Cream Cheese Maple-Pumpkin Pie

This is my latest eggless, soy-free pumpkin pie recipe.  After working on it for four years, it's my favorite of all the varieties I have made.

CREAM CHEESE MAPLE-PUMPKIN PIE

1 unbaked pie crust

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups pumpkin purée (steamed is best)*

     or 16 oz. can

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 tsp. blackstrap molasses

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.  Place pie crust dough in a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.  Trim edges and prick bottom and sides with a fork.  Reserve extra dough.  Bake for 10 minutes until crust is dried out.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Blend cream cheese and pumpkin together (a food processor is good to use).

In a small bowl, stir dry ingredients together.  Add maple syrup gradually, stirring until smooth.  Stir in blackstrap molasses.

Add syrup mixture to pumpkin mixture and blend until smooth and uniformly mixed.  Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 350 deg. F for about an hour or until small cracks appear in filling.  Let cool.

Roll out remaining pie crust dough and make leaf and acorn shapes.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 deg. F until golden.  Garnish pie just before serving.

Store in refrigerator.

 * Note: I cook my own pumpkin for the purée. It's easy to use a steamer to cook cut-up pumpkin chunks (about 1"), slice the skin and strings off after cooking, and purée in a food processor or blender. This produces a light, wonderful texture for the pie. If you use canned pumpkin, you might want to mix a little rice milk or water in, to get a consistency of stirred yogurt.

Spiced Pecans

If you're looking for a holiday snack that's not sugary or eggy, this is for you.  Thanks to my dear friend, Kay, for sharing her recipe.

SPICED PECANS

1-1/2 lb. pecan halves

1/2 cup butter, melted

1-1/2 tsp. soy sauce

1-1/8 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce (or more)

Preheat oven to 300 deg. F.

Combine all ingredients in a large metal pan, like a lasagna or jelly roll pan.  Stir well to coat the pecans, and spread them evenly in the pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring twice.  Remove from oven and scoop the pecans out onto paper towels.

When completely cool, store in an airtight container.

Merry Mincemas!

Here's this year's mince pie, with a new-and-improved top crust using a holly leaf cookie cutter and my mother's edge-crimping technique.  Yum.  Click here for the recipe.

Black-Eyed Pea Soup

This is a great way to eat black-eyed peas. Even folks who think they hate black-eyes like it. Serve it with cornbread, for a New Year's meal.

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen black-eyed peas (or fresh)
1 med. onion, cut into 1/16ths
1 lg. carrot, diagonally sliced, 1/8”
6 cups water
2 cups tomato juice (or 15 oz. tomato sauce)
2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
2 tsp. dried thyme
10 shakes Tabasco sauce
2 lg. tomatoes, diced (or 15 oz. can)

In a large soup pot, Combine ingredients, except fresh tomatoes, and simmer, uncovered, until peas are tender (about 30-40 minutes).

Turn off heat, add fresh tomatoes, and cover until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Stir-Fried Spinach

This is an easy veggie for a holiday meal. Grinding the sesame seeds is optional, but it does make the seeds' nutrients more accessible when eaten.

STIR-FRIED SPINACH

spinach leaves, well-washed
olive oil
sesame seeds
salt

(use amounts needed for your guests)

Using a mortar and pestle, lightly grind the sesame seeds (about 1/2 tsp. per serving).

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil (about 1/2 tsp. per serving) on med-low heat. Add the spinach and sesame seeds, and shake in some salt. Stir-fry until the spinach wilts a bit.

Serve immediately.

Vegetarian Mince Pie

There's no mincemeat in this pie! It's basically a highly spiced pear and raisin pie, which tastes great with whipped cream or ice cream.

Here's what a friend of mine has to say about mincemeat pie:

"We always had mincemeat pie at Christmas, but my father sort of spoiled it by telling me that mince were fuzzy little critters that lived in burrows along streams. Although Mother indignantly denied that, I was a little less fond of the pie for awhile."

MINCE PIE

1-1/2 lb. ripe pears (about 3 med.) peeled, cored, & diced
6 oz. raisins
2 oz. sweetened dried cranberries (or golden raisins, etc.)
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. flour (as a thickener)
3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. gr. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. gr. allspice
3/4 tsp. gr. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. gr. cloves

2 unbaked pie crusts, 10” circles
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In a large pot, bring all filling ingredients to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 25 - 30 minutes, or until pears have released their juice and the liquid has cooked down a bit and thickened, continuing to stir frequently throughout. Remove from heat and cool while preparing the crusts.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Place one pie crust in the bottom of a deep dish pie pan. Do not trim edges. Use a cookie cutter to make a decorative pattern in the central 6” of the top pie crust dough.

