CRANBERRY SAUCE

The tart cranberry sauce is used on toast with cream cheese.  

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Yield: almost 2-cups

1-15-oz bag of frozen cranberries

stevia or maple syrup to taste

In a small pan, stir the cranberries over heat.  

The berries will pop.  Continue to stir and 

heat until the desired thickness.  The more 

you cook the berries, the thicker the butter 

will be.  The cranberry sauce can be use 

with the skins or you can blenderize to make a smoother paste. 

Use as a cranberry sauce, on toast, muffins, or baked fruit.  

PEAR WITH RASPBERRY

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

4-ripe pears

4-teaspoons raspberry fruit spread

1-teaspoon water

Peel and slice pears in half vertically.  Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.  Place on a plate core side down with water.  Zap for 3 minutes, turn pears over and repeat until pears are soft but still hold their shape.  Remove core but leave stem if possible.

Place two halves on a plate and fill each cavity with 1-teaspoon raspberry fruit spread. 

PEAR WITH PUMPKIN BUTTER

The frozen whole lemon and grater to the right used to keep the pear from browning.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

4-ripe pears

4-teaspoons raspberry fruit spread

1-teaspoon water

Peel and slice pears in half vertically.  Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from browning.  Place 

on a plate core side down with water.  Zap for 3 minutes, turn pears over and repeat until pears 

are soft but still hold their shape.  Remove core but leave stem if possible.

Place two halves on a plate and fill each cavity with 1-teaspoon of pumpkin butter. 

FROZEN LEMON AND GINGER TIP

Keep ginger and a whole frozen lemon in a freezer bags in the freezer.

GINGER

If a recipe calls for ginger, take out the unpeeled ginger and grate the frozen ginger.  Return it to the freezer for future use. 

LEMON

Any time you need some zest or lemon juice to keep fruit from browning, get the frozen whole lemon out of the freezer and grate what you need before placing back in the freezer.  

COOKIES-LEMON BARS

(This is one of those cookies that you make up and adapt for your husband that likes lemon bars.  It took a few tries, but I got a decent lemon curd and a nice cookie crust out of my experiments.  The crust was crumbly, but I pieced it together a bit and rerolled it.  Delicious! I did sift some powdered sugar on the top to brightened up the color.  I laugh every time I think of my friend, Judy Farber, who told me the powdered sugar doesn't count if you lick it off quick. )

Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Yield: 2-dozen bars

Filling

3 lemons juice and zest

2-cups water

2-tablespoons agar flakes

1-cup nut, rice, or soy milk

½-cup agave nectar

3-tablespoons arrowroot powder

optional:  pinch of turmeric for color

Crust

½-cup agave nectar

1-tablespoon white vinegar

¾-cup oil

4-cups pastry flour

¾-cup baking soda

¾-teaspoon cream of tartar

Filling

In a glass bowl zap the water and agar flakes for 5 minutes, stir, and repeat until flakes are dissolved.

In a pan whisk together the milk, arrowroot, and turmeric until it starts to thicken.  Add the lemon, zest, agave, and whisk together.

Crust

In a standing mixing bowl whisk together the agave, vinegar, and oil. 

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. 

Mix the dry into the wet and form dough.  Divide the dough in half.  Roll between two pieces of parchment paper into a rectangle the size of a baking pan.  Peel the parchment off the top.  Place the dough in the baking pan and peel off the parchment.

Spread with the filling.  Roll out the second half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.  Peel the parchment off the top of the dough.  Place on top of the filling dough side down.  Peel off the parchment. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until golden. 

This is an easier version with the same great lemon taste.  Use 1/4 of the dough recipe and pat it in a 9-inch square pan.  Fill with 1/2 the lemon curd and bake.  

GRANOLA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Yield: 3-dozen cookies

½-cup maple syrup

½-cup coconut oil

1/3-cup ground flaxseed

1/4-cup water

2-cups whole-wheat pastry flour

1-cup granola

1-teaspoon baking soda

1/3-cup vegan chocolate chips

In a standing mixing bowl mix together the maple syrup, coconut oil, water, and flaxseed. 

In another bowl whisk together the flour, granola, and baking soda. 

Add the dry to the wet and mix until uniform.  Stir in the chips. 

Drop tablespoons of dough on parchment lined baking sheets

Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.

PUMPKIN BUTTER

Pumpkin Butter Toast

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Yield: almost 2-cups

2-cups unsweetened cooked pumpkin puree or a 15-oz can

1/4-cup molasses

1/4-cup maple syrup

1-teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1-teaspoon cinnamon

In a small pan, whisked together all the ingredients. 

Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer, and whisk frequently for 15 minutes or until thickened. 

Refrigerate for an hour and use on English muffins, toast, bagels, and baked fruit.