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Cheesecake For Your Pumpkin Pie Hole Muffins

Muffin:
2 1/4 cups flour (I used 1 1/4 white whole wheat and 1 all-purp)
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 teas. salt
2 1/2 teas. pumpkin pie spice
1- 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 cup milk
1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp. molasses
1/2 teas. vanilla

Filling:
2/3 container soy cream cheese (8 oz container, I used Tofutti)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. plus 2 teas. cornstarch
1/2 teas. vanilla
1 teas. lemon juice

Topping:
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp. coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with liners or grease lightly. Begin by making the filling. In a small bowl, using the back of a fork, mix the cream cheese until creamy. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the cream cheese. Add vanilla and lemon juice and mix to combine. Let filling rest in fridge until ready to use.

In a medium sized bowl, combine muffin ingredients starting with flour through pumpkin pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, oil, vanilla and molasses until smooth. Add flour ingredients in batches until incorporated.

Spoon muffin batter into muffin tins until just below the rim. Remove filling from fridge and scoop into a pastry bag with a fat tip. Pipe the filling into the middle of each muffin evenly, pushing tip down into the middle of the muffin and lifting it up as you pipe. Alternately, if you do not have a pastry bag, you can carefully spoon the filling into the middle of each muffin. Sprinkle tops of muffins with pumpkin seeds and coarse sugar.

Bake for 19-21 minutes for regular sized muffins or 27-29 for jumbo muffins, until a toothpick comes out of the side of the muffin clean and cheesecake part is puffy and golden.

Yields: 12 regular sized or 6 jumbo muffins

Lemon Oat Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts

1 3/4 cups white wheat flour (all-purpose is fine, too)
3/4 cup traditional oats, coarsely ground
3/4 cup sugar
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1/8 teas. salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup oil
1 1/4 cups milk (soy, almond, rice, etc)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teas. vanilla
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup walnuts
coarse sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Line muffin tin with liners or grease each cup.

In a large bowl combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together the applesauce and oil. Add the milk, lemon juice and zest and the vanilla and mix well. Let sit for a few minutes. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Fold in cranberries and walnuts. Spoon evenly into muffin cups until cups are just full. Sprinkle tops with coarse sugar, if using.

Bake regular-sized muffins for 18-22 minutes and jumbo for 25-28 or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Semolina Cake with Pomegranate Vanilla Bean Sauce

I made two 4 inch cakes, but this could easily be adapted to an 8 or 9 inch round.

Cake:
1 cup semolina flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
2 teas. baking powder
1/4 teas. salt
1/3 cup agave
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup chocolate chips, melted
2/3 cup milk (I used the new multigrain milk from Trader Joe’s)

Sauce:
2 cups pomegranate seeds
2 tbsp. agave
2 tbsp. water
1/4 teas. cornstarch
1/8 teas. sugar
1 small vanilla bean or 1/4 teas. high quality extract

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and/or line your baking pan(s).

In a large bowl, sift together semolina flour, all-purpose flour, and baking cocoa. Add sugar, baking powder and salt and combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, melted chocolate and agave until well combined. Add milk and whisk. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet, mixing until well combined and there are no large clumps. Spread batter in pan and bake for 22-26 minutes (for small cakes).

While cakes are baking, combine pomegranate seeds, agave and water in a small pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring often, until the seeds become soft, about 7 minutes. Mash with a potato masher as best you can. Strain mixture into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the seeds with the back of a large spoon to extract as much juice as possible. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and sugar. Return pomegranate mixture to pot along with cornstarch mixture and vanilla. Whisk and cook on medium/high heat to a boil. Let boil for 2 minutes than remove from heat and let cool for about 20 minutes.

Serve cake warm with warm sauce on top and additional pomegranate seeds to garnish.

