same way forever, I finally had a breakthrough.

Tastes eggy and delicious.  No actual salt used.

I had an abundance of shiro miso paste and wanted a new way to approach our standard tofu scramble.  I thought of a recipe I sometimes use for vegan mac ‘n cheese that includes miso, which gave it a complex cheesy flavor.  So I just went for it and it turned out to be my new favorite concoction.  What I didn’t expect is that the miso made it taste “eggy”.  It was a pleasant surprise after I’d abandoned using black salt to accomplish that many moons ago. It only made the kitchen smell like sulfur.  And who liked eggs for the sulfur odor?  Bleh. Down with black salt, hello miso.

Here’s how it’s done: break your drained block of super-firm tofu into LARGE chunks, add to oiled pan on medium.  Dust the tofu with turmeric and paprika.  Add one chopped shallot, then stir and cook until the shallot pieces are soft and the tofu has firmed up a little bit.  Mix 1 Tbs of miso with 2 Tbs of very hot-almost boiling- water in a little container until it is all dissolved.  Add this liquid to the tofu, then stir until the tofu fully absorbs it. Break tofu into smaller chunks as you stir.  Turn heat down, add a dollop of dijon mustard,  and cook a little more until the tofu is fairly dry.  Then sprinkle some vegan cheese shreds on top.  It is ready when the shreds have melted.  You can add a blop of earth balance at the end if you like, this makes it a little richer.  This scramble is softer and creamier than my other recipe, which results in a more toasted, golden brown tofu.  I think this makes it even more like well-done scrambled, custardy-eggs.  The crowning glory to this could be finely chopped chives! I just thought of that. But darn, I already took that photo.

Mushroom Variation: Start with a big blob of earth balance in the pan on medium-low, add half the diced shallot, (reserve the other half) sliced crimini or white mushrooms.  Cook mushrooms until slightly browned, then set aside.  Without washing the pan, make the scramble as described above with the remaining half diced shallot, then before the dijon mustard, add the mushrooms back in and stir well until finished.

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Nutty Maple Granola

Better than bagged and cheaper!

Another bonus: no palm oil involved!

Cost:  $7.50 for 1.5 weeks worth of granola for two adults

I’m sure it’s not low-calorie, but it’s certainly less caloric than anything with oil and sweeteners.  You can spread the mixture evenly to make it more loose and cereal-like or you can lump it into the pan to make it more “clumpy”.

There are lots of pricey, raw nuts involved, but here’s how to make this dish super cheap.  Go to a store with a vast bulk section.  Buy only the exact amounts of all ingredients listed, (Even the cinnamon!) and you will be amazed at the low cost.  My store has maple syrup in bulk too, so I bring a little container and dispense precisely 1/2 a cup of maple syrup.  Therefore, I only pay a fraction of what I would if I’d gotten a glass container off the shelf.  I don’t make the mistake of buying a huge container of oatmeal when I really only need 3 cups.  That way I don’t have a bunch of it sitting around.  Same goes for the nuts.  Bulk is always cheaper, and prevents build-up of ingredients in the pantry.

Ingredients

• Cooking Spray or something else to grease the cookie sheet
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup  raw, unsalted walnuts
• 1/2 cup  raw, unsalted almonds
• 1/2 cup  raw, unsalted pecans
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (no substitutions, I’ve tried and regretted many.)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup juicy raisins (I think big flame raisins cook best)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
2. Grease or spray your large cookie sheet.
3. Roughly chop all the nuts
4. In a big bowl combine the oats nuts, cinnamon and salt, then mix well.
5. Pour in the maple syrup, combine well, then add the raisins last. (This prevents hard, gummy raisins.)
6. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Watch carefully to be sure you don’t overcook towards the end.
7. Once cooled, put your fresh granola in an air tight container and enjoy for many days to come!

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Portobello “Burgers” with Creamy Aioli Sauce

Ahh..portobellos.  The steak of the mushroom world.  (Actually trumpet mushrooms are really meaty too, but I digress.)  This is one of those sandwiches that has one big portobello in place of a “patty” of some sort.  I have been making this sandwich for the two of us for years, so this will be the first time I put it in writing. I am happy to share it!  The sauteed zucchini strips add nutrition and flavor, while the zingy aioli accents the dark portobello flavor.  Enjoy!

