Baked Beans with Irish Soda Bread

Baked Beans:

We really like this version of home-made baked beans. There is a little advance preparation involved though, in that the navy beans need to soak overnight. Typically, I soak about 3 cups of beans in a large bowl. The following morning, I then cook the beans in a pressure cooker. Alternatively you can skip this part and just assemble the recipe below in a slow cooker and cook the beans for 8-10 hours.

The sauce is as follows:

1 onion diced, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 6 ounce can tomato paste, 4 tablespoons ketchup, 1/4 cup margarine, 2 tablespoons molasses.

Into a large rectangular baking dish (9x13), sprayed with oil, I place the diced onion and then the drained beans. In a small bowl I combine all of the remaining ingredients except the molasses. I pour this over the beans and then using some of the cooking water from the pressure cooker, I pour approximately 2 cups over the beans stirring to thin the sauce and to ensure an even distribution of sauce and beans. Finally, I drizzle the molasses on top and mix in slightly (I like the taste of molasses and it darkens the sauce a little.)

Bake in a medium -low temperature oven for 30 minutes (or less...remember the beans are already cooked).

Tonight I am serving with Irish Soda Bread; recipe courtesy of The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups nondairy milk
2 tsp white distilled vinegar
4 cups unbleached flour (or 2 cups unbleached + 2 cups whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated nondairy butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit; lightly grease a 9 to 10 inch cake pan. Combine milk and vinegar and let stand 5 to 10 minutes to curdle. In large bowl, mix flour(s), baking soda and salt. Add milk and vinegar and melted butter. Combine into sticky dough. You can turn this out onto a floured board and knead approximately 12 fold overs. Place dough in prepared pan and slice a cross onto the surface. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Bread should have a hollow sound when thumped. Cool slightly before serving. (Bread will be good for 2 to 3 days...but it won't last that long. Tastes great toasted too!)

Mincemeat Squares

I have this cookbook that I barely use anymore, but refuse to let go of. Me thinks that my sister Susanne gave it to me, (I thought for a wedding shower gift some 33 years ago), but seeing the publication date of 1979 (3 years after I married), I now wonder if she gave it to me for a birthday or Christmas gift. Anyhow, it is a self-published book called Jubilee Cookbook by the CWL of St. Stanislaus Parish here in Hamilton.

Every now and then I pull it off the shelves and leaf through the pages, which are now stained beyond belief with food, paint (somewhere along the way I had a green kitchen!), and whatever else floats about a kitchen during cooking,baking and frying, to eventually settle on any and all surfaces. The pages contain recipes for kuchens, brioche, baklava, stroganoffs, Hungarian cabbage rolls, plus the fashionable dishes of that time; example: 'lime cheese salad' (ingredients included Jello, Dream Whip, and marshmallows...mmmmm!). It gives me a chuckle to read the names and remember some of the dishes I prepared.

Coming back to December 14th, 2008....I was about to tell you that I
recently baked a batch of mincemeat tarts a few days ago. Leftover from the tarts, was about 1 cup of filling which I refrigerated, trusting that a revelation would appear in my sub-concious telling me what to do with the rest of the jar. So it was on page 143 of the Jubilee Cookbook, I re-discovered the recipe for mincemeat squares. With just a few adjustments, I created the following recipe. Results are * * * * (that's four-star!).

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegan shortening or margarine (Earth Balance makes both)
• 4 oz. vegan cream cheese (Yoso or Tofutti)
• 2 1/4 cups of sifted all-purpose flour (I split 50/50 all purpose + whole wheat)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups vegetarian mincemeat (I used 1 cup mincemeat + 1 chopped apple + 1 chopped pear)

Leave shortening or margarine and cream cheese at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Mix and sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add brown sugar and mix well. Add shortening (or margarine) and cream cheese and blend well with pastry cutter.

Spread 1/2 of mixture into bottom of 9" square pan and pat down lightly. Add mincemeat filling and spread evenly to edges of pan. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture on top, patting down lightly. Bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool and cut into squares or bars.

Pumpkin Pie (without the dairy!)

Thanksgiving (and Christmas too) are traditional "turkey" affairs. From my first Tofurkey experience a few years back, my vegetarian/vegan entrees have improved greatly. However, this Thanksgiving, I am off to the Big Apple with a friend. Hence din-din is in the hands of my hubby. I will set the table tomorrow before flying out, leave written instructions to take out such and such on this day. With any luck at all, when I arrive back home Sunday just around dinner time, there should be some food ready (maybe even a Tofurkey)!

Having some heart, I did prepare an apple and pumpkin pie in advance. (Both are in the downstairs freezer Honey - so take them out on Sunday morning)!! As my son's friend, Beth has a strong allergic reaction to dairy, she is always so greatful to eat any of my baking. (I thrive on this positive feedback, all the while trying to remain humble.) So...here is a recipe for Perfect Pumpkin Pie, thanks to those two Canadian vegan pioneers Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer (from "How It All Vegan").

1 1/2 cups soy milk
egg replacer (to equal 2 eggs)
1 16oz can of pumpkin (I had a Stokeley's can which was only 14oz)
1/2 cup sweetener (I used 1/2 and 1/2 maple syrup & agave nectar)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and the egg replacer. Add the pumpkin, sweetener, cinnamon and ginger, and mix together well. Pour into a pie crust and bake for 30-40 minutes until centre is firm.

(Note: My oven may be off a bit, as after 40 minutes the centre of the pie was not firm. I left the pie in an additional 10 minutes. It still looked unsettled when I took it out, but after cooling for an hour or so, the filling appeared firm. When I wrapped it for the freezer, it had definitely set!)

Chocolate Chip Sesame Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soy milk
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup amaranth flour (or soy flour) (I used barley flour...can't remember now why I bought barley flour...but it worked OK in this recipe)
1 Tsp. baking powder
1/4 Tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, almonds, maple syrup, soy milk, sesame seeds, oil and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the two flours, baking powder and salt. Gradually beat into the sugar mixture until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. With a tablespoon, drop heaping spoonfuls of batter onto baking sheet (lightly greased). Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies brown on bottom. Allow cookies to cool before serving.

Source: CalciYum! by David & Rachelle Bronfman

Marie's Sweet Marinade for Grilled Tofu

Marinate 1 lb block of firm tofu (quartered and cut into rectangular slices) in the following ingredients for 1 (or more) hour. Broil in oven or on grill for about 10 minutes.

3 Tbsp. melted butter (I used Canola oil instead)
3 Tbsp. honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. Tamari

Thanks to Sarah from the Horn of Plenty in Dundas who shared this and other recipes.

Chewey Oatmeal Cookies

This is an easy, quick oatmeal cookie recipe that can be customized for all tastes. In this house, my husband loves chocolate chips in his cookies and I love raisins in mine - so this afternoon's batch contained both! Here are the ingredients:

1/2 cup soy or vegan margarine (at room temperature)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (or almost 1 cup sucanat)
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ripe banana, well mashed
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or spelt)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or raisins or chopped dates or chocolate chips)
(combinations of above such as 1/4 cup chocolate chips + 1/4 cup walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine, sugar, water, vanilla and mashed banana. In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients except the last two. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and blend well. Now fold in the oats + raisins, nuts etc.

Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. (Tip: to keep cookies uniform, I use a small ice scream scoop for each cookie, and flatten each dollop slightly with a fork.)