Pour the filling into the lower crust in the pie pan. Carefully place the top crust over the filling and fold edges under. Pinch the upper and lower crusts together around the edge of the pan, and fold inward if needed.

Bake until crust is golden, about 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes 1 pie

* Note: you can use underripe pears, and they will taste fine. But the filling must be cooked longer to release the fruit’s juice, and then cooked down. If you don’t do this in the cooking pot, it will happen in the oven, and the pie will be runny.

Adapted from a recipe in Southern Living, Nov. 1998.

Click here for an alternate top crust design.

Stuffed Cheese & Walnut Loaf

This is hands-down, my best vegetarian main dish. It blows everyone away when I put a crust on it, en croute. (The photo above shows the loaf without crust.) Non-vegetarians say they can't tell it's not meat, and the leftovers slice and freeze like a dream. The stuffing is a nice surprise in the middle, too. Serve it with sage gravy, and your guests will be glad they came to your house for dinner!

STUFFED CHEESE AND WALNUT LOAF

1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups chopped walnuts (pecans, cashews, almonds, or mix is okay)
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 cup finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. rubbed or dried sage
1 tsp. dried marjoram
4 oz. cream cheese, cut in chunks
2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
8 oz. mild cheese, chopped (cheddar or jack)
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach, cut in 1/2” horizontal strips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 unbaked pie crust, 10-inch circle, optional

Place nuts in a large pan, toast on medium-low heat. Add the butter and black pepper. When butter is melted, add mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and herbs, and cook for a few minutes until the water coming out of the mushrooms is cooked down. Turn off heat.

Add the cream cheese and cover. Let sit a few minutes to soften and melt in the pan, then stir. Remove from burner and add the rice, parsley, and cheese. Toss to coat well.

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Butter and flour a standard loaf pan (approx. 8-1/2” x 4-1/2”). Place 1/3 of the loaf mixture into bottom of pan. Lay the spinach on top, then sprinkle with cranberries. Pull spinach and berry stuffing away from the sides of the pan. Place more loaf mixture along the sides of the pan, to contain the stuffing by about 1/2 inch all the way around. Add remaining loaf mixture on top, and pat down gently.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. Remove from oven, and cool in the pan for at least 1 hour. Turn out onto a platter or baking sheet if adding outer crust.

To encase in pastry:

 

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Drape a 10” unbaked pie crust over loaf, pinch corners, and cut off excess or fold across the ends. Be sure the seams are pinched shut. Garnish the top with shapes cut out of any excess crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes--the longer, the better for slicing.

Serves 8. Slice with a bread knife, and serve with sage gravy.

Chestnut Soup

This soup has such a wonderful flavor. It's always a hit at our house. If you can't find bottled chestnuts in your local stores, they can be ordered online. It's definitely worth the trouble. One year, I started with chestnuts in the shells--roasting, peeling, and chopping--but the soup didn't come out nearly as well, and the preparation was much more difficult.

Since we're not alcohol drinkers, I keep bottles of cooking wine and sherry in the 'fridge for recipes like this one. This dish can easily be converted from vegetarian to vegan by substituting olive oil for the butter and rice milk for the regular milk.

UPDATE: I'm adding a  nonalcoholic alternative to sherry.  Tried it this year, and it turned out as well as or better than actual sherry.


CHESTNUT SOUP

7 oz. bottled chestnuts (200g), chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 lg. carrot, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried chervil
1/2 cup white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup milk (non-dairy is okay)
2 Tbsp. sherry
      OR 1 Tbsp. apple juice, 1 Tbsp. coffee, pinch vanilla powder*

Melt butter with pepper in a stockpot over med. heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, salt, and herbs. Sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 min.

Add wine and stock. Stir in chestnuts. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

Remove from heat and stir in milk and sherry or juice, coffee, and vanilla. Purée in batches.** Return to pot for re-heating. Just before serving, heat soup to desired temperature, covered.

Serves 4 - 8 (4 for main dish, 8 cups for appetizer)

* Ground vanilla beans can be bought online.
** For a smooth soup, purée with a food processor. Use an immersion blender for a chunkier texture.

Adapted from a recipe in The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins.

A Vegetarian Christmas Dinner

Here's our Christmas dinner, which as usual is vegetarian and eggless. Most of the dishes can be converted to vegan by using non-dairy alternatives. I will be posting recipes over the next couple of days.

Wassail
Chestnut Soup
Stuffed Cheese & Walnut Loaf
Sage Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Stir-Fried Spinach with Sesame Seeds
Mince Pie
Espresso

Irish Soda Bread

I must give my daughter credit for this recipe. For years I tried various recipes, producing many Irish soda bricks. Eventually she came up with this winner.

IRISH SODA BREAD

4 cups unbleached flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1-3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, cut-in the butter.

