Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)

2.5 c pumpkin puree (homemade or store bought)

3 tbsp arrowroot powder

1 c plant milk (cashew-hemp is my tried and true favorite)

0.75 c brown sugar (lightly packed)

1 tsp vanilla extract

0.5 tsp salt

1.75 tsp pumpkin pie spice**
OR
—1 tsp cinnamon
—0.25 tsp ground ginger
—0.25 tsp ground cardamom
—1/8 tsp nutmeg
—1/16 tsp cloves/allspice

**I prefer to add the pumpkin pie spice ingredients individually, but pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Cover the edges of the pie crust in foil. To do this, I tear off thin strips about 2-3″ wide and wrap them around the pie edges. It usually takes 3 strips.
  3. Bake the crust for 7 minutes.
  4. While crust is baking, add all the filling ingredients to a high-speed blender.

Pie Crust

Ingredients

**this makes enough for 1 pie crust, double if you need both a top and bottom crust

10 tbsp salted butter or vegan butter, frozen (leave it whole in sticks)

1.75 c flour

1 tbsp brown sugar (omit if making crust for savory pie)

0.25 tsp salt

optional: 1 pinch cinnamon

3+ tbsp cold water

parchment paper

rolling pin or straight-sided wine bottle

Instructions

  1. Grate the frozen butter into a large bowl.
  2. Sprinkle the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon (if using) on top of the butter.
  3. Using your fingers, work the butter and dry ingredients together until a crumbly mixture forms.
  4. Add 2-3 tbsp of water. Mix just until the dough comes together and there is no loose flour, adding water 1 tbsp at a time as needed until it is wet enough. It normally takes me about 4 tbsp. Avoid over-working the dough. One of the secrets to flaky dough is to work it as little as possible.
  5. Spread a sheet of parchment paper (or non-stick sheet) on your counter. Sprinkle with flour. Place the dough ball on top and sprinkle again with flour.
  6. Using your rolling pin or straight-sided wine bottle, roll the dough into a roughly circular shape that is slightly larger than your pie pan.
  7. Prepare your pie pan by buttering and flouring the entire surface.
  8. Slide your hands under the parchment paper and pick up the paper/dough round. Flip it over into your pie pan. Remove parchment paper. Gently shape the dough to the pan. Trim excess crust from parts where it overhangs the edge and use it to fill in any areas where the crust does not cover the pan.
  9. Fill and bake per recipe instructions for your pie!

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Cashew Cream Icing

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

2 c flour

1.5 c sugar

1 c cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1.5 tsp baking soda

1.5 tsp salt

1 c plant milk (I use cashew-hemp)

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

0.5 c coconut oil (melted) – can sub another neutral oil

2/3 c applesauce – can sub mashed banana or 2 flax eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

0.75 c + 1 tbsp very hot water (almost boiling)

FOR THE ICING

1 c raw cashews (soaked in fridge for 4+ hours, or in hot water for 20+ minutes)

3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

0.5 tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

2 dates

0.25 tsp salt

8+ tbsp plant milk (cashew-hemp is my recommendation)

3 tbsp cacao

3+ tbsp powdered suga

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Combine plant milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to curdle for a few minutes, until needed.
  3. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt) and mix well.
  4. Add coconut oil, applesauce, plant milk/vinegar mixture, and vanilla extract to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
  5. Add hot water and mix again. The batter will be thin, don’t be alarmed.
  6. Grease a 9×13″ pan or two 9″ round cake pans. Pour the batter in.
  7. Bake at 350 F for 35-38 minutes (9×13″) or 30-32 minutes (9″ round pans).
  8. Combine soaked cashews, coconut oil, vanilla, dates, salt, and plant milk in a blender. Blend until smooth, adding plant milk as needed. Be careful not to add too much!
  9. Once it is very creamy, pulse to blend in cacao and powdered sugar. Add more milk to taste/consistency. I like to make the icing a bit thinner and add on top of each individual slice with some berries. The icing will thicken with refrigeration, so if you want it thicker you can always make it ahead and give it time to chill.