For the Burger (Makes 2)

• your favorite burger buns
• 2 large portobello caps, cut stems down so the whole cap is flat, if necessary
• a handful  of mixed spring greens
• yellow onion, thinly sliced into circles
• one small zucchini sliced into wide, thin strips
• earth balance
• Bragg’s liquid aminos or low-sodium soy sauce

For the Aioli

• 1/2 cup veganaise
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 small head of garlic, pre-roasted, cooled and removed from their pods.
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Oil pan with olive oil, turn heat to medium-low.
2. Lightly sauté the onions and zucchini strips together in the pan.  Both sides of zucchini should be softened and just golden, NOT brown or crisp.  Onions should be softened at same time zucchini is done.  Remove from pan, and set aside.
3. Increase heat to medium, re-oil pan and place mushrooms gill-side down until they start to sizzle.  Spread a little earth balance on smooth tops of mushrooms, then flip over, gill-side up.
4. After the ‘shrooms start to sizzle again, sprinkle a little liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and spread a little  earth balance along the gills.
5. Continue to watch the mushrooms, flipping occasionally and keeping the pan lubricated with oil and/or butter as you go along.  Mushrooms are done when they are shrunken and soft.  You can press down on them occasionally to help them cook through.
6. While mushrooms are cooking, add your buns, flat side down in the same pan until they are toasted.  They will absorb some of the yummy liquids and toast at the same time.
7. While the mushrooms are cooking, blend up your aioli sauce in a food processor. Add the mayo, roasted garlic, lemon juice, and salt/pepper.  Set aside.
8. Lightly squeeze the mushrooms and drain the liquid off the pan. Remove buns before they burn, of course.
9. Assemble the burgers like-so: bottom bun, aioli, greens, zucchini, mushroom (flat side down), more aioli on top bun…and done!

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Yellow Rice Bowl

                                      Serves 3, Total Cost: $5.00

This is the most delicious quick rice I’ve ever had.  The fragrance will make you swoon.  The flavor is curry, but there’s no curry powder involved.  It’s so cheap and simple you’ll whip it up quickly without a trip to the store.  I modified this from the very cool and helpful site, Budget Bytes.  I changed the amounts to make it taste better and added peas for more nutrition.  I also think some fried tofu cubes would make a good addition.  Raisins and cashews, too!  Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice, dry
• 3 Tbs earth balance
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced in garlic press
• 2 big bay leaves
• 1.5 cups veggie broth

1. Warm the earth balance, turmeric, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon in a pot over medium heat. Stir and heat until the earth balance has melted.
2. Add dry rice to the pot. Stir and cook over medium heat for a few minutes to toast the rice and spices.  This toasting stage is very important.  Make sure the rice gets well-coated.  Stir and toast until the fragrance fills your kitchen and the rice makes a slight popping sound.
3.  Add broth and bay leaves to the pot. Place a lid on top, increase the heat to high, and bring the pot to a rolling boil. As soon as it reaches the boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer with lid on for 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.
4.  After letting it simmer for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let it rest for 10 minutes with lid in place.
5. Fluff and serve.

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Sweet Potato Pie with Vanilla Bean Whipped “Cream”

My hubby described it as “pumpkin pie of yore” even though he knew it wasn’t pumpkin.

Vanilla bean whipped “cream”

Lots of fiber and vitamins baked in!

The whipped coconut cream seems like a miracle, but it’s extremely easy and delicious.

I love pie.  Fruit pie is tops, but right now  I’m on a kick to make all my favorite orange-colored pies.  Iron-rich  blackstrap mollasses gives this pie it’s special flavor.  Sweet potato is fluffier and more firm than pumpkin.

As for the coconut whipped cream, it is NOT healthy.  I avoided making the stuff for a really long time because coconut milk provides over 70% of your DV of saturated fat, but I caved.  I used a vanilla bean to flavor it, which was a new experience for me and very tasty.  Much easier than I expected, you just slit the bean open lengthwise and scrape out the paste inside, then add it in there. There’s a million and one recipes for coconut whipped cream everywhere, but I’ll explain it here – one-stop-shop.  Don’t use vanilla extract – it’s not as delicious.  The vanilla bean is SO flavorful.

