McCoy, Jody and Sage’s Cookbook: Vegetarian Food that Tastes Good

Carrot Cake I

This is a large, elaborate high fat cake, fitting for a celebratory birthday

3 ¼  peeled grated carrots, tightly packed, 3-4 large carrots

½  cup maple syrup

½  cup honey

2 tbs molasses

2 tsp cinnamon

¼  tsp ground ginger

¼  tsp cardamon pinch nutmeg

1 cup butter

6 eggs separated

juice of 1/2 lemon

½  tsp vanilla extract

½  cup orange juice

4 cups unbleached or organic white flour

1 tbs baking powder

½  cup raisins

½  cup walnuts finely chopped

Simmer carrots with all spices and sweeteners for 10 minutes. Stir frequently and reduce heat if it is boiling. Cream butter, baking powder, egg yolks until smooth. Add all the rest of ingredients except egg whites and mix well. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold this into mixture. Pour cake batter in 2 or 3 well oiled cake pans. Bake 20-40 minutes at 350. Stick fork or tooth pick into cakes to see if they come out clean to test if done.

Traditionally this is served with cream cheese icing. Mix softened cream cheese with butter, honey and vanilla, using a beater.

Carrot Cake II

7 carrots peeled and grated finely

3 cups organic or unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins

4 eggs beaten

3/4 cup maple syrup or honey

1/3 cup safflower oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp vanilla

½  tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients, pour in oiled 9x 13 inch cake pan. Bake 45-60 minutes at 350. This has a dense consistency like a fruit cake.

Carob Torte

½  cup butter

¾  cup honey

2 large eggs

½  cup carob powder

½  cup hot coffee or boiling water (mix the carob into this)

2 cups unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

½  tsp sea salt

2/3 cup plain yogurt

1 ½  tsp vanilla

Cream together butter and honey. Add eggs, baking powder and salt and mix. Add all other ingredients. Bake in 2 oiled, round cake pans; 20-30 minutes at 350. Top layers with cream cheese icing, see Carrot Cake I.

Brazilian Chocolate Cake

3 oz semisweet chocolate

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 cup plus 2 tbs hot strong coffee

½  cup butter at room temperature

1 ½  cup sugar (vegan sucarnat preferred) or 3/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups unbleached white flour

1 tsp baking soda

½  tsp salt

Put bars of chocolate in a small stainless steel bowl, and place this in a sauce pan with boiling water to melt chocolate. Add coffee to this. Cream butter with eggs, vanilla, soda and salt. Add flour and chocolate to butter and egg mixture. Pour into oiled cake pans. Bake 20-40 minutes at 350. Make a chocolate glaze by melting 1-2 blocks of semi sweet chocolate, butter and honey. Pour over bottom layer, put top layer on and pour over that. Or you can sprinkle the cakes with confection sugar.

Quick Cake  

2 ¼  cup unbleached white flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup honey

½  cup safflower oil

1 cup milk or soy milk

2 eggs  (vegan sub: 2 tbs cornstarch + 2 tsp vinegar, mixed together with baking powder)

2 tsp vanilla

Mix honey, eggs, oil, vanilla, honey, baking powder and sea salt. Add flour. Pour into oiled 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake 30-35 at 350. This can be made into a carob cake by dissolving ½  cup carob in a small amount of boiling water, and adding that. It can also be a coffee cake, by creating a topping by mixing 1 cup of oats with ¼  cup butter or margarine and ¼  honey or brown sugar. This can be sprinkled on the cake before baking. My mom used to listen to cakes to see if they were done. If they were still singing they were not done.

Maple Spice Cake

The secret of this cake is to grind the spices at home . This can be done in a cleaned coffee bean grinder, or spice grinder.

1 inch stick of cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamon seeds

12 cloves

3 ¼  cups unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup maple syrup.

Cream butter with eggs and maple syrup. Grind raw spices in grinder. Add spices, salt and baking powder to mixture, mix well. Add flour. Bake in well oiled cake pans or one large spring form pan. Bake 35-45 minutes at 350.

Linzertorte

1 cup butter

3/4 cup mixture of honey and maple syrup

2 egg yolks

1 ½  cup unbleached white flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

½  tsp cloves

¼  tsp sea salt

1 cup almond butter

1 jar raspberry preserves

Cream butter, almond butter and sweeteners. Add yolks, baking powder, salt and spices. Stir in flour. This is thick mixture and you may need to work it with use your hands. Take half of the dough and push into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. With the remainder of the dough make small snake like segments as in clay. Weave the segments across the dough to create a lattice. Spoon in the preserves in the spaces of the lattice. Bake at 350, 45-60 minutes. Serve cool with whipped cream. Very good for winter solstice or to  take cross country skiing.

