Apple Galette

One last Thanksgiving recipe!  I can post this one late because it is really easy, but tastes and looks great.  I started making these in order to use up the extra dough left over from making multiple pies at a time.  So, if you have some dough left over from making pot pies, and still need a dessert, make one of these and top it off with pumpkin ice cream (sans candied pepitas tastes best in this scenario, I think).

INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 recipe pie dough
- 3 large cooking apples (I like Granny Smith for this one)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tbsp margarine

METHOD
1. Make the dough as per the recipe.  Roll out on a floured surface into a 12-14 inch circle.  Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
2. Peel the apples.  Chop in half, from stem to flower end.  Remove stem and flower ends.  Use a melon baller to carefully remove seeds/cores.  Use a paring knife to thinly slice the apple halves, keeping all the slices together.
3. Place an apple half in the centre of the dough.  Fan slightly.  Place other halves around the centre apple and fan.  Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples.

4. Mix together sugars and spices. Sprinkle over apples.  Dot with margarine. Gather dough up into the centre (trim edges first if you like).

5. Place galette in the fridge for 20-30 mins so the dough can firm up.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack on the bottom third of the oven.
6. Bake for about 45 mins, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool before eating.  

French Apple Tart

Apple pie is the quintessential American dish, but maybe you want something a little different this Thanksgiving.  This is a French apple tart, a fairly simple and delicious dessert that showcases the wonderful flavour of apples.  Unclouded by spices and excessive sugar, this tart lets seasonal apples shine through.  The recipe is veganized from Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of Baking, but it is a pretty classic and standard dish: a baked apple sauce on the bottom and glazed sliced apples on top.  It is essential that you use baking apples (I used Royal Gala) so that they maintain some texture and don't reduce to total mush.  Then, you can use this basic recipe and go crazy: apple-cranberry-pecan tart, for example.  Feel free to add some cinnamon or nutmeg, or some brandy to the roasted apples.

Tart Pastry
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups (200g/6.5 oz) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (60g/2 oz) icing sugar
- 1/2 cup (125g/4 oz) cold margarine (Earth Balance)
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2-3 tbsp cold coconut milk (or soy creamer/milk)

METHOD
1. Whisk together flour and sugar.  Cut in margarine until mixture has large crumbs the size of peas.
2. Sprinkle flax over the water and 2 tbsp of the coconut milk, then whisk until goopy.  Add to flour mixture and mix with a fork until it comes together into a soft dough, dribbling in more milk if needed.
3.  Press dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour and as much as overnight.
4. When pastry is cooled, roll out into a 12-13 inch circle on a floured surface.  Carefully place dough into a 9.5 inch tart pan, letting the excess hand over the sides.

Trim overhanging dough to 1/2 inch.  Fold overhang into the pan and press dough into the pan to make a smooth and uniform shell.


5. Place shell in the freezer and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
6. When oven is a heat, line shell with aluminium foil and fill with dried beans.

Bake for 15-20 mins, or until crust has dried out.  After 15 mins, pull back some of the foil and check if it is wet/oily.  If it is, replace the foil and check again in two mins.
7.  Once dry, remove foil/beans, reduce heat to 350 degrees, and bake for another 3-5 mins, until very lightly golden (you only want to partially bake the crust).  Let cool on a wire rack.


Apple Tart
INGREDIENTS
- 2 lbs cooking apples (about 5), peeled, cored, and cut into uniform chunks (about 1 inch)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp margarine, melted

- 2 cooking apples, peeled cored, and thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp margarine, melted
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup apricot jam

METHOD
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Mix together apple pieces, sugar, lemon juice and melted margarine in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on the baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 mins, or until soft and mash-able.  Mash until chunky and set aside to cool.
2. When cooled, spread into the cooled tart crust.

3. Layer sliced apples over the apple sauce like you see in the pic below.

Remember that the apples will shrink when cooked, so don't space them too far apart.  Brush lightly with melted margarine, then sprinkle sugar over top.  Bake for 45-50 mins, unit apples are soft.  Let cool on a wire rack for 30 mins.
4. Heat apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbling.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then brush gently over the apples.  Serve at room temp.