Broiled Sea Bass with Miso

Ingredients

**This marinade is for 3-4 pieces of fish. You can half it if only making 1-2 pieces.

0.25 c white miso

0.25 c dry white wine

0.25 c mirin (sweetened rice wine)

2 tsp liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

0.5 tsp sesame oil

sea bass

Instructions

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together with a fork or whisk until there are no more lumps.
  2. Place fish in a container just big enough to fit all the pieces in one layer. Pour marinade over the fish, making sure all pieces are coated complete. Cover and refrigerate 30-60 minutes.
  3. Turn oven on to broil (high) and make sure your top rack is about 8-9″ from the broiler.
  4. Cover a baking sheet in parchment paper. Remove sea bass from the marinade and put on the parchment paper, each piece at least at least 4″ apart.
  5. Broil for 6 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and flip. Broil for 6 more minutes on the second side.

30 Minute Biscuits

Ingredients

3 c flour (all purpose)

1 tbsp baking powder

1.5 tsp salt

1 tbsp honey (or other liquid sweetener)

1 tbsp plant milk

12 oz unsweetened sparking water (always Waterloo in our house)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix to make sure all the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. Add the honey, plant milk, and sparkling water. Stir immediately, just until the dough comes together and there is no loose/dry flour. You don’t want to over-mix. (I try to stir 30 times or less.)
  4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop the dough in rounds on the cookie sheet (about 1/4-1/3 c per biscuit), shaping slightly as needed. I aim to make 12 biscuits, but you can make them smaller or larger. I never measure, just eyeball the spoonfulls. The biscuits don’t all have to be perfectly even, they’ll bake beautifully anyway!
  5. Bake for 22-25 minutes.

Black Bean and Avocado Tacos

Ingredients

tortillas

cooked black beans (refried, or whole beans, smashed)

avocado, sliced

salt

pepper

desired toppings: escabeche (picked veggies), salsa, cilantro, greens, jalapeno, tomato, lime, etc…

Instructions

  1. Warm beans and tortillas. Prepare vegetables (wash/slice).
  2. Assemble tacos (black beans, avocado, salt, pepper + desired toppings). Yum.

Pickled Onions

Ingredients

1 medium-large red onion

0.25 c apple cider vinegar

0.25 c white vinegar

0.5 c water

1.5 tsp salt

1 tsp honey

optional: 0.5 tsp coriander seed + 0.25 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

  1. Slice onion thinly and pack tightly in a very clean 1 quart (2 cup) mason jar.
  2. Combine vinegars, water, salt, honey, and spices in a small pot. Bring to a boil.
  3. Pour vinegar mixture slowly over the onions. Allow to cool slightly before putting on the lid. Store in the fridge.

Cashew Hemp Milk (or Cashew Hemp Cream)

Ingredients

0.5 c cashews

0.5 c hemp hearts

1 pinch salt (1/16-1/8 tsp)

2+ tsp honey (or agave nectar)

3-4 c water (3c gives a creamier, whole milk texture perfect for coffee; 4 c is more a standard nut milk consistency)

Instructions

  1. Combine all dry ingredients in a high-speed blender.
  2. Add half the water and blend until you don’t hear any chunks hitting the blades.
  3. Add the remaining water and re-blend.
  4. Strain, if desired. I never do!

Austin Soda Bread – Quick yeast-free bread loaf!

Ingredients

3 c flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey (or other liquid sweetener)

1-2 tbsp milk (cashew-hemp is my favorite)

12 oz plain seltzer or sparkling water (always Waterloo Original in our house)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir together.
  3. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine well, but don’t over-mix. It will be a thick dough, a little lumpy (not smooth) – don’t worry.
  4. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined (or greased) loaf pan, spreading evenly if necessary.
  5. Bake for 60 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool at least minutes before slicing!

Freezing Vegetables for Stock

Posted on by Carley Papi

A lot of my recipes call for stock. While I sometimes like to use another type for a particular recipe, my go-to is vegetable. I keep containers of it in our freezer at all times, so we always have some on hand to thaw and use when needed. Why homemade stock? It tastes better and is essentially free! 

Another thing that’s always in our freezer is a bag of vegetable trimmings. I toss any ends or leftover bits of produce in that bag and save them in the freezer. Then, when it’s time to make more –  voila, free stock!

Most vegetable scraps will do, but some of my staple ingredients are:

–onions (yellow, red/purple, white, green)
–leeks
–carrots (colorful parts and leaves)
–celery (leaves and stalks)
–parsley (leaves and stems)
–garlic
–stalks from leafy greens (kale, chard, etc)