Roasted acorn squash with chile vinaigrette

This is the single most tasty squash recipe I've ever had.

Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 45 min


2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash (delicata are good as well)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more)
1 teaspoon salt (I used about 1/2)
6 tablespoons olive oil (I cut this by about 3 T)
1 garlic clove (make this about 4 cloves and you got it!)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste (lemon works, too)
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds (I used 1/2 a habanero, seeds removed - it was perfect)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (consider this optional)
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting (I didn't bother and it was fine), until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. (you should be able to easily stick a fork in it even through the skin, and the part laying against the pan should be rather darker than 'golden' if you want to max out on the carmelization effect)

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette (or just do what I did - toss the browned squash peices back into the same bowl you used before, and stir in the garlic mixture (no way this is able to be 'drizzled').

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/236007

Broccoli, red pepper & walnut filled calzones

These are delightful. The walnuts are a crunchy surprise, the red peppers' delicate sweetness comes through clearly, and the broccoli anchors all with a certain fresh solidity. I like to have some kind of sauce with my calzone, but this needed nothing. I think if I did tinker a bit with this recipe, it would be to add just a bit of the lightest, creamy white sauce to bind everything together - certainly nothing assertive. I also like to make the entire recipe of calzone dough, then fill the other 4 with some other filling - in this case, a rich mix of crumbled tempeh with sauteed onion, garlic, green pepper, and a serving's worth of my frozen spaghetti sauce, spiced up with a substantial pinch of red pepper flakes. Another good filling, a marinara, is here, though I can't resist playing with it.

I added a full scoop of nutritional yeast to each filling, and stirred some turmeric, cayenne, and sesame seeds into the dough - the result was great. These freeze very well, and one absolutely makes a meal.

1/2 recipe of Whole Wheat Calzone Dough
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup red pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
1 t. olive oil
1 T. nutritional yeast flakes
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dried dillweed
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare the Whole Wheat Calzone Dough according to the recipe instructions through the rolling out procedures. Cover the 4 rolled out calzones with a clean towel so that they won't dry out while preparing the filling. In a non-stick skillet, place the walnuts, and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer the toasted walnuts to a small bowl and set aside to cool completely. In the same skillet, saute the broccoli and red pepper in the olive oil for 2 minutes to soften. Roughly chop the cooled walnuts. Add the walnuts, along with the remaining ingredients, to the skillet. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and saute the mixture an additional 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp tender. Remove the skillet from the heat, set aside, and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Divide the filling evenly among the rolled out calzones, placing it on one half of each circle of dough and leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Brush a little water around the edge of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling, crimp the edges closed with your fingers, and then fold up the edges a 1/2-inch to form a decorative border. Transfer the filled calzones to a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the calzones to cool for a few minutes before serving. Can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 Calzones

from the Vegan Chef

Tofu with onions & peppers

This is adapted from a more traditional recipe for pepper steak.

1/4 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1/4 c. vegetable broth
1 package extra firm tofu, frozen, then thawed & sliced into strips 2" x 1"x 1/4" thick
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, or use 1 tsp. fresh, chopped
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cloves garlic
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can whole or stewed tomatoes
1 c. thinly sliced onion
1 green pepper, cut in strips
2 tbsp. olive oil

Crush garlic cloves; mix with Bragg's or soy sauce, broth and ginger in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Place tofu in bowl and marinate with soy sauce mixture for 30 minutes. Drain tofu (save marinade). Brown tofu on both sides in oil, set aside.
Drain tomatoes, saving liquid. Add tomatoes, onions and green peppers to pan. Combine tomato liquid with broth to equal 1 cup. Mix tomato liquid with marinade, stir in cornstarch and pour over vegetables in pan. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add hot pepper flakes or fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with rice. 2-3 servings

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

courtesy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. in a med. bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir together with a fork -- don't use a mixer, as it will make the batter gummy. Once well combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let fullly cool before icing.

CINNAMON ICING
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 T. margarine, melted
1 T. soy milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place sugar & cinn. in small bowl. Add margarine, soy milk & vanilla and stir with a fork until smooth. Keep at room temp until ready to use. THe mix should look opaque and honey brown; if it's glistening a lot or looks too liquid, add a little conf. sugar.


Put the icing in a small sandwich bag and cut a hole in it (or use a pastry bag). Pipe icing on in stripes or zigzags or swirls.

CHOCOLATE NUTTIE SPREAD

prep time: 5 minutes + 2 hrs soaking time
makes: 1 cup

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant de-caf

Soak raisins in 150 ml water for at least 2 hours. Together with other ingredients blend in a mixer until it resembles nice chocolate consistency. This one is soooo great that, supposing you make whole basket, it is possible, that there will be some left. In this case, cover tightly and refridgerate.

NOW: The best part is actual experimenting. You can make this spread 100 times and never make it the same. Here are some suggestions:

1. Add a teaspoon of rum or your favorite liquor.
   
2. For non-alcoholic version, add a few drops of vanilla essence.
   
3. I have used wallnuts and hazelnuts, but feel free to use any kind you have.


4. I have even used sunflower seeds instead of nuts.


5. Substitute prunes or other sour dried fruit instead of raisins.
   
6. Halve the amount of nuts and add coconut flakes.


7. Add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg.

borrowed from http://www.burntmouth.com/2007_09_01_archive.html

Peach/mango/strawberry upside down cake

From the fabulous fatfreevegan.com blog, this cake is dangerously ambrosial... especially if instead of just peaches, you mix it up with equal parts frozen peaches, mangoes, and strawberries! The cake is moist with a wonderful crumb. It was baked in a 10-inch cast iron skillet, which I'm sure added to the carmelizing effect.

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 cup natural sugar (I used demerara for all the sugar in this recipe)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Liquid ingredients:
1 cup vanilla soy milk mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest (or 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract)

4 cups peeled and sliced peaches
2 tablespoons natural, raw or brown sugar
1/4 cup natural, raw or brown sugar
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Combine the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl. Set aside without mixing them together.

Combine the peaches with the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Wipe or spray a 10-inch, well-seasoned cast iron skillet with oil. (This step is very important if you want to be able to get the cake out of the pan.) Begin heating it and add the 1/4 cup (or more) of sugar and the water. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely melted. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture is bubbly and slightly reduced (but be careful not to burn it). Place the peaches on top of the sugar and remove from heat.

Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture, stirring briefly just to moisten. Pour and smooth the batter over the peaches, covering them entirely. Put the skillet into the oven (you may want to place a cookie sheet or foil on the shelf below it to catch drips) and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the edges of the pan and a toothpick comes out clean (about 30-40 minutes).


Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 15-30 minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Place a large plate or serving platter over the top and invert the skillet. Remove the skillet carefully from the cake. Be sure to scrape any caramelized juices from the pan and smooth them over the peaches. Serve warm or at room temperature, alone or with vanilla non-dairy ice cream. Makes about 8 servings.

Here's the damage. Each serving (based on 8) provides 148 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 166mg Sodium; 2g Fiber. With the sugar and white flour, it's hardly health food, but it is loaded with fruit and is almost totally fat-free.

this is all directly from http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/08/peach-upside-down-cake.html
where she also has some wonderful pictures of the process!