Sesame Candy

Ingredients:

1 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups sesame seeds ( approx. 1 lb)

Place sesame seed in a large dry frying pan and bring to medium high heat, stirring constantly. Soon the seeds will slightly pop as they begin to toast. Continue to stir for a couple of minutes and then add the teaspoon of salt and stir again to mix. Add the honey and bring to a simmer, stirring all the time. Pour into a greased 8X10 inch baking dish and score to the size you like. Cool in the refrigerator and serve.

Cranberry Sauce

 Cranberry Sauce

 Recipe By: Michael LaCharite

 Yield: 2 Cups

 Ingredients:

 2 cups Cranberries, fresh
 1/2 cup Orange Juice, fresh pressed
 1 tablespoon Orange zest
 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup

 Directions:

 1. Bring cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped and are soft but not mushy.

 2. Turn off heat and stir in the maple syrup. Chill. Can be made in advance.

Pecan Pie with Oatmeal

Pecan Pie with Oatmeal


2 eggs , lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
3/4 cup dark Karo syrup
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 frozen pie shell
1 package pecan halves

Procedure
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Mix all incidents in a bowl. Pour into unbaked 9" pie shell. Top with pecan halves. Bake 50-55 minutes or until cooked through. Top with fresh whipped cream.

Servings: 6
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Fruit Smoothy

Submitted by Kathy Evans

1 cup blueberries (frozen is fine)

2 kiwis, peeled

1 banana

1 apple (with peels)

1 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) strawberries

1/3 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup vanilla yogurt (We use the brand "WholeSoy & Co." We've found it's the only soy yogurt we like.)

Blend well in blender. (We do not use water or ice - but some of the fruit is frozen so this ends nice and cold.)

No-Bake Coconut-Date Squares

Submitted by Jody Quittmeyer

8 oz. box chopped dates (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3 cups rice, corn, wheat or bran flake cereal, crushed
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Combine dates and water in a small pan, bring to a boil, cover and simmer until very soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in nuts and crushed cereal flakes. Set aside to cool.

On a baking sheet or tray, sprinkle half the coconut to form a square about 10"x12". Spoon date mixture on top, then sprinkle remaining coconut on top. With a spatula, distribute date mixture evenly and press down firmly until it is about 1/2" thick. Refrigerate until firm, then cut into 1"x2" bars. Makes about 60 bars.

Almond-Tahini Candy

Submitted by Elaine Sweetser

1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup sesame Tahini
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup sifted carob powder
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Stir all ingredients - except shredded coconut - together till the mixture forms a soft ball. Using a teaspoon form into small balls and roll in the shredded coconut.

Chill. Store in refrigerator. ENJOY!!!!!!

Wholewheat, Vegan Muffins

Submitted by Kathy Evans

The BEST Muffins! - Whole wheat, no dairy, no added oil (oil is in the nuts, etc.), does use cane sugar and honey
These take some time to make but are so yummy!!! I make two batches at a time and freeze the second batch. They freeze quite well.

Heat oven to 360˚F. If you have a stone muffin pan put it in the oven to warm.

Dry ingredients
Mix together:
• 3 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/4 cup cane sugar (or less)
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp egg replacer (optional) this is used dry, not blended with water
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda (optional – good if with apples)
Add:
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 3 cups grated carrots

Wet ingredients
Separately in a blender add the following ingredients and blend well:
• 1/3 cup honey (if warmed 10 seconds in the microwave it is easier to use … but heating is not necessary)
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds or 3 Tbsp tahini
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 3/4 - 1 cup soy milk (amount depends upon the optional blender ingredients used below)
• 3 prunes
Optionally also put in the blender one of the following (I prefer the lemon). Use less soy milk.
• Whole lemon (or seeded, but put in the rinds too)
• Whole orange (or seeded, but put in the rinds too)
• Some other fruit

Mix the wet and dry ingredients. (Until barely mixed - Don’t over mix.) The mixture should be wet, but not at all runny.
Optionally mix in one of the below:
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups blueberries (may be thawed or fresh)
• 2 mashed bananas and mashed strawberries (If using this, do not put in optional fruit above.)
• 1 cup cranberries (especially good with the orange above)
• sliced apples (When using apples, keep the batter dry. Apples will weep moisture as they cook.)
• raisins
• Any chopped fruit, dried fruit or even ginger pieces … use your imagination :)

Put in muffin pan or bread pans. Muffins cook for 30-33 minutes or about 2 minutes after the tops start turning brown. You will need to cook a little longer than when the tops start turning brown so the insides cook enough.

