Vegan Pumpkin Pie
This is a healthy and delicious version of a Thanksgiving favorite. I love the crust so much better than a traditional crust! It’s like an oatmeal cookie. There are no ingredients in the pie that have to be cooked so technically you could eat it without cooking it. It will set up a little as it cools. But cooking the pie firms it up and concentrates the sweetness and flavor and makes it so decadent! Adjust the cooking time for a less dense or more dense pie.
1 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin
1 1/4 cup almond, soy or oat milk
25 soft pitted deglet dates (1 cup)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a prepared pie crust and bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn off oven and leave in for another 20 minutes.
Oat Date Crust
1 2/3 cups rolled oats (not thick)
5 small pitted dates
1 medium banana
1 t vanilla
Soak dates in 1/4 cup water for at least 4 hours to soften. Using a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, process dates with soak water, banana and vanilla until smooth. Add oats and pulse until a sticky dough if formed. Be careful not to break down oats too much. Evenly press into a 9” pie pan. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes just to firm up and brown slightly.
For less banana flavor, use a banana that is not spotted. It’s mainly used for binding.
Stuffed Winter Squash w/ Lentils and Kale
When it’s peak season for winter squash, when the “meat” is wonderfully sweet, this is a delicious and filling meal all by itself but is especially an attractive main dish for Thanksgiving. It can be served individually in halved or quartered acorn squash, the “bowl” of a butternut squash (my personal favorite) or fill the center of a banana squash. (Although banana squash aren’t usually as sweet.) The savory flavor of the “stuffing” mixes so nicely with the “sweet” from the squash.
If you have food allergies or intolerances and aren’t able to eat seeds or nuts, replace them with avocado. Just dice or mash avocado and mix it into the stuffing. Having trouble with legumes? Replace some or all with more wild rice.
This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites.
4 – 5 acorn squash or other winter squash
1/2 cup wild rice
1 cup green lentils
1 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
1 large bunch of kale, finely chopped
2 1/2 T Holiday Herb Mix (See below)
1/2 cup roughly chopped pumpkin seeds, walnuts, or pecans
1/2 t pepper
Sea salt
Bake squash whole on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until soft. Let cool. Cut in half lengthwise, scrape out seeds and discard.
Boil 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Add rice, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 30 minutes until tender. Boil 2 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Over medium-high heat, sauté onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms in 1/2 cup water or broth until tender. Add chopped kale and 1/2 cup more liquid. Cover, bring to boil, lower heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes. Add herbs and continue to cook until kale is tender. Add more broth or water if needed to keep from sticking. Add cooked lentils, rice, and pine nuts. Mix well and salt to taste. If needed, warm squash halves in 300 degree oven on a baking sheet before stuffing. Fill center of each squash half with lentil-kale mixture. Fills about 8 – 10 acorn squash halves.
Holiday Herb Mix
1/4 cup rubbed dried sage
2 T dried marjoram
2 T dried rosemary
2 T dried thyme
Grind all herbs in a coffee grinder. Store in a glass container.
Vegetable Pot Pie w/ No-Oil Biscuit Crust
This Vegetable Pot Pie is so satisfying and delicious you wont even miss the meat. If you are gluten-free, no worries. Just make the insides and serve it over brown rice. This recipes is so delicious, I put it in both of my cookbooks, Whole Food Goodness and revised a bit in Whole Food American Favorites. I demonstrate this recipe in a cooking class posted on my YouTube channel here.
Review from a cooking class attendee:
We made the vegetable pot pie with biscuit crust recipe tonight. Omg good !!!
Florets from 1 head cauliflower
1 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, sliced
4 ribs celery, sliced
3 cups small broccoli florets
2 cups chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 t dried sage
2 t dried thyme
2 cups frozen green peas
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (optional)
1 Biscuit Crust
In large covered pot, steam cauliflower florets in 1 cup water until tender. Transfer cauliflower and remaining steam water to blender jar. Set aside. In the same pot, add 1/2 cup water, raw vegetables, and herbs. Saute until carrots and broccoli are tender. Add more water if needed. Blend the steamed cauliflower with the Chicken Style Seasoning and sunflower seeds until creamy. Pour over vegetables, add peas, and mix well. Transfer to casserole dish. Cover with prepared Biscuit Crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes.
Biscuit Crust
2 cups sifted white wheat flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t sea salt
1/2 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup water
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl and mix well. Blend cashews and water until smooth. Gradually add to dry ingredients and mix until dough forms a ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 30 seconds to form a smooth ball. Roll to ¼ – 1/2 inch thick and shape as desired. Cover pot pie.
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
A classic comfort food recipe that’s healthy, hearty and filling. Bottom layer is chock full of vegetables with corn and kidney beans in a delicious tomato sauce. It’s a great meal all by itself to warm you during the cold winter months.