Maple-Apple Cider Tofu with Stuffing and Apple Cranberry Chutney

Here is my contribution to Thanksgiving this year. It may look a bit complicated, but it really isn't that bad. Once everything is chopped and sliced and ready to go, the whole thing comes together pretty quickly. When I go back home for Thanksgiving I am usually responsible for providing the vegan entree (all the sides are made vegan), and this one seems perfect because it incorporates traditional Thanksgiving flavours but can be eaten alongside other holiday fare. The components really work well together, so try to get a bit of everything in each bite.

Apple Cranberry Chutney
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 4 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (or another cooking apple)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2-4 tbsp apple cider
- 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped

METHOD
1. Heat margarine over med-hi heat. Add apples and cook for 5 mins, stirring regularly. Add raisins and cranberries and cook for 3 mins.
2. Add maple syrup and mix well, then add 2 tbsp of cider. Cook until cranberries burst and apples are soft but still have some texture. Add more cider, if needed. It should be moist but not runny. Lower the heat and let simmer while you prep the other components of the dish.
3. When ready to assemble the dish, mix in the sage leaves and remove from heat.

Stuffing
INGREDIENTS
- 2 slices sourdough bread (or so. You will need 1.5 cups of cubed bread when you are done)
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 leek, white and light green part, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- 1 tsp thyme
- 4 cups packed baby spinach
- salt and pepper

METHOD
Turn oven on to 300 degrees
1. Heat a frying pan over med to med-hi heat. Lightly butter (margarine?) the sourdough bread on both sides and fry both sides for 2-3 mins, until golden. Remove from pan and cut into 1/4" cubes. Measure out 1.5 cups and put into a bowl.
2. Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add the 2 tbsp of margarine, and when melted add leeks and garlic. Fry for about 5 mins, until leeks are translucent but not too brown. Reduce heat if needed.
3. Add cider and thyme and mix well. Add spinach and cook until wilted but still a vibrant green. Season with salt and pepper then add to the bread cubes. Mix well. Put in an oven proof container and keep warm in the oven.

Maple-Apple Cider Tofu
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp margarine
- 1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider
- salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Cut the tofu in half vertically, then cut each half into 5 thin slices. Use a 2.5" biscuit cutter to cut out 10 rounds. (The size of your rounds may vary, but since my tofu block is roughly 5 x 2.5 this worked out perfectly).
2. While you are cutting the tofu, heat a frying pan on the stove over med-hi heat. Add margarine and swirl pan to melt, then add tofu circles. Fry for 3-5 mins, only on one side, until a nice golden brown.
3. Add maple syrup to the pan and swirl/shake to distribute. Flip tofu over and swirl/shake again. Season lightly with salt, and a some freshly ground pepper. Add cider to the pan and swirl/shake to distribute. Flip tofu over (i.e. fried side is now back down, and season with salt and pepper. Let reduce for a minute or so, then remove from heat.

TO ASSEMBLE:
This dish relies on a biscuit cutter (or metal ring) that is 2.5" in diameter, and 1.5" tall. Place one tofu circle on a plate, fried side down. Place ring over the tofu, then pack in stuffing, compressing the stuffing down with a spoon. Carefully remove ring, then top with another tofu circle, fried side up. Top that with a generous spoonful of chutney.

The chutney recipe makes plenty, so serve more on the side.

Apple Jelly

Apple jelly is a small bite of heaven. Subtle in flavour, delicate in texture, and deliciously sweet. Perfect on a piece of toast for breakfast. Like most jellies, apple jelly is more work than your standard fruit jam because the juice needs to first be extracted from the apple. This is an old style jelly that does not rely on commercial pectin to set, but the extra work is well worth the end result.

INGREDIENTS
Makes four 500ml jars of jelly
Apple Juice
- 10 lbs cooking apples
- water

Jelly
- 8 cups apple juice (from above)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 6 cups sugar

METHOD
1. Remove stem and blossom end from the apples, then quarter (no need to core). Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to bubbling, then loosely cover. Reduce heat and cook for about 20-30 mins, mashing the apples as they soften. Don't cook too long, just until the apples are soft and easily mash-able.
2. Line a large colander with a wet tea towel and place over a large pot or bowl. Dump cooked apples into the colander and let drain for at least 2 hours. The juice will be thick, clear, and slightly pink.
3. Measure out the juice to make sure you have 8 cups. Place in a large pot, add lemon juice and sugar. Bring to boiling over med-hi heat. Boil hard for about 25 mins, stirring regularly. The jelly should sheet off a cold metal spoon when it is ready. Quite frankly, I have never figured out exactly what this means. You will find that the jelly will begin to coat the spoon you are using to stir the jelly.
4. Skim off foam, pour jelly into sterilized and warm jars, screw on lids finger tight, then process in boiling water (making sure jars are fully submerged) for 10 mins. Remove from heat, remove lid, and let cool for 5 mins. Remove from water and let fully cool. Jelly will fully set as it cools.