Sweet Potato Pie of Yore:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baked, mashed sweet potato
• one regular pie crust
• 1 cup soymilk
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Molasses
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

How-to:

1. Boil or bake sweet potatoes, remove peels.
2. Blend potato in food processor to get it nice and smooth.
3. Add rest of ingredients and blend thoroughly.
4. Pour into unbaked vegan pie crust.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Coconut Vanilla Bean Whipped “Cream”

Ingredients:

• one can of regular coconut milk (don’t use low fat, you’ll regret it)
•  your favorite sweetener – to taste – I just used regular vegan sugar
• one vanilla bean (you can buy just one bean from a bulk section for a buck)

How-to:

1. Place can of coconut milk in fridge overnight
2. Next day, flip can over, then immediately open the top
3. Drain out all the watery liquid, drain it well.
4. Pour out leftover solids in a large bowl then blend with a hand mixer on low speed until soft and fluffy
5. Add your sweetener, and the paste of the vanilla bean, then mix some more
6. Place in fridge to firm up a little before serving. Voila!

And now, to regale you with my next topic: The Sunshine Award has been bestowed on me by Lindsay from Lindsay is Vegan.  There were 10 questions for me to answer, but they were all “favorites,” and who cares what my favorite flower is???  Good god.  I made up my own questions.

Favorite movie genres: sci-fi, psych thrillers, magical realism

A book I think everyone should read: Fast Food Nation

Movies I think everyone should see:  Angel-A and Into the Wild

Something I think is overrated: goji berries, diamonds, Southern California

What I think of reality TV: Mostly garbage, but I have my guilty pleasures in hoarder shows

Speaking of guilty pleasures – name one: 70%-and-up dark chocolate, a nice glass of brandy, shopping

Something I’d like to improve about myself: I aspire to be less shy and awkward, people interpret me as being snobby and/or agressive, which makes me sad. Because I’m super nice. I promise.

Superpower I wish I had: time-manipulation

Here are 5 blogs that I feel should be recognized for being great.

1. Pumpkin Honey

2. Change for a Year

3. Live Learn Love Eat

4. Oh Lady Cakes

5. Fridge Scrapings

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Vegan Quiche #2: Mushroom-Spinach

Cost: $8.00  if you make your own crust!

I love how this browned on the edges and the top-level mushrooms crisped up!  I used more spinach then any normal person would, so my recipe below calls for a  lot less. (I added an entire bag because I wanted a powerhouse dinner.)  This would definitely work, doubled, as a casserole in an oiled dish with a breadcrumb bottom or just no crust at all.  A fantastic brunch with a side of fruit and soy yogurt or perhaps dinner with a green salad and crisp glass of white wine!  Let it cool completely, or make a day ahead, chill in fridge and reheat next day.

Makes 1 Quiche

• One 9 inch pie crust, normal depth (not deep dish) Make your own! Cheap!
• one small box of sliced baby bellas
• half a small bag of baby spinach, chopped
• 1 handful of basil, stems removed and chopped finely
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 14 ounces of super-firm water-packed tofu, drained well
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• 1.5 tsp vegan broth powder
• dash or two of turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. DRIED parsley, chopped
•  salt and black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Lightly brown your  pie crust about 10 minutes in the oven, then take out and set aside.
3. Heat oil in large  skillet over low-medium heat.
4. Sauté mushrooms and spinach together in pan alone with a little olive oil for about 10 minutes.  Mushrooms and spinach will shrink down tremendously and release lots of liquid.
5. While waiting for this to happen, blend your tofu, hot sauce, broth powder, turmeric, pepper flakes, parsley and pepper in a food processor until well-mixed. Salt to taste.
6. Drain mushrooms and spinach WELL in a strainer, press down and squeeze the spinach to get it as dry as possible.  Remove all liquid from pan.  Set mushroom/spinach aside.
7. Starting again with the dry pan on medium, add more olive oil, then saute the onion and garlic with the chopped basil until the onion is softened.
8. Combine mushroom/spinach mixture in pan with the onion mixture, stir and cook for about 5 minutes, then turn heat off.
9. Spread half tofu mixture in pie crust.
10. Arrange half veggie mixture evenly over the tofu layer
11. Spread remaining tofu mixture on top, then add last layer of veggies, pressing down lightly so the veggies are partially tucked-into the tofu.
12. Bake for 40 minutes, checking the crust often so it doesn’t burn.  Let it cook longer if the quiche is still too wet after 40 minutes.
13. Let cool and serve at room temperature so it will set.

