Yield: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 2 egg replacements (I used No-Egg from Orgran)
• 8 tablespoon vegan margarine, melted and cooled
• 3/4 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup apple, peeled and chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F / 177 C.
2. Grease the muffin pans and paper muffin liners.
3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder cinnamon, ginger and salt.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg replacement and sugar.
5. Add the melted, cooled vegan margarine, non-dairy milk and vanilla.
6. Put the chopped apples and cranberries in the dry mixture and mix lightly. This will allow the fruits to stay suspended in the mixture rather than dropping all down to the bottom.
7. Fold the wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened.
8. Spoon into prepared pans, 3/4 of the way full for each muffin.
9. Bake large muffins 25 to 30 minutes or miniature muffins about 20 minutes.

We baked the beets first. Once they had cooled enough to handle, we sliced them and then cut the the slices with a snowflake cookie cutter to make a special treat for the holidays. That could even be a fun task for kids to do. We used fresh cranberry sauce as an added garnish, although that was not so needed. I would also suggest a pinch of salt to the sauce. This makes a very nice side dish, no matter what time of the year.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 baby pumpkins
• 2 apples
• 8 chestnuts pre-prepared
• handful raisins
• handful dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegan margarine
• hot water
• date caramel sauce (recipe)

Directions:

1. Carefully using a knife cut a circle around the stem of the pumpkin about 1/4-1/3 of the way away from the stem to remove the stem and a bit of the top portion of the pumpkin.
2. Using a melon baller or spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. (I save he seeds to plant next year’s pumpkins).
3. If your apples are organic, then cut them in small pieces, discarding the core and seeds. Otherwise, peel the apple and cut in small pieces.
4. Place the apple pieces in a bowl.
5. Cut the prepared chestnuts in small pieces and add to the apple pieces.
6. Add the raisins and dried cranberries.
7. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together, sprinkle over the fruit mixture and mix well.
8. You will need about 2 cups of fruit mixture for the 4 small pumpkins, depending upon their size.
9. Spoon the fruit mixture into each of the small pumpkins.
10. Put a small dollop of vegan margarine on top of the fuit mixture so that as it melts it mixes with the fruit and pumpkin.
11. Place the pumpkins in a baking dish that has a lid. Don’t forget to put the pumpkin tops in there also.
12. Put the baking dish in the oven.
13. Add the water to a level 1/3-1/2 way up the pumpkins and put the lid on the baking dish.
14. Cook the pumpkins at around 415 F / 213 C for about an hour or until the pumpkins are soft and can be easily pierced with a sharp knife.
15. Meanwhile prepare the salty date caramel sauce. (see recipe)
16. When the pumpkins are done, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven. 
Using a slotted spoon or slotted utensil, carefully lift the pumpkins from the hot water and place on individual plates.
17. Allow the pumpkins to slight cool before serving.
18. We enjoyed the pumpkins with the salty date caramel sauce on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 cups flour
• 1 &1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch cinnamon (optional)
• 6 tablespoons vegan margarine, in small pieces
• 1/2 cup cranberries, chopped
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 tablespoon less than 1/2 cup orange juice

Directions:

1. Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon if using and salt in a large bowl.
2. Whisk to mix.
3. Add the vegan margarine and blend with a fork or your fingers to a lightly sandy consistency.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F / 204 C.
5. Add the chopped cranberries and zest and mix lightly.
6. Add the orange juice and mix until the dough is just moistened.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured workspace and fold over to evenly blend.
8. Fold only 3 or 4 times, as overworking the dough will make it less light and fluffy.
9. Pat the dough out to a flat thickness of 1/4 – 1/2 inch.
10. Using a floured cookie cutter or juice glass, cut 6-7 medium biscuits.
11. Place on a cookie sheet prepared with baking parchment.
12. Bake it in the oven for 15- 18 minutes until lightly golden brown.
13. Remove from the oven and enjoy warm.

Notes:

We used just under a 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice. It was one large orange.

