This Months Free Recipes - Barbara Kerr

Deuteronomy 26:2 You shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.

Honey Mustard Tofu Steaks

1 pound (or 14-ounce container) extra-firm water-packed tofu
1/3 cup Vegenaise or favorite soy mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 can (2.8 ounces) Durkee French-fried onions

1. Drain and cut tofu lengthwise into four equal rectangles. Pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a small bowl, mix Vegenaise, mustard, honey and salt together to make sauce.

3. In a separate bowl, crush onions into crumbs. (Bowl should be wide enough to set a tofu steak in it.)

4. With a pastry brush, apply a generous coating of sauce to one side of tofu steak. Press that side into onion crumbs. Brush top with sauce, turn over and press into crumbs. Place in an oiled 9 x 13-inch pan, and repeat with remaining tofu.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly and browning on top. Serve hot with extra honey mustard sauce for dipping.

Makes four quarter-pound servings or eight small servings

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Savory Autumn Leaf Pies

You can make these pies up to two weeks ahead, wrap them in parchment paper and store them in the freezer in an airtight container.

DOUGH
4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup Sucanat
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup soymilk (unsweetened)

FOR ASSEMBLY
Prepared fillings (see below)
Leaf-shaped 4-inch cookie cutters, two different designs
Pure maple syrup
Lite coconut milk, soymilk or canola oil

1. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. Level off with a knife. Add the salt and Sucanat. Mix well. Stir in the oil until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the soymilk all at once and mix well. Dough will appear to be too wet. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes.

2. Using a dishcloth, dampen the counter space where you will be rolling out the dough. Immediately cover the area with two pieces of plastic wrap to form a large square. Divide dough into two equal pieces and cover unused portion.

3. Sprinkle plastic-covered area with a tablespoon of flour, and press dough into a round disk over flour. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top of the dough. Cover disk with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll out 1/8-inch thick.

4. Lifting plastic wrap and all, lift dough onto a large cutting board or cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Repeat procedure with remaining dough. Prepare fillings.

HARVEST VEGETABLE FILLING
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and diced into quarter-inch pieces
1 parsnip, peeled and diced into quarter-inch pieces
1/3 cup onion, diced small
1/2 cup broccoli, diced small
3/4 teaspoon salt Pinch of cayenne

Sauté all until tender. Filling should not be juicy. Remove from heat and set aside. Fills approximately 11 leaf pies.

APPLE-ONION FILLING
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sweet onion, diced small
1/8 cup Sucanat
1/4 cup apple cider
1 medium to small Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced small (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 scant teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Sauté onion and sucanat in olive oil just until onion begins to brown. Add cider and apple and continue to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Add salt and thyme leaves and stir well. Mixture should be thick. Remove from heat and set aside. Fills approximately 9 leaf pies.

ASSEMBLING THE PIES
1. Set oven temperature to 375º. Line two flat baking stones or cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Remove dough from refrigerator.

2. Using leaf-shaped cutters, cut out 6 leaves of each shape from the dough, 12 total. Put a level tablespoon of harvest-vegetable filling on 6 leaves and a level tablespoon of apple-onion filling on the remaining 6 leaves; set aside.

3. Cut out 12 more leaves from the remaining dough. Using a toothpick, etch veins on the leaves. Brush the edges of each filled leaf with water, and top with a matching veined leaf. Carefully press the edges together to seal the pies.

4. Brush each apple-onion pie with maple syrup and each vegetable pie with lite coconut milk or soymilk, or just spray lightly with canola oil. Bake pies 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Scalloped Pumpkin and Potatoes

This recipe can be made a day ahead and reheated

1/2 small cooking pumpkin, seeded, cut into 1-inch wedges
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds white baking potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices (about six cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
5 slices Veggie Cheese, American flavor (Galaxy Foods)
1/8 cup pine nuts
1 3/4 cup soymilk
3 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour

1. Place pumpkin wedges in steaming basket and cook till tender. Remove from heat, cool and peel. Cut wedges in half and then into 1/8-inch strips.

2. In the bottom of a 10- or 11-inch quiche dish, drizzle a tablespoon of the olive oil; spread evenly.

3. Scrub and slice the potatoes, leaving the skins on. If your potatoes look greenish, you'll need to peel them.

4. Spread half the potatoes on the bottom of the dish, top with half of the pumpkin slices. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt evenly over potatoes. Measure out 1/8 teaspoon cayenne into your hand. Using your fingers, carefully sprinkle half of the cayenne over the potatoes. Put the rest on a spoon for later use. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the potato mixture. Unwrap the cheese slices and place evenly over potatoes. Repeat layers of potato, pumpkin, salt and cayenne. Do not drizzle oil on the top layer or add any additional cheese.

5. In a saucepan, heat remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add 3 tablespoons pastry flour to hot oil. Whisk until bubbly and just beginning to brown. Add soymilk all at once. Whisk to smooth. Bring to a boil until thickening begins.

6. Remove from heat and pour over potato mixture. Top with finely chopped pine nuts. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes until top is browning.

