A Very Whiskey Thanksgiving

And of course I will NOT be using the whiskey. I'll be substituting sparkling apple juice with a touch of vanilla instead :) For 2 tablespoons bourbon, substitute the following: 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry juice, or sparkling grape juice.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Carrots, Peeled And Cut Into Thick Circles
* 1 stick Butter
* ½ cup Jack Daniels Or Other Whiskey
* ¾ to 1 Cup Brown Sugar
* ½ to 1 teaspoon Salt
* Freshly Ground Pepper (to Taste)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over very high heat. Add carrots in two batches, cooking for 60-90 seconds each batch. Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate.

Turn off heat. Pour whiskey into skillet, then turn heat to medium. Allow whiskey to evaporate 30 seconds. Add remaining butter. When butter melts, sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Stir together, then add carrots to skillet. Cover, and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Remove lid and add salt and pepper. Continue cooking until carrots are done and glaze is nice and thick, about 5 to 8 more minutes.

Pour onto a platter and serve immediately. Sprinkle with chopped chives.



Pear Crisp with Whiskey Cream Sauce

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

* 4 whole (to 5) Large Pears (Bosc pears work well)
* ⅔ cups Sugar
* ¼ teaspoons Salt
* 1 to 2 tablespoons whiskey

TOPPING INGREDIENTS

* 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
* ⅓ cups Sugar
* ⅓ cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
* ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
* ½ cups Pecans, Very Finely Chopped
* 1 stick Butter, Melted

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel, core, and dice pears. Place into a bowl and stir together with 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1 to 2 tablespoons whiskey. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle melted butter gradually, stirring with a fork as you go until all combined. Mixture should be very clumpy.
Pour pears into a baking dish; top with crumb topping.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Place pan on top rack of oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
Serve warm with whiskey cream sauce.

Whiskey Cream Sauce:

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 stick butter
* 1/2 cup cream
* 1/4 cup Jack Daniels

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Turn off heat. Pour, warm, over the individual servings of bread pudding.

Also going to be doing a dinner roast wrapped in chive and onion cream cheese and phyllo dough. Should be a nice presentation -- wish me luck! :)

Oven Roasted Tom Tofu :)

Oven Roasted Tom Tofu*


1 pound regular tofu (firm), rinsed and patted dry

Marinade:

3/4 cup water
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules

Coating Mix:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion granules
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slices, and place them in a wide, shallow mixing bowl.

Place all the ingredients for the marinade in small mixing bowl and whisk them together.
Pour the marinade over the tofu, spooning it over each slice.
Turn the slices over so that all sides are coated well with the marinade.
Cover bowl and place in refrigerator.
Let tofu marinate for several hours or overnight, turning slices over occasionally.
When you are ready to cook the tofu, place the ingredients for coating mix in a shallow mixing bowl, and stir well.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mist a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and set aside.

Remove each slice of tofu from the marinade, and dredge it in the coating mix, covering it well all over.
Place tofu on baking sheet.
Mist the tops lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake the tofu until the bottoms are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
Turn slices over, and bake until other sides are golden brown.


Makes about 8 slices (4 servings).

Homemade Grenadine

No high-fructose corn syrup in this one. SOLD.

Grenadine is a syrup flavored with pomegranates. It may or may not contain alcohol. You can easily make your own non-alcoholic grenadine syrup at home with this recipe.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2-1/4 pounds pomegranates
* 1 pint water
* Sugar, see instructions
* Red food coloring, optional

Preparation:
Separate the pomegranate seeds from the membranes and skin. In a heavy saucepan, cover pomegranate seeds with 1 pint of water and simmer, stirring until juice sacs release their juice, about 5 minutes. Pour through a cheesecloth-layered sieve into a bowl, pressing the juice from the seeds. Discard seeds.

Measure the strained pomegranate juice and add an equal amount of sugar. Pour into saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Add food coloring, if using. Pour into a decorative stoppered bottle.

Use grenadine syrup in children's drinks like Shirley Temple or Roy Rogers, in mocktails, desserts, marinades, and other general recipes.

