Raspberry Cheesecake

Vegan cheesecake gets a variety of reactions from non-vegans. I told a few people in one of my classes the other day that I baked a vegan cheesecake, and they just stared at me apparently unable to absorb this oxymoron of a food. My sister (only true omnivore of my family) on the other hand, though she was a little skeptical at first, ate half of it and told me it was “marvelous”. In other words, don’t knock it ‘til you try it.

Graham Cracker Crust:
What:
- 1 1/2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp. sugar
- pinch of salt
- 5 tbsp. oil
- 1-2 tbsp. nondairy milk

How: Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) and grease a 9 inch pie plate. Crumble graham crackers in a medium bowl. If crumbling by hand, press graham crackers into the bottom of the bowl with the tips of your fingers. Stir in sugar and salt once graham crackers are in small enough pieces. Stir in oil and the first tablespoon of nondairy milk. The mixture should not be too damp, but the crumbs should feel slightly moist, but not wet. If too dry, add the second tablespoon of nondairy milk. Press the mixture into the pie plate. It should cling to the sides. Bake for ten minutes and allow to cool before filling.

Cheesecake Filling:What:
- 2 8oz. containers (approx. 2 cups) vegan cream-cheese*
- 6oz. silken tofu (typically 1/2 a box)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3 tbsp. flour

How: Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) once the graham cracker crust is sufficiently cool.

In a food processor, combine vegan cream-cheese and tofu. When the mixture looks smooth, add sugar and vanilla. Pulse for a minute, then add flour and continue to pulse until the mixture is completely homogenous. Pour filling into the crust and bake for an hour. (If the crust ever looks like it’s beginning to burn, fill a pan with a cup of water and place it on the bottom of the oven.)

Remove from the oven after an hour. The top of the filling should be lightly golden, puffed up, and slightly cracked. It will still seem somewhat gelatinous, but it will firm up when cooling. Leave it out for a minimum of 30 minutes to cool before placing it in the fridge, where it should stay for a minimum of three hours, though preferably overnight.

*Tofutti and Galaxy Foods both have vegan cream-cheeses, which I have not just seen at health food stores. They can usually be found for better prices at places like Market Basket and Stop & Shop.

Raspberry Topping:What:
- 12oz. frozen, or 2 cups fresh, raspberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. water

How: While the cheesecake is baking, place raspberries in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until most of the raspberries have a sauce-like consistency. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. The raspberries shouldn’t boil, but make sure they are thoroughly heated through before adding the cornstarch. Dissolve the cornstarch in a tablespoon of water and add to raspberries. Stir for three more minutes, or until the mixture feels slightly thicker, then remove from heat. It will thicken up more while cooling.

Right before the cheesecake goes in the fridge, once the filling has sunken, pour the raspberry topping onto the cheesecake. Pour it in the middle of the bowl formed by the filling, then spread out to the sides. Then refrigerate the cheesecake.

Spanikopita

There are a lot of disappointing vegan spanikopita recipes out there, since feta is so hard to imitate! But I hope this one doesn’t disappoint you.

What:
- 1 package phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 pound spinach, washed and stemmed
- 1 large onion
- 15 oz. firm tofu
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. dill
- 2 tbsp. olive oil (plus extra for dough and onions)
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. salt (trust me)
- pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

How:  Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok on medium heat. Dice onions and cook them in wok. Once the onions are translucent, add the spinach and cook down, which should take around five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, crumble the tofu. Stir in all ingredients from garlic powder to nutritional yeast. When all ingredients seem evenly distributed, combine with spinach.

Layer phyllo dough in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Brush each layer of dough with olive oil. When you have stacked about eight sheets of dough on the bottom, spoon the filling into the baking dish. On top of the filling, place another eight layers of phyllo dough, also brushing oil between each sheet.

Bake spanikopita in oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let stand for at least three minutes before serving.

Appleberry Pie

This pie is just a nice balance between tart and sweet, with a flaky pastry crust, a vegan version of the recipe my mother used when I was a kid. Recipe below.

Flaky Pastry Dough
What:- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt (or 1 tsp. if both fats are unsalted)
- 1/2 cup cold non-hydrogenated margerine (I use Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco works well)
- 4-6 tbsp. ice water

How: Measure and chill the water, and set aside. In a large bowl, stir flour and sugar together. Add the cold non-hydrogenated margarine cut into table spoons. With a pastry cutter or two perpendicular butter knives held in each hand, cut into smaller pieces. When each piece of margarine is about twice the size of a pea, add the vegetable shortening and continue to do the same. Stop when most pieces are about the size of a pea and coated in flour. If some are a little bigger or a little smaller, that’s okay, but be careful not to make them all too small.

Add water a table spoon at a time, and incorporate into dough by slicing with the side of a rubber spatula. Stop when the dough holds together under pressure but is otherwise loose. If you’re new to pie baking and you’re not sure how wet it’s supposed to be, go for a little too wet rather than a little too dry, because dry dough is hard to work with.

When sufficiently wet, roll into two balls. Press balls down into thick disks and wrap in plastic. Leave in fridge for at least half an hour, plenty of time to make the filling (recipe below).

