Here are a couple of my favorite classic strawberry recipes. Both can either be served with coconut whipped cream, Soyatoo, or vanilla ice cream (I used Soyatoo for both).

Strawberry Shortcake

(makes 6-8 shortcake biscuits)

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
3/4 cup vegan creamer plus more for brushing. (I used coconut creamer, but soy creamer or MimiCream would be fine)

2 pints strawberries
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
Soyatoo or coconut whipped cream

Heat oven 450° degrees.

Wash, core, and slice the strawberries. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet the berries are). Let sit in the fridge while you make the biscuits.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. With a pastry blender or two butter knives, cut in Earth Balance and shortening. Mix in creamer. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet (if you want you could roll them out and cut with a biscuit cutter, but I like the rustic look of drop biscuits). Brush with a little creamer and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes or until brown. Let cool. Split a biscuit in half, and place the bottom half on a plate. Top with cream and berries, the other half of the biscuit, then more cream and berries.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 lb sliced fresh strawberries
1 lb sliced rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
1 tsp vanilla

double pie crust (you can double the recipe here)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance cut into small pieces.

Heat oven to 400°.

Combine the filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to coat. Let sit in the fridge while you roll out the crust. Roll out the bottom pie crust and transfer to a 9” pie plate. Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle with the chunks of Earth Balance. Roll out the top crust and place on top of the pie. Crimp edges together and press with fingers into a fluted pattern. Cut several slits in the top to vent and bake on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) for 40 min. (if the crust starts to become too brown during baking cover with a foil ring). Let cool for a few hours before cutting.

The full spread.

I used my fried brussels sprouts recipe, but tossed them with carmelized onions, Bac'un bits and topped with fried onion.

Making your own craberry sauce takes mimimal effort and produced results that far outshine the canned stuff.

The sweet potato pie was my pumpkin pie recipe, but using sweet potato for the pumpkin and I replaced the glazed pecans with a pecan streusel.

Five punds of potatoes, two carmelized onions, and a head of roaseed garlic. Oh and a cup or two of Earth Balance.

]]> http://newvegantable.com/2009/11/t-day-recap/feed/ 0 http://newvegantable.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pecan-pie/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed http://newvegantable.com/2009/11/pumpkin-pecan-pie/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:32:32 +0000 Justin http://newvegantable.com/?p=268

Is it pecan pie? is it pumpkin pie? As one friend of mine put it: it’s pumpkin pie in a pecan pie costume. A glazed pecan topping makes a great addition to this pumpkin pie recipe. The recipe calls for cooked pumpkin, not canned. It only takes a little more effort and makes a world of difference. While sugar pumpkin (make sure to use sugar pumpkins, carving type pumpkins are not bread for eating and will be far too watery with very little flavor) is the classic choice, most winter squashes, such as butternut, acorn, hubbard, or even sweet potato or yam all work. In fact I probably have made this more times as a sweet potato pie than a pumpkin pie. I also often use a combination pumpkin and yam. If you are in a pinch you can substitute 2 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree. You can also substitute 2 tsp of your favorite pumpkin pie spice for the spices as well. Serve with your favorite vegan whipped topping or the coconut whipped cream recipe below.

I would recommend at least making the crust and roasting your squash the day before.

To roast pumpkin or squash

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds and strings. Place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet and bake 45-50 min or until flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Remove from oven and let cool until it can be handled. Scoop out flesh and use.

Pumpkin Pie

3 cups cooked pumpkin or other squash (try 2 cups pumpkin and 1 cup yam)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (plus more as necessary)
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
4 tsp canola oil
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp arrow root powder
1 tsp agar agar powder (use powder, not flakes)

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, chilled
1/2 cup non hydrogenated vegetable shortening, cut into pieces and chilled.
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp ice water

Pecan Topping

1 1/2 cup pecan halves
1 Tbsp molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp arrow root powder

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can coconut cream (or coconut milk, but check cans for the highest fat content, you are looking for one with about 20 grams per serving)
sugar
vanilla extract

To make the crust

In a mixing bowl stir together flour and salt. With a pastry blender or two butter knives cut the shortening into the flour until it resembles course cornmeal. Slowly add ice water and gently stir until the dough is just moist enough to come together into a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling.

When ready to use, roll on a lightly floured board or between two pieces of parchment. Roll to about a 12 inch circle and transfer to a 9 inch pie plate. Gently press into the plate. Trim to fit, leaving a bout an inch of overhang. Fold overhang under and crimp edges between thumb and finger to create a fluted edge (or simply press into plate if using a fluted plate). If not filling immediately, place back into refrigerator until ready to bake.

Tips: Make sure all ingredients are very cold before starting, especially the shortening and the water (place a cube of ice in a glass of water and measure from there). Be carful to wrk the crust as little as possible, as over working the dough will give you a tough crust. Many crust recipes say to cut the shrtning to the size of peas or hazelnuts which creates a “flaky” crust. Cutting the shortening in finer creates what is known as a “mealy” crust, which will absorb less moisture and is less likely to get soggy.

To make the pie

Preheat oven to 350°. In a blender or food processor combine pumpkin, maple syrup, spices, canola oil, salt, and soy milk. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetener as necessary (not all squash are equally sweet). Add arrowroot and agar and blend to fully incorporate. Transfer to pie shell, cover edge of crust with a foil collar, and bake for 50 min. While pie is baking, mix all ingredients for the topping and set aside. Remove pie from oven, remove foil collar, and spread topping over the top of pie. Place back in the oven and bake for another 20 min. Let cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

To make the creme

Place the can of coconut cream in the refrigerator to thoroughly chill. Remove from fridge, but do not shake. Open can a scoop out the thick, creamy layer at the top of the can, do not use the wattery layer at the bottom. Place into the bowl of a stand mixer and sweeten and add vanilla to taste. With a whisk attachment, whip on high until fluffy like whipped cream. spoon onto slices of pie.