Crock pot dressing

I'm gonna change this up and make it vegan with a homemade gravy/cream sauce in place of the can of COM. Might go ahead and try to swap flax for the eggs.

CROCKPOT STUFFING
2 c. chopped onion
2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. dried parsley
1 c. margarine
1 (14 oz.) pkg. seasoned stuffing
2 (4 oz.) cans mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 beaten eggs
3-3 1/2 c. chicken broth

Sauté onion, celery, parsley and butter. In a large bowl put stuffing, mushrooms and sautéed onion, celery and parsley. Combine mushroom and celery soups, eggs and chicken broth. Mix everything together. Put in a 3 1/2 quart crock pot. Cook on high for 45 minutes. Then on low for 4-8 hours. Serves 10-12.

Getting ready for the holidays...

Notice to all: there might be a sudden influx of recipes coming through here in the next week or so. Some I've tried and some are on my to-try list :) I told you guys long ago that this blog is merely my 'thinking aloud' kitchen. I'm finding some wonderful idea; tweaking them is going to be fun! :)

So we start with Cashew Loaf for the Crock Pot


Mix in a bowl:

*3/4 cup raw cashews, chopped
*1 1/2 cups soy or nut milk
*1/4 cup dried onion, or 1 onion, diced
*1 cup fresh whole-wheat bread crumbs
*2 Tbsp. Bragg's Liquid Aminos (to replace soy sauce)
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. dried garlic granules, or 1 clove fresh garlic
*2 Tbsp. dried parsley
*1/2 tsp. celery salt
*1 1/4 cups quick oats
*1 cup water

Spray the Crock-Pot with cooking spray and put the loaf mixture into it. Cook on low heat all day.

Servings: 8
Calories: 200

Low carb veggie chicken and dumplings

Let me attack the dumplings first. I have a cpl options for you.

1. Just a tip -- if you're making just enough for one sitting and you are in need of a quickie short-cut, get yourself a pkg of ww tortillas from the store. Cut them in half, and then cut them in strips. Drop the strips into boiling broth and they will plump up just like dumplings! FYI, the "dumplings" will dissolve into the broth after an hour or so when you reheat it, there will be no more "dumplings". Just know the broth will be very thick! :) Add as many strips of tortillas that you think you'll eat at that one meal and add them right at the end.

2. Low carb bread mix for the bread machine (carbolite or ketogenics). In small bowl mix 1 beaten egg with 2 Tbs heavy cream and 1/4 cup of additional water. In a large bowl, empty bread machine mix and add egg/cream mixture and stir. Continue adding water a little at a time until you have a stiff but moist dough. Drop by 2 Tbs size "dumplings" into bubbling broth, keeping dough balls separate in the broth until each rises and forms. Once all dough is into broth, cook an additional 5 minutes and serve in big bowls with your chicken mixture. This recipe yields 8 servings; about 6 carb grams per serving.

The Chicken Sauce
Ingredients:

1 qt no-chix broth (I like the taste of the Imagine brand)
1 c water
1/4 c butter
1/4 c finely-chopped onion
1/4 c finely-chopped carrot
1/2 c finely-chopped celery
1/2 c chopped fresh mushrooms
salt, to taste
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 pinch sage
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 cup diced cooked veggie chicken or turkey

Add all ingredients ,except the chix, to large soup pot and allow to boil until onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms are semi-soft. Add diced chicken or turkey and boil an additional 10 minutes.

National Chocolate Day

Spiced Soy Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups light chocolate soy milk
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, combine soy milk, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
2. Cook over low to medium heat, whisking frequently, until mixture is smooth and peanut butter is melted, about 5 minutes.
3. Serve in mug. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder, if desired.

