Sun-Dried Tomato 'Cheesecake'

This savory cheesecake is not a dessert, but a beautiful party appetizer in place of, say, a cheese ball. And of course, instead of regular cream cheese, I used Tofutti's vegan Better Than Cream Cheese.

Ahead of time, you also want to make the vegan equivalent of cottage cheese for this recipe. In a bowl, combine 1 and 1/4 cups crumbled lite firm tofu (about 7 ounces) with 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/8 tsp. salt. Mash with a fork until the mixture resembles cottage cheese, then chill in the fridge for about 5 hours.

To make the crust, place 5 (1-ounce) slices of whole wheat bread in a food processor and pulse about 10 times until you have coarse crumbs. I used the organic whole wheat bread from the Vermont Bread company.

Combine the breadcrumbs in a bowl with 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind, and 1/2 tsp. black pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) in a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour over the breadcrumb mixture, and stir to combine with a fork.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper - I felt like I was back in art class, cutting out a circle to fit! Press the breadcrumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.

(Note: if you don't own a springform pan, I highly recommend buying one. I might not use mine often, but when a recipe calls for one, it is invaluable).

Meanwhile, pour boiling water over 1 and 1/4 cups of sun-dried tomato halves (packed without oil). Let stand for 30 minutes, then drain and finely chop. Set aside.

Place your 'cottage cheese' in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 4 (yes 4!) 8-ounce packages of vegan cream cheese, and the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). Process until smooth. I let the 'cream cheese' stand at room temperature just about 10 minutes ahead of time, but you don't really need to worry about letting them soften.

Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil and 1/2 cup chopped canned artichoke hearts (drained). Process until smooth - and pink!

Pour the mixture evenly over the crust in your pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then let cool to room temperature.

Once at room temperature, cover and chill; once chilled, cut into 24 wedges.

Bring back to room temperature before serving. One wedge plus about 3 Melba toast rounds makes a great little appetizer nosh of 170 calories. I like the organic Melba toast crackers from Devonsheer - you'll want 72 crackers total, which means buy 2 boxes.

Cost:
whole wheat bread $4.39
parsley $1.69
sun-dried tomatoes packed without oil $2.69
lite firm tofu $2.69
vegan cream cheese $13.26
basil $2.99
canned artichoke hearts $3.39
Melba toast rounds $5.38

Corn and Two-Bean Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup

These burgers are as hearty and juicy as anything you could make with beef!

Rinse and drain one (15-ounce) can of kidney beans and one (15-ounce) can of black beans - make sure to drain them well, so your final burgers aren't watery. Partially mash the beans together in a large bowl with the back of a fork.

Add 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup canned corn (drained), 1/4 cup finely chopped onion and the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G).

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Form your bean mixture into 4 equal patties of about 1/2 an inch thick. Cook in the skillet for 4 minutes on each side.

While the burgers are cooking, combine 1/3 cup ketchup (Organicville's is certified vegan!), 1 teaspoon agave nectar (in place of honey), 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder, and 1/2 teaspoon cumin.

Chipotle chile powder has a nice kick and smokiness to it that regular chile powder doesn't provide, so definitely try give a look for it - check the Mexican section of your grocery store.

For the buns, you can use Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns. I did find vegan kaiser rolls in Whole Foods' bakery section, but I preferred to use the whole wheat hamburger buns from Rudi's Organic Bakery.

So, on the bottom of each of 4 (2-ounce) buns or rolls of your choice, spread about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of the ketchup mixture. Top with one burger pattie. You could also top with lettuce leaves and tomato slices, if you like. Each burger is 450 calories.

Cost:
canned kidney beans $1.79
canned black beans $1.79
canned corn $0.89
lime $0.59
chipotle chile powder $6.99
hamburger buns $3.99

Savory Herb Sun-Dried Tomato Scones

I had to make this recipe twice - and I'll tell you when I get to the problem, below. Hopefully you'll have success on your first try, as these savory scones make a delicious accompaniment to a bowl of soup or main course salad. You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months; simply thaw at room temperature before eating.

Cover 1/2 a cup of sun-dried tomato halves (packed without oil) with boiling water, and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Drain well, and chop; set aside.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Lightly spoon 2 cups all-purpose flour into measuring cups, leveling with a knife. Combine the flour in a large bowl with 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese in place of Romano (I used the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods), 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, and a dash of ground red pepper. I realized I was out of ground red pepper, but since it was just a dash, I omitted it without compunction.

Cut 1/4 cup of chilled vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) into small pieces, and cut the pieces into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or two knives - the mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Make 1 cup of vegan buttermilk by pouring 1 tablespoon lemon juice into a measuring cup, then filling with plain soy milk (such as Silk) to equal one cup. Let stand for 5 minutes to clabber (sour) the mixture.