When time in fridge is finished, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 C) roll out dough one at a time on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Circles should be about 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to 9 inch pie plate. (I usually fold into quarters and unfold in pie plate.) Only having to roll dough out once is best, to preserve the shape of the margarine, but it you have to do it twice, it’ll be fine, but try not to overwork the dough.

Spoon the filling into the bottom of the pie dough. Try to evenly distribute it. Then roll out the top of the pie. It should also be around 12 inches in diameter. Fold in half and cut slits for steam to escape (I like to cut out hearts and place them on the pie as you can see above). Transfer to top of pie and unfold. The slits should end up in the center. Fold up extra around the edge and pinch into crust.

Bake on 425 F for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F (180 C) and slip a cookie sheet under the pie. Cook until fruit seems to have just become soft, which ought to take 30-45 minutes. Slices best after cooling for at least 2 hours.

Appleberry Filling
What:- 1 pound apples (4-5 medium apples)
- 2 1/4 cups frozen or fresh mixed berries (my pie had blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- pinch of ginger
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch

How: Slice apples 1/4 inch thick (1/2 cm) and place in large non-metal bowl. Add berries, having rinsed off large ice crystals if frozen, Stir in flour, spices and salt, and add lemon juice. Stir in sugar. Last, add cornstarch and stir until all ingredients seem evenly distributed.

Easy Fettuccine Alfredo

When I first came across vegan fettuccine alfredo recipes, I was skeptical of the fact that they were all made out of pureed tofu, but I tried this tofu concoction and was amazed by how creamy and non-vegan it seemed. This recipe is based on one I found in a cook book called Vegan Comfort Food by Alicia E. Simpson, which I highly recommend. I've tweaked it slightly.

What:
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/3 cup nutrional yeast
- 1/3 cup oil
- 12 oz. silken tofu
- 1 lb. fettuccine, cooked and drained
- pepper to taste

How: In a blender, combine garlic powder, salt, onion powder, yeast, and oil. Blend until it is a grainy paste. Add tofu and blend until creamy. Scrape down sides and blend again. Transfer mixture from blender to a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir continually over heat for 5-7 minutes. The sauce should thicken slightly. Serve on warm noodles.

Vegan Maple Pecan Muffins

I made these for breakfast the other day, and I can't stay away from them. They're sweet and nutty. I find myself having one after dinner or for a snack.

What:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (it will slip out better if you use the same measuring cup as used for the oil)
- 2/3 cup nondairy milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup pecans, chopped

How: Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a 12 muffin tin. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together oil, maple syrup, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla. When well combined, sift in dry ingredients. Once the dry ingredients have been combined with the wet, fold in the chopped pecans. Spoon batter into greased muffin tin, so that each is 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes and let cool before removing from tin.

Yellow Thai Curry - Though mainly spicy, this curry is just a little sweet. Not to mention all the scrumptious veggies. Recipe below.

What:- 2 tsp. oil
- 12 oz. tofu
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 bunch broccoli
- 3 carrots, sliced into matchsticks
- 1/2 cup pea pods
- 1 can baby corn
- 1 can pineapple

- 1 can or 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tbsp. turmeric
- 1 tbsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. dried cilantro
- 11/4 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. soy sauce

How: Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat. Slice tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in skillet and let brown for five minutes. Turn over and let cook for another 3 minutes. When sufficiently browned, transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.

In a medium pot, heat coconut milk to a boil and stir in all the spices. Once boiled, reduce heat to medium and add the vegetables. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, removing lid to stir occasionally. Uncover, add tofu, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes, then serve on rice or other grain.

(In the picture above, I used vegan chicken strips from Gardein instead of tofu, but tofu is more traditional and is also amazing in this curry.)

Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cream-cheese Frosting

If you’re not sure if you want something decadent or flavorful, these are for you. The frosting is incredibly rich and the cake quite soft, but they get most their flavor from the cinnamon and bit of nutmeg.

Cupcakes:
What:
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
- 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tbsp. constarch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 large apple, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

How: Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

In a measuring cup, quickly stir non-dairy milk and vinegar with a fork, then set aside to curdle. In a large bowl, combine the apple juice, canola oil and flavor extracts. Add the sugar and milk/vinegar solution.

Use a separate, small bowl to combine the remaining ingredients. When well mixed, pour the dry ingredients into the large large bowl containing the wet ingredients (I do this instead of the other way around because I find that this creates the fewest lumps). Mix well. A few lumps are okay, but the fewer the better. Fold in the apple pieces

Generously fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and place into a muffin tin. Makes about twelve cupcakes with some leftover batter, which I used to make the mini-cakes in the picture above. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cream-cheese Frosting:What:
- 1/2 cup vegan cream-cheese
- 1/4 cup of vegan margarine
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 1/2-5 cups confectioner’s sugar

How: In a mixing bowl, cream together the cream-cheese, margarine, and oil. When thoroughly combined, add vanilla. While the mixer is going, sift in the powdered sugar a cup at a time.