We have really enjoyed the February issue of Vegetarian Times. We found many vegan recipes, as well as many others that we can easily make vegan. This recipe looked so inviting, I just couldn’t resist it, and we found it to be as good as all of our other Brussels sprout recipes. The only thing I did differently, was to steam the Brussels sprouts rather than to stir fry them. This recipe is really a keeper, and I’m glad to see that there are still 4 stalks of Brussels sprouts growing out in our garden, despite the fact that we’ve had below freezing temperatures since December.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 110g/4oz cooked and peeled whole chestnuts
• 1/4 cup soy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 290ml/ 1/2 pint soy whipping cream or Soyatoo
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, sieved
• drop of vanilla extract
• 1 pkg. (340 grams) fresh cranberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons corn starch diluted in a bit of water

Directions:

1. Put the cranberries, the cup of sugar , water in a saucepan and cook the cranberries until they have popped and some of the liquid evaporated.
2. At the end, add the liquefied cornstarch and stir vigorously as it clarified and becomes very thick.
3. Remove the cranberry mixture from the heat and allow to cool and solidify.
4. Meanwhile, in another small saucepan gently heat through the chestnuts the 1/4 cup soy cream for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar.
6. Puree the chestnut and chocolate mixture to a thick mass.
7. In a large bowl, whip the soy whipping cream or Soyatoo with the icing sugar to soft peaks.
8. Transfer the chestnut and cream mixture to a blender or mini food processor and blend to a puree.
9. Place a small amount to the cooled cranberry mixture in the bottom of a parfait glass.
10. Put a layer of the chestnut puree over the cranberries.
11. Mix half of the whipped soy cream with the remainder of the cranberry mixture.
12. Place this layer over the chestnut layer.
13. Top with a dollop of the whipped cream.
14. Garnish with a cherry or cranberry and perhaps a holly leaf.

Notes:

Optionally chocolate can be melted and added to the chestnut mixture, and a dusting of cocoa as a garnish.
If you are able to buy pre-made chestnut puree, then that would make this recipe even quicker and easier to make.

Inspired by BBC cooking chef Paul Rankin

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 cup soy margarine
• 1 egg substitute
• 3 tsp. orange zest
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1-1/2 cup chopped cranberries

Directions:

1. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.
2. Cut in soy margarine until mixture is crumbly.
3. Add the egg substitute , orange peel, and orange juice all at once.
4. Stir until mixture is evenly moist.
5. Fold in cranberries.
6. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, 2/3 full.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Makes 12 muffins.

Notes:

from http://www.wiscran.org/recipes.htm

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 1/2 bag cranberries
• 2 peaches from can plus the juice
• orange juice to thin

Directions:

1. Cut up the banana and place in a blender.
2. Cut canned peaches into chunks and add the liquid the peaches are canned in.
3. Add the cranberries and a bit of orange juice and blued to a smooth consistency.

Notes:

I didn’t want the taste of banana to be overwhelming, so I used only one. If you prefer, of course add more.

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 small-med. organic pumpkin, cut in small pieces
• 1 cup vegetable bouillon
• 3 Tbs. soy margarine or Earth Balance
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 200 grams cranberries
• splash maple syrup

Directions:

1. Cut the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and cut the pumpkin in bite sized pieces.
2. Melt the soy margarine in a pan and add the pumpkin pieces.
3. Add the vegetable bouillon, nutmeg, cinnamon and ground coriander.
4. Cook the pumpkin with the lid on the pan for about 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
5. Add the cranberries and let them cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Place in a serving bowl and drizzle a bit of maple syrup over to serve.

Ingredients:

• 400 mill. cranberry sauce
• 200 mill. soy yogurt
• 2 pkg. vanilla sugar
• 100 grams cranberries or red currents
• mint leaves to garnish

Directions:
Mix the soy yogurt with the vanilla sugar.
Place a layer of cranberry sauce in the bottom of a pretty glass (up to about to the half way point) .
Carefully layer the yogurt on top of the cranberry sauce to the top of the glass.
On the very top you can put a few cranberry pieces, or red currents, a thin layer of cranberry juice.
Garnish with a couple of mint leaves.