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Vegan Quiche #1: Broccoli-Cauliflower

Vegan quiche IS possible!  And you don’t need any special, expensive ingredients.

14 ounces of tofu goes a long way…this made 2 quiches!

Made 2 pies – serves 8-10 – $10.00!

 Feel free to make your own crust for this, but I used a reasonably-priced package of two 9-inch (not deep dish) pastry shells.  You might be able to get away with one quiche if you use a single deep-dish pie crust, but I can’t vouch for the cooking time on that.

• Two 9 inch pie crusts, normal depth (not deep dish)
• 1 lb. broccoli, chopped
• 1/2 lb. cauliflower, chopped
• 3 small  red peppers, diced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for brushing the pie crust
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4  cloves garlic, minced
• 14 ounces of firm water-packed tofu, drained
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp hot sauce (I used sriracha)
• 3/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1.5 tsp vegan broth powder
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• dash or two of turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
•  black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Lightly brown your pre-made pie crusts, if using, about 10 minutes in the oven, then lightly coat with olive oil when cooled.
3. Heat oil in large  skillet over med-high heat.
4. Sauté onion and garlic until golden. Stir in broccoli, cauliflower and red peppers. Sauté until cooked. (You can par-boil the brocc and cauli to save time!)
5. In a food processor, combine tofu, milk, mustard, hot sauce, salt, broth powder, nutmeg, turmeric, red pepper flakes, black pepper, parsley, nutritional yeast and blend until smooth.
6. In a large bowl combine tofu mix with broccoli mixture.
7. Pour mixture into the 2 pie crusts and bake both at 350° F for 35-40 min

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Deep Chocolate Cake with Cocoa-Maple Frosting

Total cost: $7.50 , serves 8-10

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday!  Last year for birthday dessert I made him my Ultimate Vegan Coffee Cake which still causes Pavlovian drooling when mentioned.  If I could, I’d make that cake for everyone I know.

This year I was thinking chocolate.  Thanks to the Post Punk Kitchen, I baked their simple, yet classic cake in 2 layers and halved the almond extract.

The frosting  had a mind of its own.  I started out with the idea to make it without powdered sugar, loads of expensive earth balance or super-fattening palm oil shortening.  I combined recipes from the PPK ganache and this chocolate torte filling recipe on the fly with tasty results.  I prefer this frosting to most cake frostings because it’s not sickeningly sweet.  I’ve never been a dessert person, I’ve never really enjoyed most cakes or cake frostings, but this I  love.  It is not your typical frosting, and it does have a nice, noticeable maple flavor.

So dark…

My Crazy Frosting Recipe:

• 2 cups fresh avocado
• 1/3 cup nut milk, plus another 1/3 cup, divided
• 2/3 cup pure maple syrup (I used an artificial kind to save money – if you don’t want maple flavor, use agave nectar here.)
• 3 Tbs plus 3 Tbs sugar, divided (you can increase the sugar any time if it’s not sweet enough for you)
• 1 heaped Tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp arrowroot powder
• 1/4 tsp  salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 oz bag vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

How-To: 

1. Melt the chips with 1/3 cup nut milk and 3 Tbs sugar, let cool.

2. Add all other ingredients in food processor and process until smooth

3. Once avocado mixture is smooth with no chunks, pour into bowl and add melted chips mixture

4. Stir well, then cool in freezer for 20 minutes

5. Frost your cake!

I’d read conflicting reports of how long it might be ok to keep a fresh avocado frosting in the fridge.  I”m going to leave it for 2-3 days, then it’s going in the freezer.  Anyone happen to know if it keeps longer?

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