Apple Juice

We have apples coming out of the wazoo! I guess it is too cold to grow apples up here (there are no local orchards that I know of), so my in-laws bring us a whole whack of apples from down south every fall. So, after making apple pie, apple crisp, and huge batch of apple sauce, we still had tons left. The obvious thing to do next was to try my hand at apple juice. OK, first just let me say that apple juice is A LOT of work. I don't know how they can sell huge cans of it for 99 cents. I started with a recipe in my canning cookbook that called for 24 lbs of apples to be chopped, cooked in 8 cups of water, then hung in a cheesecloth and left to drip for 2 hrs. That sounded like too much work, plus I doubted any cheesecloth could hold 24 lbs of cooked apples. Enter my Jack LaLanne power juicer! I figured the juicer would eliminate the initial cooking step and perhaps filter the juice a bit. Well, it didn't work exactly as planned since the juice still needed considerable straining to filter out all the sediment. Here is what I did to get a delicious juice with an amber colour and cidery taste. Son #1 set up the photo for tonight's post.

EQUIPMENT/INGREDIENTS
Makes about 6L of juice
- 24 lbs apples
- 1 juicer
- 2 clean tea towels, damp (they will get stained)
- two large pots/bowls
- kitchen thermometer
- 6 1L canning jars and lids

METHOD
Sterilize your jars. Get a large pot of water boiling to process the jars of juice.
1. Use large rubber bands to affix the tea towels over the top of the pots/bowls. Don't make the towel tight over the bowl; rather, make sure it dips into the bowl so it can hold the juice.
2. Working in batches, chop the apples and process them through the juicer. Pour into the towel over one of the bowls and let drip through. You will find that the towel quickly gets gummed up with a pectiny residue, so I made this a pretty rough filtering. Once most of the juice passed through, I detached the towel and squeezed the remaining juice through. Then, I poured it through the other towel while I cleaned the first towel. I then passed it through the first towel once again.
3. Once all the juice has been filtered, heat to 190 degrees F and keep at that temperature for 5 mins. Pour into jars, top with lids, then screw the ring on finger tight. Place in pot of boiling water (making sure water covers lids), return to boiling, then boil for 10 mins with lid on. Remove from heat, remove lid, and let sit for 5 mins. Remove jars from water and let cool.

Seitan with Apple Squash Chutney

This probably isn't actually a chutney, but it sounds better to say it is. I served this with some chicken-style seitan (this stuff that I blogged about before), but you could serve it with tofu, or a chickpea cutlet, perhaps.

INGREDIENTS

Makes enough to top 8 seitan cutlets

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 leek, thinly sliced

- 1 celery stalk, diced

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 2 cups diced butternut squash

- 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

- 1/3 cup raisins

- 1/4 cup water (plus more as needed)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup maple syrup

- 2 tsp cinnamon

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute leeks, celery, and garlic for 8-10 mins, until soft and translucent. Add squash and fry for 2 mins.

2. Add apples, raisins, water, salt and pepper, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Bring to bubling, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 mins, until squash is cooked. Stir occasionaly, adding water, if needed. The chutney should be moist, but not runny.

3. Serve over a seitan cutlet, or a slice of tofu.

Savoury Pumpkin Biscuit (Topping)

In true Canadian fashion, I am going to whine about the weather. It snowed today! Man, did that make for a frosty bike ride into work! So, I was in the mood for some warm comfort food tonight. I made a version of my vegetable stew with biscuit topping, adding in some purple potatoes, roasted chestnuts, and butternut squash. Just look at those wonderful colours! For the topping, I added pumpkin and apple cider to the biscuit recipe for a delicous fall flavour.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp marjoram
- 1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

- 1/2 cup apple cider

METHOD

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Stir in nutritional yeast and spices. Mix in shortening with your fingers until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.

