New Year's Eve Cocktail Appetizers

Well, I didn't win one of the three prizes from the VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest, but I'm still very proud to have made the top ten. Congrats to the winners!

My second article has been published over at This Dish is Veg. This week's piece is a last minute holiday menu. Here at Season of The Vegan, I wanted to share the appetizer recipes from that menu and a few more that will be perfect for a New Year's Eve Cocktail Party.

Meatless Meatballs

1 tube Gimmie Lean Sausage
1 cup cooked Brown Rice
2 cups Spicy BBQ Sauce
2 cloves minced Garlic

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together sausage, rice, 1 1/2 cups of the BBQ sauce, and the garlic. Form the mixture into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Drizzle the remaining sauce over the meatballs and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Stuffed Mushrooms
2 8oz packages of Button or Baby Bella Mushrooms stems removed and saved
4 tbsp Olive Oil
2 cloves minced Garlic
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1/8 cup favorite Vegan Cheddar style chreeze shreds (I love Daiya for this recipe.)

Preheat oven to 350. On a greased cookie sheet, place the mushroom tops, divot side up. Mince 1/2 the mushroom stems, save the rest to add to soup or rice at a later date. Mix the stems, garlic, tomato paste and chreeze in a small bowl. Stuff each mushroom cap with this mixture and then drizzle them with olive oil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Wondrous White Bean Dip

1 can white beans drained and rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp Braggs

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Fennel Seed

1 tsp Dried Dill

Blend it all up in your food processor and enjoy with toasted pita bread and veggies.

Baked Spicy Spinach & Artichoke Dip

8 oz Frozen Spinach, thawed with the extra moisture squeezed out
10 oz jar Artichoke Hearts drained
4 oz can chopped Green Chilies drained
2-3 cloves minced Garlic
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
8 oz container Vegan Cream Cheese
8 oz container Vegan Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350. Blend the ingredients in a food processor until just combined. Place in a 9 x 9 baking dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown and bubbly. Serve with toasted pita bread.

Peanut Pumpkin Dip

1 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1 tsp Nutmeg
1 tsp Cinnamon

Stir together all the ingredients and serve with apple slices and graham crackers.

You could also serve the Spiced Nuts from my Snack Time post, as well as some Herb Marinated Olives.

I wish you all a joyous holiday season!

Vanilla Rum Banana Bread

Its been quite the busy week, what with the up coming holiday and all. I'm still trying to reach the winner of the Holiday Cookie Contest. Kenny, are you out there? I believe I promised you all some new recipes in my last post, and I shan't disappoint!

Vanilla Rum Banana Bread

6 very ripe Bananas mashed
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1 cup Cane Sugar
1 cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
4 cup All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Rum

Preheat oven to 375 and prepare two loaf pans with oil and flour. In a large bowl cream together mashed banana, oil, and sugars. Blend in the vanilla and rum. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Beat dry ingredients into wet 1/4 cup at a time until well incorporated. Split the dough between the two pans and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until well browned and a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I plan to post some last minute holiday appetizer ideas on Tuesday. I hope everyone has a wonderful next few days.

And the Winner is.....

The winner of my Holiday Cookie Contest is Kenny! Please contact me at seasonofthevegan at gmail.com so I can get your address and send you some tasty vegan cookies! Congrats!

Last Chance...

Today's the last day to enter the Holiday Contest to receive 2 dozen homemade vegan cookies. I'll be picking the winner tonight at 9pm Central. Good luck!

On Cloud Nine...

I just received an awesome email from Jennifer Chen at VegNews. My recipe for Vanilla Boysenberry Shortbread Thumbprints is one of the top 10 finalist recipes in their Holiday Cookie Contest! They announce the 3 winners on Dec. 19th. I'm on cloud nine, just getting this far. What an amazing week it's been. Published on This Dish is Veg and making it to the top 10.

In other news, I'm working on a new Vanilla Rum Banana Bread recipe that I'll be sharing with all of you as soon as I feel its ready. I'm also working on a Vegan Holiday Menu for This Dish is Veg and also some great holiday recipes to post here later this week as well. Don't forget to enter my holiday cookie giveaway as well. You have until this Friday to leave a comment on the original post announcing the contest for your chance at 2 dozen assorted cookies from yours truly.

This Dish is Veg

So, in addition to Season of The Vegan, I am also writing for This Dish is Veg. My first article was posted today. Enjoy!

Holiday Contest!

So while I was baking away to enter the VegNews Holiday Cookie Contest I had the idea to run a holiday contest of my own. The lucky winner will receive: 2 dozen assorted cookies from yours truly. All you have to do is leave a comment at the bottom of this post and the winner will be drawn at random on Friday Dec. 16th. I'll contact said winner at that time for shipping information.

Breakfast time....

I woke up to snow on the ground and breakfast in bed. I love when Carl cooks for me. Vegan cooking is still new to him and I love the flavor combinations he comes up with. He makes hands down the best Mac & Chreeze I've ever had and his Cardamon Spiced Oatmeal is sublime. He's worked in the restaurant business for most of the last decade and is whimsical and playful when it comes to pairings. This morning he made Crispy Breakfast Potatoes with Herb Gravy and Toast. That along with a perfect cup of coffee and the light blanket of snow on the ground made for a terrific wake up call.