Now! Here is my word of caution. The first time around, I poured in the whole cup of 'buttermilk', and stirred to combine, as directed. The original recipe cautioned that the result would be sticky, but mine was so wet and gloppy it was utterly unworkable - even after I dumped in extra flour! Realizing I had a hopeless mess on my hands, I cleaned the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, tossed the gloppy dough, and started over... I know, I'm a perfectionist.

So when I reached this step the second time around, I slowly poured in my 'buttermilk', stirring as I went, and judging the texture of the dough. When it was sticky but still usable, I stopped, which was around 3/4 cups of the 'buttermilk' instead of the full cup.

Now, turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and, using floured hands, lightly knead the dough about 4 times. Divide in half and place on the baking sheet you previously lined with parchment paper. Pat each half into a 6-inch circle - re-flour your hands if you need to. Lightly score the dough to cut each circle into 6 wedges, but don't cut all the way through the dough.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes - the tops should be nice and golden.

Each of the 12 scones is 140 calories. They'll pull apart quite easily along your scored knife cuts.

Cost:
sun-dried tomatoes $2.69
all-purpose flour $3.99
vegan cheese $3.39
fresh thyme $4.98 (which includes buying it twice...)
baking powder $
fresh rosemary $2.49
dried oregano $4.49

Tembleque (Coconut Custard)

Tembleque is a coconut custard that hails from Puerto Rico. The translation I found online was "violent shaking" and if that is true, it's quite adorable, because this pudding does indeed shake once it has chilled and set! Make it ahead of time so it has time to chill - ideally overnight, although mine was fine after about 9 hours.

In a saucepan, combine 6 tablespoons raw sugar with 1/4 cup cornstarch, a dash of salt and 20 ounces (about 1 and 1/2 cans) of light coconut milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and once boiling, cook for 1 minute. Definitely don't be tempted to turn the heat up any higher. When I did momentarily, the cornstarch began to stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract and just a drop of coconut extract. For both, I highly recommend the extracts from Frontier Natural Flavor, which are all natural: www.frontiercoop.com

Strain the mixture through a sieve over a shallow dish - my 8x8-inch baking dish worked fine. I assumed that meant I should discard any solids that accumulated in the sieve, i.e. a few chunks of cornstarch, although the original recipe did not specify to do so.

Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and, as mentioned above, chill.

Divide the custard evenly among 5 small bowls - teacups work well too! Sprinkle the tops evenly with just a dash of cinnamon. Each serving is 160 calories.

Cost:
light coconut milk $4.78
coconut extract $6.69

Classic Mojito

Mojitos - a classic Cuban concoction of rum, mint, sugar, lime juice, and club soda - used to be one of my favorite bar drinks to order - until I learned some years ago that regular granulated sugar wasn't vegan and became more careful. Luckily I can still make this delicious drink quite easily at home!

Place 2 tablespoons raw sugar and 15 fresh mint leaves in the bottom of a 2-cup measuring cup. Crush with a wooden spoon - I like mine really finely crushed, so there are no big chunks of mint. Add 1/4 cup white rum (such as Bacardi Silver) and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice; stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour in 1/4 cup chilled club soda - I discovered the delightfully quaint seltzer water sold in an old-fashioned glass bottle from Boylan Bottle Co. and couldn't resist buying it.

Looks like their sodas are vegan-friendly, too, so check them out: www.boylanbottling.com

Place 1/2 cup ice cubes in a tall glass. Pour in the mojito mixture, and serve immediately! This makes enough for 1 drink of 240 calories. Keep extra limes and mint around, because people will want to make their own.

Cost:
mint $1.99
limes $0.66
club soda $1.50

Individual Tiramisu Trifles

I saw this recipe and thought it sounded divine, only then to discover that there exists no such thing on the market as vegan ladyfingers. Ladyfingers being almost entirely made of eggs, I guess no one has bothered to produce a version that is vegan-friendly.

I was determined not to give up. I found one source online suggesting commercial vanilla wafers as a substitute, but this person must not realize that vanilla wafers (i.e. Nilla wafers from Nabisco) are also not vegan. Even organic varieties I found contained milk or egg ingredients.

Finally, I stumbled across a recipe for vegan tiramisu online, including vegan ladyfingers. It served quite a crowd though, whereas I only wanted my recipe to make 9 desserts. I decided perhaps I could cut their suggested recipe amounts by one-third, which is what I did, although it meant the quantities involved are sometimes odd. But here's how I made my 'ladyfingers':

Spoon 2/3 cup whole wheat flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon raw sugar and a dash of salt.