Chocolate Mousse 

4 ½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tbs butter, diced

2 tbs espresso

1 cup cold heavy cream

3 large eggs seperated

1 tbs sugar

Whip cream to soft peaks and refrigerate. Combine the chocolate, butter and espresso in the top of a double boiler over hot water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool.  Once the melted chocolate has cooled, whip the egg whites until foamy and it begins to hold its shape. Sprinkle with sugar and beat until soft peaks form. Sitr in yolks and and whip cream, alternating. Refrigerate at least 8 hours.

Brownies 

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

Smidge of salt

¾ c flour

2 tbs cocoa

2 eggs (vegan sub: 2 tbs cornstarch + 2 tsp vinegar + 2tbs soy milk)

1 tsp vanilla

½ c chopped walnuts

Mix and pour into greased pan.  Cook about 20 minutes at 325 degrees.

Vegan Jumbles   

1 cup quick oats

2/3 cup tapioca flour

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8  cup shredded coconut

¼ cup raisins

¼ cup chocolate chips

1 tsp baking power

¼ cup tapioca flour

½ cup honey

3 tbs peanut butter

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 tbs oil

2 tbs water

Mix everything well. Bake for 12 minutes at 350.

Basic Shortcrust Pastry

2 cups unbleached white flour

½  tsp salt

¾  cup butter

3-7 tbs ice water

Cut butter into flour with a pastry knife, until it is like small crumbs. Sprinkle the ice water over the dough, tablespoon by tablespoon, until you can form the dough into a ball that hangs together. Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll out. You may need to add more ice water to make it workable. This is a gourmet, high fat, wonderful pie crust

Stir n Roll Pie Crust

2 cups whole wheat flour, pastry is preferable

1 tsp salt

½ cup safflower oil

¼  cup soy milk or milk

Mix flour with salt. Add oil and milk all at once. Stir together until there is a ball that hangs together. Divide dough in half. Get two pieces of wax paper. Put one ball between the two pieces and roll it out. Take off the top piece. Fold the bottom piece in half and peel back the top half. Place in pie pan, rolling back the second half as the pie crust takes the form of the pan, unfolding pie crust into pan. Do the same with the second crust to place on top of the filled pie. This is the healthy, hippy, Seventh Day Adventist alternative

Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust, prebaked 4-7 minutes

1 large can of pumpkin

4 eggs

½  cup honey

½  cup maple syrup

2 tbs molasses

1 cup evaporated milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

¼  tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½  tsp ground clovers

¼  tsp grated nutmeg

Mix all ingredients together well. Pour in pie crust and bake. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, and then at 350 for 45 minutes.Check the last 15 minutes and cover with foil if crust is getting too brown. Put knife in to see if it comes out clean. My mom thinks you need to use evaporated milk to make it custardy. I think she may be right.

Fruit Pies

Berry and blueberry pies are made by first making the pie crust and pre baking it for 407 minutes. Set aside. Put the frozen or fresh berries in a cast iron pot and cook them down. When much of the moisture is cooked out, take out several tbs of the liquid. Add 1-2 tbs of corn starch to this liquid, mix it well and add it back into the berry mixture. Add honey to taste as well as some cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg and/or cloves. When the mixture is sufficiently thick, pour into crust, put top crust on and bake. Strawberry-rhuharb pies need not be cooked down. Toss one package frozen rhubarb plus one cup sliced fresh strawberries with  2 tbs, ½ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Apple pies can be made; by slicing fresh apples into a crust, adding honey and cinnamon. If the apples are dry, the “cooking-down” method makes a better pie.

Sesame Seed Cookies

1 cup unhulled sesame seeds

½ cup coconut

2 cup unbleached white flour

1 tsp baking powder

½  tsp salt

3/4 cup oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

vanilla extract

Lightly toast sesame seed and coconut until light brown, in a non oiled cast iron pan. Mix well egg, oil, baking powder, sugar, vanilla and salt. Add in flour. Use spoon to put cookies on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cookies

½  cup non hydrogenated peanut butter

¾  cup maple syrup or honey

2 ¼  cup unbleached white flour

2 eggs beaten (vegan sub: 2 tbs cornstarch + 2 tsp vinegar)

¼ cup safflower oil

¼  cup milk or soy milk

½  tsp vanilla

¼  tsp sea salt

Cream butter and sweeteners. Add salt and vanilla. Add other ingredients and mix well. Drop balls of batter on oiled cooked sheet. Flatten with a fork. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

Sugar Cookies for Holiday Shapes

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

1 tsp soda

4 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

4  cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate over night. Roll and cut out shapes. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Baked Custard

2 cups milk

2 tbs honey

3 eggs beaten

¼  tsp sea salt

½  tsp vanilla

Heat milk to scalding. Add honey. Cool. Mix eggs and other ingredients . Pour into oiled custard cups. Set them in a pan of hot water. Bake at 325 for 30-40 minutes. Check with a knife to see if it comes out clean. I put this in since my dad loved custard.