I'm a huge fan of breakfast food. Not just in the morning either. One of the best dinner time treats in our house is Seitan & Waffles, which is my version of the Southern favorite Chicken & Waffles.

Seitan & Waffles

For the Waffles

1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tbsp Maple Syrup
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Rice Milk

Whisk together all ingredients. Follow the directions for your waffle maker to make crispy waffles. Mine requires 1/4 cup of batter per waffle.


For the Southern Fried Seitan

1 lb Seitan cut into 1" squares
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Onion Powder
1tsp Garlic Powder
1tsp Chili Pepper Flakes
2 tbsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Stone Ground or Spicy Mustard
1/2 cup Water
2 tbsp Braggs Amino Acids
Vegetable Oil for Frying


If you're using pre-packed seitan or you store your homemade seitan in liquid, you'll want to press as much of it out before frying as possible.

For the batter, blend together the flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili pepper flakes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mustard, water, and Braggs. To the wet ingredients, add 1/3 cup of the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth. Add the baking powder to the remaining dry ingredients.

Dip the cubes of seitan in the wet ingredients and then coat them in the dry. Fry until golden brown. Don't over crowd your skillet while frying, or you'll lower the oil heat too much and end up with soggy pieces.

Assemble your Seitan and Waffles and serve with Earth Balance, maple syrup, and your favorite hot sauce.


Stay tuned for a Holiday Contest starting tomorrow morning!

Update....

My lovely friend, Anna, has agreed to do some food photography for me. Stay tuned for an updated look for Season of The Vegan. As well as a Holiday Contest, in which the winner will recieve 2 dozen cookies.

Snack time...

A friend and I were discussing what our favorite vegan snacks were the other day, so I thought I'd share a few.

Grilled Chocolate Sandwich

2 slices of your favorite bread
about 10 to 20 vegan chocolate chips (depending on the size of the slice of bread)
1 tbsp Earth Balance

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium. Spread the Earth Balance on a single side of each slice of bread. Place one slice Earth Balance side down in the skillet. Place the chocolate chips on the slice of bread and then cover with the other slice of bread. Toast until each side is golden brown. Enjoy!



Spiced Nuts

1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Unsalted Mixed Nuts
enough Olive Oil to coat

Preheat oven to 325. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl and spread them onto a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.



Caramel Oat Squares

1 cup melted Earth Balance
2 heaping tbsp of Coconut Oil
2 cup Brown Sugar
4 cup Quick Oats
2 tsp Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 400. Mix all ingredients together and press the mixture into a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes and cut while still warm. These are great on thier own with a cup of tea or crumbled over your favorite frozen non-dairy treat.

I wish I would have had a chance to post about Thanksgiving recipes before now, but I had a nasty cold over the weekend. I love this time of year, friends, family, and food. By far three of my favorite things. Since moving to South Dakota, I haven't much had the chance to indulge my love of feeding others. I delight in cooking large meals and sharing them with those I care for. These are some of my favorite recipes to fix for my friends and family. I hope you enjoy sharing them with yours this holiday season.

Acorn Squash stuffed with Wild Rice

4 Acorn Squash of equal size cut in half and the seeds removed
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flake
1 tsp Sea Salt

Preheat your oven to 400. Place the squash on a jelly roll/cookie sheet skin side down. Coat the squash with the olive oil. Drizzle the maple syrup over them and sprinkle them with the red pepper flake and sea salt. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, making sure to seal it well. Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until squash is fork tender.



For the rice

4 cups Vegetable Broth
2 cups Wild Rice (I like Lundberg brand)
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
1/2 cup White Raisins
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring vegetable broth, rice, and olive oil to a boil. Stir once, reduce to simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for 50 to 55 minutes. No peeking under the lid, you need the steam to remain sealed in the pot to cook the rice. Let set 10 minutes, fluff rice with a fork, and stir in cranberries, raisins, and salt and pepper.

Stuff each squash with the rice mixture and serve. You should have some rice leftover, I always save it for the next day to use as a side dish.


Oven Roasted Sweet Potato Medallions

3-4 Sweet Potatoes sliced into medallions
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tbsp ground Cumin
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Coat sweet potato slices with olive oil and place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle the slices with cumin, sea salt, and pepper. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until browned and slightly blistered.

Orecchiette Pasta with Cranberry and Kale

Considering my love of food, Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I have fond memories of large family dinners held in my grandmother's tiny house. The meals were filled with simple flavors that when combined created sublime delicacies. As I've mentioned before, earthy flavored foods delight me. This makes Thanksgiving the perfect holiday for indulgence. Once I went vegan, I found it necessary to come up with a few extra dishes to share during these holiday meals. Orecchiette Pasta with Cranberry and Kale is one of my favorites to share this time of year.