Strawberry Lemonade Cheesepie (from 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes)

Prep time before baking: 45 minutes
Skill level: 4 whisks

½ Basic Pie Crust recipe (recipe can be found here)
1- 8 oz. container vegan cream cheese
½ cup plus 2 tbsp. yogurt (equivalent to 1- 6 oz. container)
1 aseptic container firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu)
1 cup sugar
1 teas. vanilla
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 teas. lemon zest (*note, if you like a very strong lemony flavor, double the amount of juice and zest)

Strawberry Topping:
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/4 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen, chopped
¼ cup water

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out pie crust and fit to a 9 inch pie dish. Trim edges and crimp. Use pie weights or dried beans on top of parchment to weigh down the crust and bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine cream cheese, yogurt, tofu and sugar in a food processor or blender until smooth, scraping down sides as needed. Add vanilla, lemon juice and zest until incorporated. Pour mixture into pie crust.

Place pie dish in a larger cookie sheet with high sides. Add enough warm water to the cookie come up to the middle of the outside of the pie dish. This is called a water bath and will keep your pie from cracking, as well as keep it creamy without it getting a skin. If water evaporates while baking, add more water as needed, but only hot water so you do not shock your bake ware and risk it cracking.

Bake pie for 1 hour. Center may not look completely set, but will firm up while cooling. Remove from oven and remove from water bath to cool on cooling rack.

While pie is baking, prepare strawberry topping. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Add strawberries and water and mix to combine. Over medium-high heat bring to a boil, continuously stirring. Once it reaches boiling, lower to medium. Cook until strawberries get soft and mixture thickens, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let topping cool completely, occasionally stirring to keep a skin from forming.

Spread cooled strawberry topping on to cooled cheesepie. Let set in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. Store leftover pie covered, in fridge.

Yields: 12 slices

Vegan Pizza Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 teas. sugar
1 package rapid-rise yeast (1/4 oz or 2 1/4 teas.)
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4. teas. salt

1/2 cup vegan pepperoni, chopped
1 cup vegan mozzarella, shredded (I used Teese)
3 tbsp. dried oregano
marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

In a large bowl, combine water and sugar and stir. Add yeast and let sit until foamy, about 3 minutes. In another bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the margarine to the water mixture and then add flour, 1/2 cup at a time until a sticky dough forms. Turn out onto a clean, floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding flour as needed. Place in an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450. I recommend using a pizza stone if you have one. Prepare pepperoni, mozzarella and oregano. Roll out dough into a 18 x 24 inch square and cut into strips about 1 1/4 inch by 3 inches.

On one side of each strip, place a pinch of each filling component. You need to be able to fold and seal them, so keep that in mind when filling them.

Roll over the naked side of the strip to cover the filling and pinch to seal. You may need to brush with a little water to get the dough to seal. If they don’t look beautiful now, don’t worry. They will get nice and puffy when they bake.

Brush or spray with a light coating of olive oil. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven, until lightly browned. You can also bake them for about 9 minutes in a toaster oven at 400 degrees. They will turn out fine, but the bottoms won’t be as crispy. Serve warm with marinara sauce. They reheat beautifully in a toaster oven.

Makes, approximately 30 rolls.

Jam Making Tutorial and Recipe for Marion’s Plum Mad about Blueberry Jam

Lemon Drop Cookies
Prep time: 15 minutes

When I first went to college, I basically lived off of powder sugar-coated lemon wafer cookies that were made by a major cookie manufacturer. Naturally, because I liked them, they stopped making them about a year after I got hooked and I spent nearly a decade feeling sorry for myself before realizing that I didn’t care about their silly cookies- I could make my own! These little cookies are crisp and tart, with the powdered sugar taking the edge off and adding a sweet coolness to each bite.

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup shortening, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
juice from 1 lemon
2 teas. lemon zest
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar for coating

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and shortening until smooth. Mix sugar to combine, then incorporate lemon juice and zest. Add flour in small batches until well incorporated.

