Pineapple Upside-Down Gingerbread Pumpkin Cake

Adapted from Epicurious.


Topping:
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup soy butter
1 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon molasses
1 cup frozen pineapple

Cake:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup soy butter, room temperature
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin

For topping:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease with soy butter, a 9x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine sugar, butter, orange juice, and molasses in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, whisking until sugar dissolves and syrup is smooth; boil 1 minute. Pour evenly into prepared pan. Arrange pineapple pieces close together in a single layer in the syrup.

For cake:
Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter in large bowl. Add sugar and beat to blend. Beat in egg. Beat in molasses, then pumpkin. Beat in dry ingredients just until blended, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup boiling water. Pour batter evenly into pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Cool cake in pan 30-45 minutes. Place platter over pan and invert. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently lift off pan. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Potatoes Au Gratin

2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 c. soy butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 tbl. whole wheat flour
salt and pepper
1 c. rice milk
1/2 c. fat-free plain yoghurt
1/2 c. yoghurt with Wholefoods ranch dressing seasoning mix
2 c. cheese grated (combined): .75 oz mustard cheese, white Cabot cheddar
paprika

Heat oven to 375.
Slice potatoes approximately 1/8 of an inch thick. Spread potatoes evenly into an ungreased casserole dish.

In a pot, melt butter and cook onions for about 2 minutes (until golden). Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Remove from heat.

Stir in rice milk, yoghurt, dip, and 1.5 cups of cheese. Heat to boiling and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Pour cheese sauce over potatoes. Divide one-fourth of a cup of rice milk and pour into each corner of the casserole dish.

Bake 45 minutes, uncovered.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over potatoes and cook an additional 15-20, until brown.

Red Headed Step Cabbage Meets Slausage, Apples and Potatoes, Oh My!

We tend to overcook sometimes, so we make good use of the freezer. For this exciting edition of Beans, Figs and Katz, we married two of our favorite, but large dishes together to create a delicious casserole.

Preheat oven to 375. Defrost frozen items.

In a large 2 quart casserole dish, we combined:

1 container (approximately 2 cups) of the Slausage, Apples and Potatoes, Oh my!, 2 containers (approximately 3.5 cups) Red Headed Step Cabbage, and some leftover rice (about 1.75 cups.)

Bake for 40 minutes, or until heated through.

Egg Noodles with Fancy Cheese and Kale

2 cups (dry) egg noodles, cooked
1.5 c. kale
2 oz ricotta salata
2.5 oz (approximately) unpasteurized Chimay cheese with beer
1/4 c. soy butter
1/2 c. rice milk
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350.

In a pot on medium-low heat, melt together butter, rice milk and cheeses. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and drain egg noodles. Chpp kale to slightly larger than bite size.

Mix together noddles, cheese mixture, noodles and kale.

Bake 30-40 minutes until brown on top.

Coconut Custard Brownies

Heavily borrowed from Tofu for Two's Vanilla Custard Brownies. However, we were not paying attention to the conversions very carefully, so the texture is probably a bit different.
We made these yesterday for Jennifer's birthday and they turned so rich, fudgey and delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 and butter an 8 x 8 x 5 cooking dish.

The Custard Topping:

• 2-2.5 oz firm tofu (we just used what was left in the fridge)
  
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  
• 4 tablespoons Karo syrup
  
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup light shredded coconut
  

Mix ingredients well with a hand-mixer, then stir in coconut. Set aside.

The Brownie Batter:

• 4-5 oz semi-sweet chocolate
  
• 2 oz vegan butter
  
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 plain, plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Melt chocolate and butter on the stove, with a little water. Set aside to cool. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Then stir in the yogurt and coconut milk. Stir well then add in the chocolate and butter.

Pour into the greased baking dish. Pour the coconut and tofu mixture on top of the brownie batter. Take a knife and swirl the coconut mixture around for the marbled design.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. The original recipe said to bake for 35 minutes, but ours was not yet cooked in the middle so we left it in for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Mediterranean Tomato Chickpea and White Bean Soup

1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 can chickpeas
1 can white beans
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 small potatoes
4 jalapenos and juice
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp. parsley
1 tbl. cumin
1 tbl. Hungarian paprika
1 tbl. oregano
1 tbl. cayenne
1 tbl. red curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 tbl. tahini
1 tbl. tamari
dash of sherry
olive oil
pepper
water

In a large stock pot, saute onions and garlic in olive oil. Add in spices, along with chopped potatoes, carrots and celery. Add sherry (to taste) and jalapenos. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add in canned tomatoes and beans. Stir well to prevent stickage. You may want to add between 1/2 cup and 1 cup of water to cover all the ingredients (and depending on how soupy you enjoy your soup.)