Stir in the buttermilk (plain milk can be substituted) until the ingredients are combined and doughy. Knead dough a few times to form a non-crumbly mass. Pat into a ball-shape.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten to form a 7” round loaf. With a sharp knife, cut a cross in the top, about 1/4” deep.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until crust is golden-brown. Serve warm.

Serves 8-12

Irish Coffee (nonalcoholic)

What can I say? We don't drink alcohol, and at dinnertime I use a high-quality decaf coffee for this. It's really good. Try it with Hazelnut Shortbread.

IRISH COFFEE (nonalcoholic)

12 oz. strong black coffee
3/4 tsp. brandy flavoring (or rum flavoring)
1-1/2 tsp. sugar
dollop of sweetened whipped cream

Place sugar and brandy flavoring in the bottom of a large mug or Irish coffee cup. Add coffee, leaving 1-2 inches of space at the top. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Add a dollop of whipped cream on top. Do not stir.

Makes 1 large serving. For an 8-oz. serving, use 1/2 tsp. flavoring and 1 tsp. sugar.

Here’s a toast:
Cream as rich as an Irish brogue
Coffee strong as a fighter’s arm
Sugar sweet as the tongue of a rogue
And whiskey smooth as the wit of the bard.
Good Health!

(still looking to see where I got that version)

Hearty Potato Soup

We love this chunky, flavorful soup. It's a super-comfort food.

HEARTY POTATO SOUP

2 lbs. potatoes, scrubbed or peeled* & chopped
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1/8 tsp. black pepper
2 med. leeks, washed & chopped up to 1” above the white part
    or 1 med. onion, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. salt
8 cups vegetable stock
2/3 cups milk (non-dairy is okay)
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, ground in mortar & pestle

Melt butter with pepper in a large pan while preparing potatoes. Add chopped potatoes and cook on med-low heat, stirring often. Add leeks to potatoes, and continue to cook until leeks are soft.

Add salt, stock, milk, and rosemary. Simmer until potatoes are very soft. Mash with a potato masher. Some chunks will remain.

Serves 8

* Note: if using russet potatoes, peel them. The skins of red or white potatoes are fine in this soup, but russet skins are too tough.

Hazelnut Shortbread

This is a yummy shortbread, which turns out a little chewy from the oats. If you want a classic crisp shortbread, grind the nuts and oats in a food processor. You can substitute other nuts, but the hazelnuts give it a marvelous flavor.

HAZELNUT SHORTBREAD

1/4 cup whole, shelled hazelnuts
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/16 tsp. salt (couple of pinches)

Preheat oven to 325 deg. F.

Spread hazelnuts in a skillet, and heat on med-low until lightly toasted. Place nuts in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins. If the skins don’t come off, give them more heating time in the skillet. While removing the hazelnut skins, lightly toast the oats in the skillet.

Chop the nuts finely, and combine with the oats.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until fluffy. Beat in the hazelnut mixture and vanilla. Blend in flour, cornstarch, and salt. Turn out onto a floured board and knead briefly until smooth.

Brush an 8” stoneware shortbread pan (or cake pan with removable base) with a light coating of vegetable oil. Press the dough into the pan firmly. Prick the entire surface with a fork, and bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the shortbread with a knife, and flip the shortbread pan over to turn out—you might have to tap one edge of the pan to help it come out. (Or remove sidewall from cake pan and slide shortbread off the base.)

Cut while still warm. Serves 8.

Adapted from a recipe in Mary Engelbreit’s book, “Christmas with Mary Engelbreit, vol.1."

Dinner for Yule

Our Winter Solstice dinner has become a family tradition. Consisting mainly of comfort foods, this meal is not as heavy as the vegetarian Thanksgiving and Christmas fare at our house.

Most of these recipes can be converted to vegan by using non-dairy alternatives instead of butter.

Mulled Wine
Potato Soup
Onion Pie
Irish Soda Bread
Hazelnut Shortbread
Irish Coffee

Holiday Cooking

"Never trust a skinny cook." That's posted at the cafe up the road from us. But here I am, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

This post is sort of a round-up of my holiday recipes for anyone who is interested. It's all vegetarian, and most can be converted to vegan by substituting olive oil for butter. There are no eggs in any of these recipes.

Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Butterscotch Bark
Chestnut Soup
Hazelnut Shortbread
Holiday Nut Loaf
Irish Coffee
Irish Soda Bread
Maple-Pecan Fried Slaw
Mince Pie
Mulled Wine
Onion Pie
Potato Soup
Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Soup
Sage Gravy
Spiced Pecans
Spiced Tea
Stir-Fried Spinach
Stuffed Cheese & Walnut Loaf
Wassail
Whole Cranberry Sauce