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut in chunks
Florets from one head cauliflower
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1/2 t sea salt
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound of cremini mushrooms, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 bunch collard greens, chopped
3 T Kirkland No-Salt Seasoning or other no-salt seasoning
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 cups cooked kidney beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 t paprika
2 T April’s Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Sea salt
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Drain and set aside. Steam cauliflower until tender, then set aside, reserving steam water. In a large pot, saute onion over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add 1/2 cup water, raw vegetables, and no-salt seasoning. Cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender, adding more water if needed to keep from sticking. Add remaining ingredients. Salt to taste. Transfer to a casserole dish. Blend cauliflower with 1/2 cup steam water, seeds, onion powder, garlic powder. Mash blended cauliflower with potatoes. Carefully lay the mashed potato mixture over the cooked vegetables. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Vegan Gingerbread Cookies
The original recipe in my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites calls for 1 cup of cashews instead of 1/2 cup of pecans or walnuts and does not include beans. This makes the cookie more flat like a sugar cookie. The recipe here has a cake-like texture. Still delicious and less fat. If you have a nut allergy, use hemp seeds in place of the pecans or walnuts.
Check out my YouTube video on how to make these here.
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
1/4 cup cooked garbanzo beans
2 T molasses
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 t baking soda
3/4 t ground ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t vanilla
Grind oats, dates, and nuts in a food processor work bowl until crumbly. Add remaining ingredients and process to a dough. Scoop dough with a cookie scoop or spoon and place on a cookie sheet lines with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Cauliflower Mushroom Gravy
This gravy is great served over my Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Thanksgiving Chic Pea Loaf, or Holiday Lentil Loaf, and is in my cookbook, Whole Food American Favorites.
1/2 head cauliflower
1 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
1 t dried thyme
Sea salt
Break off cauliflower florets into large pieces and steam in 1 cup water until tender. Transfer cooked cauliflower and steam water to blender jar, along with onion powder, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, and sunflower seeds. Blend until smooth. Set aside. Sauté mushrooms and thyme in 1/4 cup water until mushrooms are tender. Combine the cauliflower mixture with the mushrooms. Stir in more water to reach desired consistency. Salt to taste.
Thanksgiving Chic Pea Loaf
A perfect main dish for your Thanksgiving feasts! Serve with my Cauliflower Mushroom Gravy or Chicken Style Gravy. All these recipes are from my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites.
2 cups cooked mashed yam
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cooked chic peas (garbanzo beans)
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts
2 T nutritional yeast
2 T organic tamari or balsamic vinegar
2 T tomato paste
1 T spicy brown mustard
1/2 t dried sage
1 1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 t sea salt
1/2 t black pepper
Bake yam at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool. Sauté vegetables in 1/4 cup water until tender. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, including baked yam, and mash with a pastry cutter until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together. Press into a 9 x 13 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake an additional 25 minutes. Uncover and brown for 10 minutes. Let set for at least 20 – 30 minutes before serving. Serves 10 – 12.
Wild Rice and Broccoli Pilaf
Serve as a side dish or stuff into acorn squash halves or other hollowed out winter squash for an attractive main dish.
1 cup wild rice
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups chopped mushrooms
4 cups chopped broccoli
2 ½ T Holiday Herb Mix
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or chopped pecans
Sea salt
Cook rice according to package directions.
Saute onion over medium-high heat until it starts to brown. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water, celery, and carrots. Cook 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, broccoli and herb mix and cook until broccoli is desired tenderness. Stir in seeds or nuts. Salt and pepper to taste.
Raw Strawberry Pie
Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more vitamin C than citrus fruit. They are one of the “dirty dozen” so if you want to limit your pesticide exposure, only buy organic strawberries. This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food Goodness.
25 pitted deglet dates
1/2 cup water
6 cups sliced strawberries
Soak dates in water to soften for blending. Blend 1 cup of straw-berries, dates and water until smooth. Pour this sauce over remaining strawberries. Pour over Raw Nut Crust. Let set for 1/2 hour.
Raw Nut Crust (for one pie)
1 cup almonds or other nuts and seeds
15 soft pitted dates
1 tsp vanilla
Chop finely in food processor until it starts to stick together. Press into a pie plate or 8×8 cake pan.
Better Than Meat Loaf
This recipe is from my cookbook Whole Food American Favorites.
1/2 cup dry green lentils
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms, cremini or white button
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 T dried oregano
1/2 t pepper
2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, raw
1 cup Blender BBQ Sauce (Page 98 in Whole Food American Favorites)
Boil 1 1/4 cups water. Add lentils, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until tender. Add more water if needed. Sauté onion, mushrooms, garlic, carrot, and celery until tender. Add herbs and pepper. Cook 3 – 4 minutes. Transfer to large mixing bowl. Add cooked lentils, kidney beans, oats, nuts, and BBQ sauce. Using a pastry cutter, mash all ingredients together until they become sticky. Don’t mash too much. You want to leave a little texture. Transfer to a loaf pan. Top with more BBQ sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool 10 minutes before cutting.
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