Spoon teaspoon sized balls of dough onto cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 8- 10 minutes until edges are set and are slightly browned. If baking both sheets at the same time, switch shelves halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool completely before coating each cookie in powdered sugar. To coat, us a fork to support each cookie and roll cookie on each side to coat in sugar. Store cooled cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

*For best results, zest the lemon before juicing. You can use the small holes on a grater for a fine zest.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 50 for baking and additional cool time

Best Basic Pie Crust (from 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes):
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 teas. salt
1 cup margarine, cold, cut into chunks
1/4 – 1/2 cup cold water

In a large food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to blend. Add the margarine and pulse mixture until it becomes a course meal. Slowly add in water, 2 tbsp at a time, until a dough comes together. Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using. Dough can be frozen up to 1 month. Alternatively, combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, blend in margarine until mixture becomes a a course meal. Add water 2 tbsp at a time and rapidly mix together until a dough comes together. Yields: 2 crusts for 1 pie or 2 bottom crusts

Pie filling:
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. corn starch
1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1/2 teas. vanilla extract
1 lb. rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2- 3/4 inch chunks
1 lb. strawberries, washed and cut into quarters

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and vanilla bean scrapings. If using extract, reserve. Mix well until there are no clumps. Add rhubarb and strawberries and mix to coat. Let fruit mixture macerate for 10-15 minutes. If using extract, add at this time.

While fruit is macerating, roll out crusts to fit a 9 inch pie tin. Fit in bottom crust and pour in fruit filling, scraping any residual sugar mixture into the crust. Cut out an air vent in the top crust, or make a few small slits and then cover filled crust with top crust. Pinch edges together and cut off any remaining crust. Brush top crust with a little water and sprinkle on a little sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes with a pie shield or some tin foil overing the edges of the crust. Remove pie shield and bake for an additional 18-22 minutes. The filling should be bubbling if you can see it and the crust should be golden. You may need to place a cookie sheet or some tin foil below the tin to catch potential drips. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely before serving, at least 4 hours. If you cut it at this time, it may still be a little juicy, but with a couple of additional hours the filling will be completely set.

French Toast Muffins

Prep time before baking: 20 minutes

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teas. baking powder
1/8 teas. salt
1 teas. cinnamon
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. yogurt (equivalent to 1- 6 oz. container of soy yogurt)
1 1/2 teas. maple extract
1/2 teas. vanilla
cinnamon and powered sugar to dust tops of muffins

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease with margarine or oil, or line with paper liners, 6 jumbo or 12 regular sized muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, oil, yogurt, maple extract and vanilla to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 batches until just mixed.

Fill each muffin tin to just just below full. Bake for 18-20 minutes for regular sized muffins or 25-30 for jumbo muffins until lightly golden and a tooth pick comes out clean. Remove muffins from oven and let cool completely before removing from tin. Sift powdered sugar and cinnamon on top of each muffin. Store leftover muffins covered at room temperature.

Yields: 12 regular sized or 6 jumbo muffins

*For extra maple goodness, combine 1 tbsp. of maple syrup with 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar and glaze the tops of the muffins with the maple topping before sifting on the cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Blueberries and Cream Sauce
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. plus 1 teas cornstarch
1 cup milk of choice (the higher the fat content, the thicker it will be, the sauce pictured was made with almond milk, which is a thin milk)
1/2 teas. good quality vanilla
1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed and drained

In a small saucepan combine sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Whisk in milk and cook over medium-high heat to a boil, while whisking. Lower to a simmer, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Add vanilla and cook for one more minute. Remove from heat and pour sauce into a bowl. Let chill in fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes or until it is a bit more set, but still warm. Add blueberries and lightly mix to combine. Do not overmix blueberries or sauce will look blueish/grey. Serve warm or cold over pancakes or waffles.

SEITAN CROCK POT ROAST

This seitan is extra nice because it requires no kneading. It is wrapped in cheesecloth and tied up with kitchen twine. The seitan works against this confinement while it cooks, kneading itself for a tender but firm texture.

Makes a large seitan roast, for a 5.5 quart crock pot. Easily feeds 4-6 people.

2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teas. ground pepper
1/2 teas. salt

1/2 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tbsp dried oregano

In a large bowl, combine first 4 dry ingredients. In a food processor, finely chop the onion, celery and garlic. Add to a small bowl with olive oil, water, sage, and oregano and whisk to combine. Add wet to dry mixture and combine well. Let sit for about 5 minutes to let the gluten plump up. If you like “meatier” seitan, you can knead it for about 3 minutes to make it chewier.