The sample for the Simple Abundance meeting was made with the mashed bananas and strawberries. I did not completely use all the wet batter from the blender because the banana and strawberries made the mixture wetter. It should not be runny.

Lemon Cane Juice Cookies

Submitted by Stacie Buccina

9 Tbsp evaporated cane juice
Zest and juice of one lemon (about 1/4 cup of juice and 2 tsp of zest)
3/4 cup soy milk (I prefer Plain Silk)
4 Tbsp ground flax seed (can be ground in a coffee grinder)

3 1/4 cups oat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt

Extra evaporated cane juice for sprinkling on the cookies

Combine evaporated cane juice, lemon zest, lemon juice, soy milk, and ground flax seed in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the flat beater, mix well. Add oat flour and sea salt. Mix until blended. If the dough doesn't seem thick enough, let it sit and it will continue to thicken. The dough will be a little softer than regular cookie dough, but should hold its shape. Scoop the cookies as soon as the dough is the right thickness, so it doesn't get too thick.

Drop the cookies by teaspoonfuls on a silpat-lined (silicone non-stick) baking sheet and sprinkle each cookie with evaporated cane juice. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350˚F, or until they feel firm. These cookies do not rise or spread in the oven.

Store in the refrigerator after a day or so. Warm cookies slightly in the microwave before serving to soften them if desired.

Makes about 18-20 cookies, depending on size.

Oat Crust

Submitted by Stacie Buccina

This isn't anything like traditional pie crust, but I still find it good.

For a sweet pie:
1 3/4 cups quick oats or rolled oats (if using rolled oats, add 1 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 2 Tbsp warm water)
4 Tbsp frozen 100% fruit juice concentrate (orange pineapple works well)

If using rolled oats, whisk the ground flax seed with water in a small bowl. Let it sit until it thickens to the consistency of an egg white. Combine oats, fruit juice concentrate, and flax seed mixture (if using rolled oats) in a medium bowl and mix by hand. Let it sit for a few minutes until the fruit juice concentrate is completely thawed and stir again. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate using a baggie over your hand if necessary to keep the crust from sticking to your fingers.

If you want a baked pie shell to fill, bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

For a non-sweet pie (like a quiche):
1 3/4 cups quick or rolled oats
1/4 tsp sea salt

4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp ground flax seed (can be ground in a coffee grinder)

Whisk the ground flax seed with water in a small bowl. Let it sit until it thickens to the consistency of an egg white. In a medium bowl, combine oats and sea salt and mix well. Pour the thickened flax seed mixture over the oats and mix well. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate using a baggie over your hand if necessary to keep the crust from sticking to your fingers.

If you want a baked pie shell to fill, bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.

Note: If I am making a quiche, I usually bake the crust a little before adding the filling so it doesn’t soak into the crust.

Gingerbread Cake

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1 3/4 cups water
2 - 4 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
About 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)

Combine dried fruits, water, honey, and spices in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and cool completely. Preheat oven to 350˚F. When fruit mixture is cool, mix in dry ingredients, and crystalized ginger if desired. Spread into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Can be served with hot applesauce.

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

From “7 Secrets Cookbook” by Neva and Jim Brackett

1 3/4 cups cooked pumpkin (15-ounce can)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups soy milk or 1 can coconut milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp sea salt

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth. Pour into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Crust:
1/2 cup flour (whole wheat pastry, barley, or unbleached flour)
1/3 cup Almond Butter or 2/3 cup Brazil nuts
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup or more cold water

Place the flour and salt into a bowl. Add Almond Butter. With pastry blender, blend Almond Butter into flour until finely ground. Add oats and water. Mix gently with a fork. Add more water, if needed, for a soft but not sticky ball of dough. Roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper rolling dough from center edges, forming a 12-inch circle. Trim dough to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. Fold under extra dough and crimp edges.

Som Som Date Balls

8 oz dates - soak in 1/4 cup warm water for about 3 hours and then mash.

Add:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
1 tsp vanilla

Mix. Roll into balls.
Roll in additional coconut.