What you need:

1/2 pint strawberries (rinsed and trimmed)

1/4 cup sugar

3 Tablespoons vegan butter

4 cups powdered sugar

You will need to macerate your strawberries the night before or at least a couple hours before you do any baking.  That basically means, chop them up, sprinkle the granulated sugar over them and place in the fridge.  This will bring out the natural sweetness of your berries and make them a little softer and mushy for crushing.

Next, remove the strawberries from the fridge and drain any excess liquid.  Using a blender, hand blender, or a potato masher, crush the strawberries into a pile of mush.  Then, using a mixer, whip the butter until smooth and begin adding the powdered sugar, all while continuing to mix.  As you being to run out of sugar, you will see that your frosting is beginning to take shape.  Then, add the mashed berries and mix thoroughly.

And there you have it, an amazing vegan recipe for Vegan Strawberry Smash Frosting!

What you need:

1 nine inch pie crust (you can use our recipe or buy it from the store, just make sure to read the ingredients)

olive oil

1 yellow onion, minced

1 Tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

about 3 cups broccoli, finely chopped (seriously, chop it up small and don’t worry about it falling apart)

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon salt

fresh black pepper

pinch of dried thyme

1 1/2 regular packages firm tofu (extra firm is okay, too)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2/3 cup crumbled or shredded white vegan cheese (see note)

thin tomato slices or halved cherry tomatoes for decorating the top

*Note* I prefer to use Cheezly White Cheddar when making this recipe, however, you can use any vegan cheese product you like.  The point is to find a cheese that works for you!  I like the white cheddar version because it doesn’t add any extra yellow to the color of my quiche and it melts nicely to add that creamy texture that wouldn’t otherwise be there.  If you aren’t into the fake cheese thing, you can substitute 2/3 cup ground cashews, which will also give it that creamy feeling.  Just make sure they are ground as fine as possible.

First, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 350F.  Start out by pre-baking your pie crust.  If you’re using a store-bought one, just poke a few holes in it and pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes.  If you’re using your own, roll out the chilled dough and fit it properly into the pie pan.  Again, poke a few holes with a fork and bake it for about 15 minutes.  Set aside.

In a large frying pan and with a little olive oil, sauté your onion and garlic until its tender.  Then, add the broccoli, tumeric, thyme, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until everything is soft.  In the mean time, use a few paper towels to get rid of any excess water from the tofu and place into a food processor and pulse until its all a big pile of mush.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a potato masher and do it in a large mixing bowl.  About halfway through, add the mustard.  When finished, add your vegan cheese (this is where you non-cheesers would add the cashews) and mix well.  Then, add the broccoli sauté mixture and stir well.  Taste and adjust seasonings if you like.

Using a big spoon or spatula, transfer everything into your pie crust and mash it down so that it has a flat surface.  Then, using your tomatoes, decorate the top of the quiche.  (I like to layer the thin tomato slices in a circle around the edge of the quiche, but you can do your own artsy-fartsy thing here.)

Bake for about 45 minutes and let cool for about another half hour before you eat it.  OM NOM NOM.

P.S.  Its good cold, too.  :)

1 1/2  cups AP flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup cold vegan butter

1 T cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the cold vegan butter in chunks.  Mix with your hands and in the middle of it, add the cold water.  Once you have a big ball of dough, you’re ready.  Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour before using.  You can do this up to 24 hours in advance, too.

When you’re ready to pull it out and use the pie crust, just sprinkle a little flour on your surface and remove the ball of dough from the fridge.  Knead it a few times with your hands to get some of the flour on it and then roll it out with a rolling pin to fit the pie pan that you are using.  Or, if you are making small pastries or empanadas, this would be your cue to cut it into the shapes you will be needing.

Happy Cooking!

What you need:

2 packages small brown or chestnut mushrooms

vegan worcestershire

juice of 1 lemon

olive oil

1/3 package firm tofu, drained and patted dry

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon veggie bouillon powder

pinch of dried herb mix (I use an Italian blend because its what I have on-hand)

salt

First, you’ll want to heat your oven to 350 and drizzle the lemon juice and a little olive oil over the cleaned mushrooms (stems removed).  Bake in a small dish until they are soft and drain the excess liquid.

Next, after the mushrooms have cooled, chop them into small pieces.  Then place all of your other ingredients except the vegan worcestershire into a bowl and blend.  I do this with a hand blender in the bowl, but you can use a food processor if you have the means.  In which case, you would simply place all of the ingredients into the food processor and puree everything.  Once everything is totally mixed, the consistency will be light and fluffy, almost like a mushroom mousse.  Then, add a few drops of the vegan worcestershire and taste.  Season with salt and taste again.  Once your seasonings are adjusted to your liking, zap the mix again one more time with the blender or processor.  Spoon your paté into a serving dish (I put mine on a small platter and mold it into a rectangle) and chill.  Serve cold with crackers or bread.

This is also an AMAZING spread on sandwiches!

Enjoy!