2. Whisk pumpkin, vinegar, and cider together. Add to dry ingredients and mix with a fork, then gently knead into a dough.

3. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Either cut and bake as biscuits, or use as a topping for the stew.

Applesauce

Sorry to say that this is another one of those recipe-less posts that really is a recipe (sort of). If you have not made your own applesauce you are missing out on a real treat. Now, I like liquid invert sugar and high fructose corn syrup from store brands as much as the next guy, but with homemade you have absolute control over your sauce. Now is the time to make it, of course, with apples ripe and ready at the local orchard. Get an apple that will cook down easily (I like MacIntosh and HoneyCrisp). If you are not sure what is a good apple, ask someone at the orchard. A great way to get cheap apples is to but a bushel of windfalls (i.e. the apples that have fallen off the trees). They may not be pretty, but it does not matter when making applesauce. Once you have your apples, it's time to get cooking!

INGREDIENTS

- peeled, cored, and chopped apples

- lemon juice

- splash of water

- sugar

- cinnamon

METHOD

1. Place chopped apples in a large pot over med to med-hi heat. Add a few splashes of lemon juice (will keep apples from browning to much) and some sugar. If apples stick, add a splash of water. As apples begin to cook down, reduce heat, cover and let apples reduce to sauce (about 30-40 mins, depending on how many apples you use). Mash apples throughout the cooking process until you get the consistency you want (I like chunky).

2. Add sugar (brown/white) and cinnamon to taste.

OTHER APPLESAUCES WE HAVE MADE:

Cinnamon Brown Sugar: Go crazy with the cinnamon brown sugar and cinnamon for a rich apple sauce.

Raspberry (or Strawberry) Applesauce: Add fresh or frozen raspberries (or strawberries) with the apples. Sweeten with white sugar.

Pear-Ginger Applesauce: Pears also cook down quite easily. Sweeten with a mix of white and brown sugar. Add ground ginger, cinnamon, and a bit of nutmeg.

Apple Spice Porridge

Behold my second installment of trying to make breakfast more interesting for the kids. Not really a recipe tonight; more of an idea that you can play around with. And not even a very original idea, really. Sons #2 and #3 gobbled it right down, but Son #1 whined ad nauseum about it until the oatmeal had congealed into a dense mass and the whole thing was cold and kind of nasty. *sigh* Maybe boxed cereal isn't so bad after all . . . .

INGREDIENTS

- oatmeal (I use quick cook/instant on busy mornings)

- cinnamon

- ginger

- nutmeg

- allspice

- cloves

- maple syrup

- grated apple

- raisins

METHOD

1. Cook oatmeal as per directions on package. Spice to taste using some or all of the spices above, then stir in some grated apple and raisins. Tastes great on a cold fall morning.

Potato Apple Ginger Soup

This soup began as a humble potato soup that just seemed far too pedestrian. I had just finished reading Isa's post on the Vegan Iron Chef Apple Ginger challenge, so the way to jazz up the soup was obvious. The result was quite nice--a soup that tastes like autumn. I added the hint of a few spices; you can increase or lower the amounts as you see fit.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6-8

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 rib celery, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped

- 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

- 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh ginger (depends on how much you like ginger)

- water

- plain soy milk

- 1 tsp coriander

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, and carrots for 5-7 mins, until translucent. Add potatoes and cook for 2 mins. Add apples and ginger and cook an additional 2 mins.

2. Add enough water to the pot to cover the veggies 3/4 of the way (i.e. the tops of the veggies should be poking out of the water). Bring to bubbling, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for 20 mins, or until potatoes are soft.

3. Blend veggies with a hand mixer, then thin with soy milk until desired consistency is reached. Season to taste and serve.