Orecchiette Pasta with Cranberry and Kale

1 box Orecchiette Pasta prepared
2 tbsp Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 medium White Onion, sliced thin
1 can whole berry Cranberry Sauce or 1 3/4 cup homemade Cranberry Sauce
3/4 cup dry Red Wine (I use Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 bunch Kale, stems removed and sliced into thin strips
1 cup Pasta Water
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cranberry sauce and wine and allow to reduce by half. Add the kale and allow it to wilt. Add pasta water and reduce heat to low. The longer and slower you cook the kale the less bitter it will be. Allow it to cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over orecchiette with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Spicy Peanut Pasta

Today feels like a good day for something spicy, something that will warm your body to the core. I love Thai food on days like this. Here's my personal favorite Thai inspired quick and easy Spicy Peanut Pasta.

Spicy Peanut Pasta

1 box Angel Hair Pasta prepared
1 cup Creamy Natural Peanut Butter
2 tbsp Bragg's Amino Acids
2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp Red Chile Paste
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
8 tbsp Olive Oil
1 can Coconut Milk
1 Green Onion, sliced

In a skillet on medium heat, stir all ingriendents except pasta and green onion. Heat for 8 to 10 minutes and toss with pasta. Sprinkle each serving with green onion and enjoy!

Snow is soon to come...

The days are quickly getting colder here in South Dakota. The clouds and wind hold the promise of snow soon to come. It is my belief that this calls for Heavenly Hot Chocolate to warm the body and soul. Pair that with a slice of pie made with the last apple crop of the Fall and its the perfect treat on a cold day or night.

Heavenly Hot Chocolate

2 cups almond milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)
1/2 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 heaping tbsp sugar (or to taste, I like mine bittersweet)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until everything is dissolved and the hot chocolate is heated through. Be careful not to scald the milk, you can use a double boiler for heating if need be. Makes 2 servings.

Crumb Top Apple Pie

Recipe is for a 12 inch deep dish pie pan

Crust

2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/2 cup Shortening
1/8 tsp Salt
Cold Water by the tbsp, only if needed to form the dough.

Cut Earth Balance and shortening into flour and salt. Add water only if the dough isn't forming a solid ball. Shape into a ball and wrap tightly, store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. I prefer a silicone baking matt for this to ease moving the crust to my pie plate. Preheat oven to 350.

Filling

10 small apples (about 4 cups) peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges.
1 1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
2/3 cup fine Cane Sugar
1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
2 tsp Cinnamon

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Place filling in prepared crust.

Topping

2/3 cup Brown Sugar
2/3 cup Oats
1/3 cup All-purpose Flour
1/3 cup Earth Balance

Cut Earth Balance into flour, brown sugar, and oats until crumbly. Spread atop apples. Bake pie for 45 to 60 minutes or until crust edge and topping are deep golden brown and apples are cooked through. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Bake Sale Time

Someone's In The Kitchen is holding a bake sale this Saturday, which I'm in charge of organizing, to raise money for OXO Cookies for Kids' Cancer and for our local hospital's Children's Miracle Network. I've really enjoyed organizing charity bake sales for the store this year. It makes my job more fulfilling. Here is one of the cookie recipes that I'll be making for this Saturday.

Almond Shortbread Jammies

1 cup room temp. Earth Balance
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
2 cups All purpose flour
your favorite jam

Preheat oven to 350. Cream Earth Balance and sugar. Blend in extract and flour. Roll into 1 in balls and make a thumbprint in each. Fill thumbprint with jam and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool on a rack and enjoy!

Fall is in the air...

Fall is quickly shifting into winter here in the Black Hills. The days are shortening, the trees are bare, and there is a chill in the air. Fall is my favorite time of year for cooking. The final harvest brings amazing flavors. I have a deep love of earthy flavored foods; squash, mushrooms, potatoes, cumin, and sage are some of my favorites.

I also enjoy cooking in the fall because I can turn the oven on. We don't have air conditioning and have a kitchen with southern exposure, so using the oven in the summer is like opening the gates to Hell.

At the beginning of the season, I taught my first cooking class. I'm happy to report that it went amazingly well and that I'll be teaching at least two follow up classes in the coming spring.  The following was one of the recipes from the class, I hope you enjoy.

Autumn Harvest Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Salad:

Mixed Greens

1 cup Chopped Apple

½ cup Dried Cranberries

1 cup Halved Red Grapes

¼ cup Toasted Walnuts

¼ cup Toasted Pecans

Ingredients for Citrus Vinaigrette:

1 cup Orange Juice

1/8 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup Olive Oil

dash of Sea Salt

To toast Walnuts and Pecans:

Preheat oven to 350. Place nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and place in oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden and fragrant.

Mix all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk together Citrus Vinaigrette and top salad.

 

Welcome...

It is my desire to use this blog as a platform to help you all indulge in delicious seasonal vegan cuisine. I grew up playing in my grandmother's kitchen. We created amazing, comforting, and often decadent food. She had an artful way of taking the simplest ingredients and turning them into the most amazing feasts. I've spent the last six years veganizing many of the foods I remember from those years spent by her side. It is here that I will share those as well as many other recipes. Many of my recipes rely on what is available with each passing season. I hope you enjoy!