What you need:

1 red onion, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons plain flour

1 Tablespoon crushed garlic

2 Cups concentrated veggie stock (I start with 4 cups and reduce it to 2)

1 teaspoon corn starch or corn flour

1 1/2 Tablespoons Tamari or Soy Sauce

Salt and Black pepper to taste (check your veggie stock before seasoning.  When its concentrated, its usually pretty salty already)

In a medium sauce pan, heat your oil on medium heat and start sweating the onion and garlic.  DO NOT BURN!!!  Basically, you want to caramelize the onion and garlic until they are brown and thoroughly cooked, but not burned.  Then, add your stock and bring to a boil.  As the gravy is boiling, whisk in your flour and then add then corn starch.  Whisk.  Reduce the heat as the gravy thickens.  Continue to let it thicken just a *little* too thick, and then add the soy sauce or tamari to thin it back out.  After that, remove from the heat and serve!

Enjoy!

What you need:

3 regular (16oz) sized cans of whole tomatoes, with the juice

1 1/2 Cups (12 ounces) veggie stock or broth

1/2 Cup vegan soy cream or unsweetened, regular soy milk

1 bundle of fresh basil, finely chopped

salt and fresh black pepper

In a large saucepan, empty two of the cans of tomatoes with the juice, and only put in the tomatoes from the last can.  You can save the extra juice to use for another recipe or just throw it out.  Cook on medium heat until it starts to boil.  The tomato juice will be all splattery and bubbly and when that happens, you’re ready to add 1 cup of the veggie stock and the soy cream/milk.  Turn the heat down to low and stir.

Now, for this step, I have found that the absolute easiest way of blending this soup is by using an immersion blender so that you don’t have to deal with the mess of pouring hot soup into a blender, but if you don’t have an immersion, the old fashioned blender will do just fine.  Just be careful when pouring the mixture from the hot soup pot to the blender, and you will probably have to do it in batches.  Basically, you want everything to be totally pureed and smooth.  Once you have done this, return the soup back to the original pot and bring the heat back up to medium.  Add the basil and cook for about 5 minutes, adding the rest of the stock slowly.

After about 10 minutes, you basil should be incorporated into the soup.  Normally, this is where I would whizz the soup again with the immersion blender to chop up any larger-than-wanted pieces of basil, but if you are using a regular blender, just make sure you chop the basil as finely as possible when you start.

Season your soup with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot!  Nothing goes better with tomato basil soup that a toasty grilled cheese (vegan cheese!) sandwich, but plain ole toast and butter will do, too!

What you need:

1 Cup evaporated cane juice sugar

1 Cup water

4 Cups watermelon, deseeded and cut into 1/2 inch squares

1 teaspoon lime zest

So, if you have an ice cream maker, you can just mix all this up and follow the directions on your machine to make it.  If you’re living in the dark ages like me, you can do this:

Chill all of the ingredients after whisking them together in the fridge.  Then, transfer to the freezer and wait half an hour.  Remove the bowl of watermelon mush and whip it up with a fork – vigorously.  After you have finished doing this, put it back in the freezer and wait 30 more minutes.  Repeat the fork – whipping action.  Do this one more time and then let it freeze completely.  Try to eat it that day or the day after – otherwise it gets really hard.  Besides, fresh is always better than, um…not fresh.

Enjoy!

What you need:

3 T vegan butter

4 large white onions, very thinly sliced into whole rings (VERY THINLY SLICED)

1 t salt

1/2 t dry mustard

dash of fresh thyme

5 cups veg stock

2 T soy sauce

2 T dry white wine (optional)

pepper

croutons

vegan parmesean (optional)

Note:  I have a great way of making the perfect crouton for this type of soup.  If you take a slice of vegan sandwich bread and cut a big circle out of the center with a ring cutter and bake it until toasty and crouton-like, it will sit perfectly on top of the soup.  You can even top it with some vegan cheese and watch it soak up all the soupy goodness!

Now, lets make some soup:

First, over a low heat, sautee the onions in the butter until they have caramelized and turned golden brown.  This is the most important step in the whole process, so be patient.  The longer you cook them without burning them, the better your soup will be!

Then, add the mustard, thyme and stir.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes without letting anything burn.  Add the stock, soy sauce, wine, and pepper.  Simmer 10 minutes and then serve this delicious vegan soup!

What you need:
2 T olive oil
4 red onions, very thinly sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/3 c red wine (vegan wine)
1/3 c red wine vinegar
grated zest and juice of one orange
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions, bay leaf, and thyme. Season with the salt and pepper and then cover with the lid and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and the onions are done when they are soft and translucent.

Add the sugar, vinegar, red wine, zest, and orange juice. Cook for another 1.5 hours uncovered stirring quite often during the last half hour. Cook until there is no liquid left and the onions are dark with a rich red colour.

Allow the mixture to cool and then transfer to a jar, as it will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator (if it sticks around for that long!).

What you need:

1/2 pound carrot, sliced

1/2 pound onions, chopped

1 pound potatoes, diced

1/4 pound mushrooms, chopped

7 fl. oz. (200ml) Vegan red wine

1/4 pound frozen peas or green beans

Golden syrup or light agave nectar

Plain flour or gluten free flour

5 fl. oz. (125ml) Vegetable stock

Tomato purée

Bay leaf

Fry the onions and carrots for a few minutes in a little olive oil.  Add the potatoes, mushrooms and 1 tsp. golden syrup or agave nectar. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. flour and stir.

Pour in the red wine, vegetable stock, 2 tbsps. tomato purée, bay leaf and a little salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Put the mixture into a large casserole dish or dutch oven and place in the oven. It should be baked for 1 hour, with the peas or beans being added after about 40 minutes.

Serve with a big piece of crusty vegan/gluten free bread for mopping up the saucy goodness.