Bring to a boil, then cover loosely and reduce heat to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

We served this with a scoop of rice and grated Mustard Seed Cheese.

Southwestern Vegetable and Bean Soup

1/2 red onion
1 1/2 red bell pepper
4 pickled jalapeno peppers
2 celery stalks
8 oz frozen corn
1 head broccoli
2 carrots
2 small yukon potatoes
4 garlic cloves
1 can black beans
1 can pinto beans
28 oz diced tomatoes
4 cups vegatable broth
1/2 tbl. cumin
1 tsp cayenne (or more!)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Chop all vegetables into bite sized pieces.

Saute onion, red bell pepper and garlic until soft and fragrant, in a large stock pot. Add in celery and carrots, stirring frequently. Add corn, jalapenos, spices, salt and pepper, cook for about 5 minutes. Add in canned tomatoes (do not drain). Bring to a boil. Add in vegetable broth, bring to a boil. Add in broccoli and potatoes, and beans, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook covered for about 30 minutes. Check to see if the potatoes are tender. Cook for about 5 minutes uncovered. Serve as soup, or over rice as a stew.

Sick Girl Soup with Egg Noodles and Tofu

Prep 4 cups of water with 3 cubes of bouillon and set aside. Slice 1/4 of a block of tofu into small cubes. Pan fry tofu in a small amount of olive oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of cayenne on the tofu and fry until golden brown.

In a large pot, saute a bulb of garlic in olive oil. Then deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of sherry. Add two spoonfuls of miso and 1/4 cup tamari. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add in bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Add in tofu and extra cayenne, cook for about 5 minutes. Return to a boil and add 3/4 cup dry egg noodles, cook until the noodles are tender (5-8 minutes). Add a splash of tamari and 1/4 cup sherry and reduce heat to low.

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Loosely adapted from Emeril's French Onion Soup.

This recipe makes two casserole dishes (8 generous servings), and is best if made a day ahead.

6 tbl. butter
2 pounds white onions, sliced
1 tbl. rosemary
1/2 cup sherry
6 cups water
4 vegetarian bouillon cubes
1/4 cup tamari
1 vegan Italian slausage
3-4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
6 slices of bread made into homemade croutons
2 cups white cheddar, grated

Melt butter in a large stock pot. Slice the onions very thinly and add to the pot. Cook on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes and then add garlic and rosemary. Stir frequently. The onions will start to break down, but continue cooking until the onions are caramelized and translucent, about 45 minutes. Add the sherry and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the boullion cubes and water and bring to a boil. Add in tamari and slausage (crumbled). Lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate overnight.

Croutons:
Place six slices of old bread on a baking sheet. Lightly butter and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic and parsley. Bake at 325 for about 10 minutes. If the bread is not crisp enough, flip the slices over and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cut into small chunks.

Place half of the refrigerated soup in a casserole dish, then top with half of the crutons and half of the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil at 350, then remove foil and bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Twice Baked Potatoes with White Cheddar and Mustard Seed Cheeses

3 small Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup of shredded white cheddar and "Red Dragon with Mustard
Seed and Ale" English Cheese
1/4 cup rice milk
1/4 cup margarine
salt and pepper

Poke holes in the potatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes at 400.
Cut in half and scoop out the insides. Save the skins.
In a large bowl, mash together potato, cheeses, milk, butter, salt and pepper.
Place potato skins on a baking sheet and stuff with mashed potato mixture.
Dampen the outside of the skins with a little water and sprinkle with salt.

Return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are crisp on the outside.

Betty's Fruit Cobbler

Thanks to Stef's mom for the recipe! This version includes our vegan revisions.

2 small to medium sized apples
12-16 oz frozen mixed berries
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup turbinado sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup rice milk
1/2 cup soy margarine

Mix together dry ingredients. Pour in milk slowly, and stir with a spoon.
Melt margarine into a deep pyrex or corningware baking dish.
Pour batter on top of the hot butter. Do not stir.
Add fruit in the center of the batter. DO NOT STIR.

Bake 35-40 minutes (or more) at 325 until light brown around the edges.

Homemade Spaghetti Oh's

Half a bag of o-shaped pasta
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 white onion
3-4 cloves garlic
oregano, parsley
salt, pepper
1/4 cup old red wine
parmesean
butter

In a medium sized pot, saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add in garlic and spices, cooking until fragrant. Add red wine and deglaze the pan. Add tomato sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil, then cover loosely and reduce to a simmer. Cook at least 30 minutes on low or medium low heat.

Boil and drain pasta. Return to pot and add in butter and parmigiana. Stir well. Add pasta to tomato sauce and let sit for several minutes before serving.