Make the equivalent of one egg using egg replacer (such as Ener-G). Combine with 1/3 cup plain soy milk (such as Silk), 1 tablespoon agave nectar (in place of honey) and 2 teaspoons canola oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir just until moist.

Coat an 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and pour the batter into the bottom of the pan, spreading to cover evenly (it will only be about a 1/2-inch thick layer). Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Cut these "ladyfingers" into small cubes - crosswise 6 times and 15 times lengthwise so you have 90 small cubes total. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup cold strong brewed coffee with 3 tablespoons marsala wine. I made the mistake a) of not giving my coffee enough time to cool all the way and b) using a French press which I really didn't understand how to use, ergo I ended up with a lot of coffee granules floating around by accident. Oh well; you win some you lose some. Set aside.

Beat 12 ounces (about 3/4 cup) of softened vegan cream cheese (such as Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese) until smooth, then gradually beat in 3/4 cup raw sugar.

In each of 9 wineglasses, place 5 'ladyfinger' cubes. Top with 1 tablespoon coffee mixture and 1 and 1/2 tablespoons 'cream cheese' mixture. Repeat the layers in all 9 glasses. Sprinkle the tops evenly with 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder.

Cover and chill for at least one hour, although you can make these up to a day ahead, which makes them a great dessert for a dinner party. Each individual trifle is 230 calories.

Cost:
Marsala $7.99
vegan cream cheese $3.49

'Italian Sausage' and Fennel Lasagna

Sausages proved a slightly trickier vegan imitation meat to find; vegetarian options abound - Boca, LightLife - but contain eggs. Tofurkey, however, makes sausages that are certified vegan in several flavors, including Italian sausage and Kielbasa (Polish sausage). The original recipe actually called for a 10-ounce package of Boca's Italian sausage, but since it wasn't vegan, I went with Tofurkey. Tofurkey's sausages are sold by the 14-ounce package, however, so I only used 2 of the 4 sausages for this recipe and set the other 2 aside for later!

I also had to do some vegan substituting for cottage cheese and ricotta, which basically meant tofu, tofu, and more tofu. Make the 'cottage cheese' ahead of time by combining 12 ounces of lite firm tofu with 3 teaspoons lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. salt; mash with a fork until the mixture resembles cottage cheese and then chill - ideally about 5 hours, although I only had time to chill mine for 3.

Simply crumbling lite silken tofu does a nice job of imitation ricotta, but you won't need that until later...

Okay, so with all of those vegan necessities aside, here's the dish! This one feeds a crowd:

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups chopped fennel and 1 and 1/2 cups chopped onion; saute for 5 minutes.

Add 4 and 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used the pasta sauce from Amy's, which is certified vegan), 1/2 cup water, 2 chopped meatless Italian sausages (or approximately 10 ounces worth), and 1 (8-ounce) can of tomato sauce. The original recipe called for a no-salt-added tomato sauce, which unfortunately I couldn't find, so I figured my sodium levels could suffer for one night.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, combine your pre-made 'cottage cheese' in a blender with the equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer (such as Ener-G); process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1 cup crumbled lite silken tofu in place of ricotta, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning and 2 minced garlic cloves.

The original recipe called for pre-cooked lasagna noodles, but I couldn't find an organic variety that was sold this way. So while the sauce simmered, I also cooked 9 lasagna noodles (8 ounces) according to package directions. Drain in a sieve and immediately rinse with cold water.

To assemble the lasagna: spread 1 and 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Top with 3/4 cup 'ricotta' mixture, 1 and 3/4 cups sauce mixture and 1/3 cup shredded vegan mozzarella (such as Galaxy Foods). Repeat the layers - 3 noodles, 3/4 cups 'ricotta', 1 and 3/4 cups sauce, 1/3 cup mozzarella.

Top with the final 3 noodles. Spread any remaining sauce mixture over the top - I had quite a lot left - probably over 2 cups worth! I hope this was intended. Oddly enough, I also had a lot of 'ricotta' mixture leftover, which almost made me feel I was supposed to have another layer in there somewhere, but I ended up just discarding the excess 'ricotta'.

Coat a piece of aluminum foil with cooking spray and cover the lasagna (I assumed coated-side down). Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle with an additional 1/3 cup + 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella. Continue baking, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This makes enough to serve 8; each piece is 390 calories.

Cost:
fennel $2.69
onion $0.94
spaghetti sauce $15.98 (for 2 cans, though I had some excess!)
meatless Italian sausage $2.99
canned tomato sauce $1.09
lite firm tofu $2.69
lasagna noodles $2.99
vegan mozzarella $3.39