Apple Walnut Sausage Brunch Bundles

Sunday brunch has now become an institution at our house. Today I thought I would try to add something new to the mix. I browsed through a few websites for ideas (non-vegan brunch is very heavy on the eggs) and put together this recipe. These are quite tasty and when I described them to the boys as "little apple pies" they got very excited. They balked a bit at the walnuts (I am not sure why since they gulp down Isa's chocolate chocolate chip cookies with walnuts with no problem) but ended up clearing their plates in the end.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 8 bundles

Dough

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1 tbsp sugar

- pinch of salt

- 1/2 cup cold Earth Balance margarine, cut into chunks

- 6 to 8 tbsp cold water

Filling

- 2 large cooking apples

- 1/2 tsp lemon juice

- 3 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 tsp maple syrup

- 1 1/2 cups chopped breakfast sausage

- 1/2 cup walnuts

- water and soy milk for brushing

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Make the dough. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Add in margarine chunks and work into the flour with a pastry cutter until it looks like coarse bread crumbs. Add enough water in to make a soft dough, using a fork to work the liquid into the flour. Gently knead to thoroughly mix. Shape into an 8" log, wrap in a damp cloth and stick in the fridge while you make the filling.

2. Peel, core, and chop the apples. Mix apples with lemon juice, sugar and syrup in a bowl. Add sausage and walnuts and mix well.

3. Mark out 8 equal sections on the dough log (should be 1" each). Using a serrated knife, saw off a section. On a floured surface, roll out piece of dough into a 7 to 8" circle. Place 1/8 of the filling in the middle of the circle (about a generous 1/4 cup) and brush the edge of the dough with water. Bring up edges, working your way around the circle, and seal. Pinch the dough together in the centre to make a little peak (like you see in the pic). Place on prepared sheet and repeat with remaining dough and filling.

4. Brush bundles with plain soy milk and bake for about 25 mins, until golden. Cool for 10 mins and serve warm.

Apple and Raisin Stuffed Seitan

It snowed this morning! That's right. Snow in late May. Now, it wasn't much, just a few flurries, but that's not really the point is it? I can't believe it is actually cold enough to snow! And now they have issued a frost warning for tonight because the temperature will be down around zero (32 F). So blame the cold weather on this rather wintry dish I made tonight. I think one could easily whip up a traditional stuffing and make a nice holiday meal out of this recipe. This is the latest creation in my attempt to bake seitan and avoid the hours and hours of simmering of a more traditional seitan. I was happy with the result and think this recipe could be adapted to make an much easier version of the Chickenless Kiev I made a while back.

INGREDIENTS

Seitan

- 1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten

- 1/4 cup vegan chicken broth powder

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp onion powder

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 tsp soy sauce

- 1 cup water

Filling

- 2 apples, peeled and finely diced (I used McIntosh)

- 1 small onion, finely diced

- 1/2 cup raisins

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp poultry seasoning

- freshly ground pepper

- 1 apple, peeled and cut into chunks

- 1 cup boiling water

- 2 tbsp vegan chicken broth powder

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Make the seitan. Mix wheat gluten, broth powder and spices in a bowl. Whisk water, soy sauce, and oil in another and add to flour. Mix into a dough and knead for a few mins. Shape into a log and set aside.

2. Make the filling. Mix apples, onions, raisins, salt, poultry seasoning and pepper together.

3. Slice seitan into 6 equal pieces. Press each piece as flat as you can with the heel of your hand. Place about 2 spoonful of filling on each piece of seitan and roll up. Secure rolled seitan with two pieces of kitchen string. Not all the stuffing will be used.

4. Put extra stuffing and the other cut up apple in the bottom of a medium sized greased baking dish (I used an 8 x 11.5" dish). Mix broth powder into the boiling water and pour over top of apples. Place seitan rolls on top.

5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove foil and turn seitan over. If apple mixture looks too dry, add a bit more water. Spray tops of seitan with a little oil and bake uncovered for 30 mins, or until seitan has browned and is firm to the touch.

6. Remove string and serve seitan with the apple stuff (let's call it chutney) on the side.

Apple Cider Coconut Curry

I used to make something like this with chicken back in the day. Today, as I stood in front of the open fridge looking at the last of the chicken seitan and a crisper full of apples (destined to be apple sauce in the near future), this recipe began forming in my mind. I decided to serve it over quinoa, just to boost the protein for those three growing boys tearing around the house. They all liked it (Son #3 had thirds) which is good since this recipe makes enough for plenty of leftovers.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil

- 3 onions, halved and sliced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 5 cups sliced chicken seitan

- 1 cup golden raisins

- 1/2 cup sliced almonds

- 2 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and diced

- 2 tsp mild curry powder

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp chili powder

- salt to taste

- 2 cups water

- 1 cup apple cider or juice

- 3/4 cup coconut milk

- cilantro to garnish

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a small stock pot or large saucepan over med-hi heat. Saute onions for 10-15 mins, stirring often, until deep golden brown. Add in garlic and fry 2 mins. Add in seitan and fry for 1 min.