Unroll a piece of cheesecloth twice as big as the roast. Lay the roast on one end and roll to cover twice. Secure with kitchen twine.

Mix 4 cups of veggie stock with 1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce and 1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil. Place roast in the bottom of the crock-pot and fill it in with chopped onion, garlic cloves, potatoes and carrots, if you choose. Pour veggie stock mixture over it. Add water as needed to make sure roast is covered with liquid.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until potatoes are soft, rotating the roast once, if you are around (no biggie if you’re not).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Silk Pie

1 chocolate cookie pie crust (most prepared ones are vegan)

1/2 cup chocolate chips
12 oz (one aseptic, vacuum-sealed box) firm silken tofu
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-natural peanut butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup vegan milk, divided and room temperature
1 teas. vanilla

Over a double boiler melt chocolate until smooth and creamy. Add 1/4 cup of vegan milk (room temperature is important, as cold milk will make the chocolate seize!) and whisk until smooth. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of mixture into the bottom of the pie crust and let set in fridge until chocolate has hardened. Let rest of chocolate mixture cool to room temperature.

In a food processor combine all other ingredients, starting with the tofu, except for the additional 2 tbsp of peanut butter. Blend for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Pour out about 1/2 cup of the mixture into a bowl. Add cooled, melted chocolate to the mixture and blend again until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Remove pie crust from fridge and spread remaining 2 tbsp of peanut butter over the chocolate bottom. Pour chocolate filling mixture into the crust. Spoon the reserved peanut butter filling on top, pouring it as stripes, and draw a knife though the stripes to make pretty, swirling patterns.

Set in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. Pie will have a thick and creamy, pudding-like filling but should hold up well and make stable pieces.

Peppermint Pucks

1/3 cup corn syrup
3 tablespoons soy milk
2 teas. peppermint extract
4-5 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 cups chopped dark chocolate
2 tablespoons shortening

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the corn syrup and the soy milk. Add the extract and begin working in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, until thickened to a point where you can roll it into patties. Dough will be sticky.

Dust a sheet of waxed paper with some powdered sugar and begin making 2 inch patties, coating them in powdered sugar before placing them on the sheet. Let them dry for one hour before flipping, let the other side dry for 1 hour. They will be soft, but should hold together with a little reshaping.

In a double boiler melt down most of the chocolate, reserving the shortening and 1/2 cup of the chocolate. Once melted, add remaining chocolate and shortening, stirring well until all is melted and incorporated. Let cool.

Laying them on a fork, quickly dip the patties one at a time in the chocolate mixture. You will have to be quick, as the chocolate will start to affect the patty. Place them on waxed paper. If you don’t get them coated completely, you can always drizzle some chocolate on top of them with a spoon. Let them set at room temperature (takes awhile, up to 24 hours depending on humidity and room temp) or toss them in the fridge or freezer. We like ours cold. Makes 24 patties.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shells

Dry:
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teas. baking soda

Wet:
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teas. vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling:
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter- chunky is great!
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. In a large bowl beat together margarine, sugar, brown sugar. Add milk. Beat well. Gently mix in the flour mixture about 1/3 at a time until incorporated.

For the filling, combine powdered sugar and peanut butter in a mixing bowl and beat until sugar is absorbed and peanut butter feels stiffer. Add chocolate chips. It should be a pretty solid mixture because you want to form it into little balls. If it’s still oily or thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Using a piece of dough just a bit smaller than the size of a golf ball, flatten the dough into a disc on a piece of parchment paper. Place a heaping teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture on the center of the dough. Carefully fold chocolate dough over the peanut butter ball and seal the edges. Roll dough into a ball. If the dough gets dry, add a splash of milk to moisten it.

Place balls on baking sheet, seam down, about 1 inch apart. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the surface begins to slightly crack. Let cool for 1 minute on the sheet then transfer to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen.

*The dough should be similar in texture and malleability to Play-doh.