Makes one 12-ounce serving

7.5 grams soy protein per serving

Cauliflower w tahini garlic sauce

CAULIFLOWER WITH TAHINI GARLIC SAUCE
1 cauliflower
2 cloves garlic
4 T. olive oil
2 T. tahini
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. tamari or soy sauce (I'm going to use Bragg's)
salt to taste

Steam cauliflower until just done. Refresh in cool water. Saute garlic in
olive oil. Add tahini and stir into a sauce if necessary. Add lemon juice
and soy sauce. Add cauliflower and toss to coat well. If the sauce is too
thick, thin with a bit of vegan chicken stock... just about a 1/4 c or so.
Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

2 versions for you to try, one traditional with tofu and veggies, the other with squash and curry. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

3 medium potatoes
1/4 cup milk or nondairy milk
1 Tablespoon butter or earth balance
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch of paprika
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon oil
1 lb. tofu, crumbled (you can freeze the night before, for a "meatier" texture)
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced (or more)
1 green pepper, diced (I use a 1/2 of a red one, I am not a big pepper fan)
2 medium carrots, diced
3/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes
1 stalk celery, diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup frozen or fresh corn

Boil or steam the potatoes. Mash with butter, milk and salt. Set
aside. Meanwhile, Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Saute the onion a few minutes. Add all filling ingredients except the corn. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, till vegetables are tender. Put filling in a large baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with paprika. Bake 10 or 15 minutes, till potatoes are hot.
Serves 4


Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Veggie lovers, if you like your vegetable pie less spicy, use regular diced tomatoes and leave out the red chile flakes. But if you want a killer combo of heat, tang and sweet, try my version. It's not your mother's shepherd's pie, Darling. Promise.

For the mashed potato crust:
3-4 large gold or white potatoes, peeled, cut up
Vegetable broth, non-dairy milk, milk or cream, as needed
Vegan buttery spread or olive oil, to taste
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh chives, to taste
For the filling:
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin or curry spice
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets (about half a smallish head), cut to bite size
3 medium-large carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
1 zucchini squash, sliced and cut into quarter moons
1 yellow summer squash, sliced, cut into quarter moons
1 heaping cup shredded cabbage or slaw mix
1 14-oz. can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, with juice
2 tablespoons chopped roasted Hatch chiles or jalapenos- whatever you like

1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons low sugar apricot jam, to taste- to balance the heat
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
Hot red pepper chile flakes, to taste (or use hot pepper sauce)
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 14-oz. can butter beans, drained and set aside

Place the cut potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted cold water; bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about twenty minutes.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet and add the cumin or curry, and garlic. Stir one minute and add the fresh chopped vegetables. Stir and cook about five minutes or so.

Add the canned diced tomatoes with green chile, the chopped Hatch chiles or jalapenos, vegetable broth, vegan Worcestershire sauce or balsamic vinegar, apricot jam, sage, pepper flakes, sea salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce begins to reduce. You want the vegetables to be tender-crisp, not too done, and the sauce to be thickened and not too thin [if, by chance, you need a little more liquid to cook the veggies, add a splash more broth or water]. When this has been achieved, taste test the sauce for seasoning adjustments; then remove from heat, and gently add in the butter beans. Set aside.

Mash the cooked potatoes with a little liquid and Smart Balance or olive oil. Season with sea salt and pepper. Add chives if you like. Taste test. Don't add too much liquid or over-mix the potatoes or they'll get gluey. Gluey spuds = not so good.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Assemble your pie:
Spoon the vegetables into a casserole dish. Top with mounds of mashed potato. Sprinkle with chopped chives or parsley. Bake in a moderate oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the pie is bubbling and heated through.

Serves 4 as a meal, 6 as a side dish.

Vegan potluck burgers

I always fuss over what to make for potluck. I'm gonna do a dessert for sure to satisy the potluck police, but also want to bring a main dish. I decided on burgers.... 3 diff kinds. I'm doing the touchdown burgers from last year's Super Bowl Party, Greek burgers (same idea just w feta and kalamata and oregano), and these. Something for everyone. I hope my newly vegan friend is there this week to enjoy these.



Vegan Lentil Walnut Burgers

2 cans drained lentils
1 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c mashed potatoes or 6 TBS instant potato flakes
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp mustard
12 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 c minced onion
1 c wheat germ
3/4 c soy milk
2 TBS EVOO S/P to taste

Mold and pat into hefty burgers. About 4 minutes each side in a HOT skillet.