2. Add in raisins, almonds, apples, and spices and mix well. Add in water and apple cider/juice. Bring to bubbling and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 mins, until sauce thickens a bit.

3. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Caramel Apples

Tonight was an incoherent barrage of leftovers from the past week. So here is a fantastic recipe from A Vegan Ice Cream Paradise for a vegan caramel sauce that goes great with apples. Just in time for your Halloween party!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 c. (1 stick) Earth Balance or other vegan margarine

- 2 c. brown sugar

- 3/4 c. soy creamer or soy milk

- 2 T. arrowroot powder

METHOD:

1. Combine 1/4 cup soy creamer with the arrowroot. Set aside.

2. Melt the Earth Balance in a saucepan. Stir in brown sugar. Add remaining 1/2 cup soy creamer. Bring liquid to a boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Take the pan off the heat and immediately add arrowroot slurry. The liquid should thicken quickly. Store in fridge for up to one week.

It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

So, we were supposed to have some neighbours over this afternoon for a (mostly) fall-themed vegan spread, but Son #1 developed a fever and we had to cancel at the last minute. But, all was not lost. I had a chance to try out a new recipe, and I learned what I will do differently next time. The full menu was going to be:

1. Warm apple cider (steeped with cinnamon sticks).
2. Meatless meatballs (in slow cooker w/BBQ sauce).

3. Pretzel bites (with hot dog pieces inside, for the kids). Just cut hot dog in four pieces, wrap each piece in a pretzel dough, dip and cook as usual.

4. Sweet potato quesadillas (this time I added 1/2 cup finely chopped roasted pecans to the filling (roast on cookie sheet for 10 minutes, turning pecans over after 5 mins). Very good!

5. Butternut Squash Cakes (recipe follows).

6. Apple pie.

Butternut Squash Cakes (adapted from The Artful Vegan)

- 3 cups finely grated butternut squash (peeled and seeded, of course)

- 1 cup cooked wild rice

- 6 green onion, thinly sliced (reserve some for garnish--I forgot to do this)

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp cloves

- 1/2 tsp allspice

- 1/4 cup cornstarch (more as needed)

- oil, for frying

Mix all ingredients together with enough cornstarch that it can be formed into patties. Fry on med-hi heat in oil, 3 mins each side, until crispy and golden. Top with roasted apple chutney and green onions. Serve.

Roasted Apple Chutney:

Core and dice 4 small cooking apples. Mix in 1 tsp canola oil, 2 tbsp sherry, 1/2 tsp salt, and freshly ground pepper. Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 mins (until apples are soft and slightly golden). While apples are roasting, heat 1 cup of apple sauce in a small saucepan (blend with hand mixer if chunky). Thin with a few tbsp apple cider. Add in roasted apples.

NOTES: I did not finely grate the squash (recipe did not specify), and so it was hard to form into patties. That meant I put in way more cornstarch than I wanted to. I think a fine grate will fix this. Also, don't use your hands to form the patties. I pressed the mixture into a round metal ring I use for making crumpets.

Apple Pie With Crumble Top

Tonight is Friday, so it was pizza night again. No need posting the same recipe again, so I am posting the dessert we had a few nights ago--apple pie! The crust recipe is here, but for this pie you just need to make half a recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 9" pie crust

For the Topping

- 3/4 c brown sugar

- 1/4 c margarine (must be high fat, like Earth Balance)

- 1/2 cup flour

For the Pie

- 6 cups peeled and sliced apples

- 1/2 c brown sugar

- 2 tbsp flour

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Mix together brown sugar and flour in a medium bowl. Mix in margarine with pastry cutter.

2. Mix apple slices, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer into pie crust.

3. Spread topping evenly over apples.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

NOTE: We served the pie with So Good vanilla ice cream. Even though their soymilk tastes like total crap, their ice cream is absolutely delicious.