Festive Pumpkin Stew
Prep: 60 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves:8
Ingredients
2 cups vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp oregano
3 carrots, chopped
2 ears corn, cut in 1 inch pieces
2 yams, peeled and cut in large chunks
2 white potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks
1 10 oz. bag frozen petite whole onions
1 4 oz. can green chilies, chopped
1 4-5 lb. pumpkin
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Place 1/4 cup of the broth in a large pot. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, bay leaves and black pepper. Cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Add remaining broth, carrots, corn, yams, potatoes, frozen onions, and canned chilies. Cook, covered over low heat for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare pumpkin by cutting off the top, as if you were going to make a jack-o-lantern. Set top aside. Clean out seeds and stringy portion. Brush the inside with the maple syrup. Put top back on. Place in a 9 x 12 inch baking dish with 1/2 inch water in the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.
Ladle the stew into the pumpkin, cover with pumpkin top and bake for 45 minutes.
Serve from the pumpkin, scooping out bits of pumpkin along with the stew. Serve in large bowls with some bread alongside, if desired.
Hint: This may seem like a lot of work, but it is very festive and delicious. It makes a wonderful holiday centerpiece.
Wicked Chocolate Pie
This is a very decadent dessert, only to be made and enjoyed on very special occasions.
Preparation Time: 60 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes
Chill: 2 hours
Servings: Makes 1 - 9 inchpie
Crust:
1/3 cup unsalted, roasted cashews
3 tbp Sucanat or brown sugar
3 tbsp prune puree
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup unbleached white flour
dash salt
Filling:
2 cups vegan (non-dairy) chocolate chips
2 24.6 ounce boxes extra firm, silken tofu
3/4 cup Sucanat or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
Almond Topping:
1 cup thinly sliced almonds
1/4 cup maple syrup
Raspberry Sauce:
1 10 ounce bag frozen, unsweetened, raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. (Side may be loosened and removed after baking.)
Place the cashews in a food processor and grind until they resemble fine meal. Add Sucanat or sugar, prune puree and vanilla. Process until well combined. Mix the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Add the cashew mixture and mix well, beginning with a spoon and ending with your hands. Press this mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until light brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
Place the chocolate chips in a double boiler and melt over barely simmering water. Place the tofu in a food processor and process until smooth. Add Sucanat or sugar, vanilla, and salt. Process again, then add the melted chocolate. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Lightly oil the sides of the pan above the baked crust, then scoop the chocolate mixture into the pan. Smooth out the top and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the sides. Let the pie cool to touch, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Remove side before serving.
Place the maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute (this is very important), then add the almonds and continue to cook and stir over fairly low heat until the syrup has crystallized onto the almonds and the almonds appear dry. (This will take at least 5 minutes. If the heat is too high, the sugar will burn and you will have a sticky, smelly mess.) Place on a baking sheet and allow to cool. Store at room temperature in a covered container.
Place the raspberries and sugar in a blender jar. Process until blended. Strain the sauce through a fine strainer, stirring often, to remove most of the seeds. Let the mixture sit in the strainer for at least 1 hour to allow most of the seeds to be removed. Discard the remaining sauce with the seeds. Pour the seedless sauce into a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
TO SERVE: Cut a small wedge of the chocolate pie and place on a dessert plate. Sprinkle a few of the almonds over the pie, then drizzle with a small amount of the raspberry sauce.