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Frozen Cranberry-Pineapple Squares

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple tidbits, in their own juice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice (see step 1)
1 box (12.3 ounces) Mori-Nu extra-firm silken tofu
1 envelope (3.85 ounces) Mori-Nu Mates vanilla pudding mix Slivered almonds and 8 cranberries, cut in half, for garnish

1. Wash and sort cranberries. Over medium heat, cook pineapple, all the juice from the can and cranberries just until berries begin to pop. Remove from heat. Drain fruit and set aside, reserving 1/2 cup of liquid.

2. In a blender, combine reserved juice and tofu. Blend until smooth. Add pudding mix and blend until smooth, scraping down sides of blender two or three times. Add drained fruit and blend.

3. Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper and pour in the fruit salad mixture. Smooth out; cover with plastic wrap and freeze. 4. When ready to serve, remove from freezer and let stand for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove plastic wrap and place a flat square platter upside-down on the frozen mixture. Carefully turn over and remove parchment paper. Using a sharp, nonserrated paring knife, cut into 16 equal squares. Garnish top of each square with a few slivered almonds and half a cranberry. Put back into freezer until ready to serve.

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Caramel Apples

For a festive holiday look, wash and dry six big, colorful maple leaves. Lightly spray each leaf with oil and place the finished apples on them to serve. You are bound to hear squeals of delight when serving these delicious caramel apples.

1 1/4 cups Sucanat
1 cup lite coconut milk
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
6 small Granny Smith apples or favorite tart variety
1 1/2 cups raw or roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped, or favorite nut

1. In a medium saucepan, bring Sucanat, coconut milk, oil and vanilla to a low rolling boil. Clamp your candy thermometer to the side of the pan, making sure the bottom of the thermometer is not resting against the bottom of the pan. Slowly bring the mixture to 260 degrees F, stirring often. This will take about 20 minutes. You do not want to bring the mixture to this temperature too quickly, as it doesn't allow proper evaporation time for the liquids.

2. While the mixture heats, prepare apples. Use cold apples for best results. Wash and dry completely. You can insert Popsicle sticks, round chopsticks or small clean twigs for a festive touch.

3. Place a piece of parchment paper on the counter with the apples on top of it. Remove the caramel from the heat as soon as it reaches the proper temperature. Working quickly, swirl the apples in the caramel and then roll them in the nuts. Place on parchment and allow to cool.

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Burnt-Sugar Pecan Pumpkin Pie

This pie has a light, delicate, two-layered custard-like center. You won't be disappointed!

1 prepared Perfect Pie Crust (recipe follows; you'll need only one 9-inch crust)
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
2/3 cup Sucanat
2 teaspoon pure vanilla
2 envelopes (1 tablespoon each) Emes kosher gelatin
1 1/2 cups lite coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup pecan halves

1. In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup and Sucanat to a low rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Add the remaining ingredients except pecan halves. Whisk together until well blended.

2. Roll out pie dough and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Cut off excess dough. Roll out remaining dough and cut out 12 two-inch leaf cutouts and 11 one-inch leaf cutouts. Using water attach the two-inch cutouts around the edges of the piecrust. They will touch slightly. Set aside the smaller leaf cutouts for step 4.

3. Pour filling into pie plate and top with pecans. I float the pecans in two spoke-like circles. (The first circle forms an outer wide ring, then I leave a one-inch space and make a smaller circle close to the center of the pie.) Carefully place the pie into the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees F.

4. Bake the one-inch leaf cutouts on a cookie sheet or piece of foil for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. After removing the pie from the oven, you can float the one-inch leaves between the two rings of pecans. Please remove pie with caution from the oven. It will not set up until chilled. After the pie has cooled to room temperature, refrigerate it for four to six hours before serving.

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Perfect Pie Crust

Makes enough for a 9-inch double-crust pie.

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Sucanat
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soymilk

1. Stir together dry ingredients. Add oil, and mix until fine crumbs form. Add soymilk all at once. Stir quickly and thoroughly. Allow mixture to sit for five minutes. (Mixture will look too wet).

2. Dampen countertop. Cover the space with plastic wrap, sprinkle a tablespoon of flour, then add dough. Form dough into a round disk, cover with another piece of plastic wrap, and roll out. This crust is quite moist. Keep covered until ready to put in pie plate.

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Hot Spiced Concord Grape Juice

This recipe is easy to double for large holiday gatherings.

2 1 can Welch's 100-percent grape juice, frozen concentrate
3 cans water
4 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

In a medium stockpot, combine the concentrate, water, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. If possible, allow to sit for several hours while flavors blend. Reheat and serve warm.

Makes 2 quarts .

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Mini-Pumpkin Candle Holders

Assorted mini-pumpkins, squash, or gourds
Biscuit cutter (1 1/2 inches round)
Small melon baller
Tea-light candles

1. The outer skin of the mini-pumpkin is quite tough and requires a little patience to cut through. Center your biscuit cutter on the top of the pumpkin and turn back and forth until the blade cuts through the skin about 1/8 inch.

2. Remove the biscuit cutter and using the edge of the melon baller, begin removing the flesh. Once inside the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds and make the opening large enough to fit the tea-lights.

3. Place a candle into the pumpkin, making sure not to push it in too far. These holders can be floated in water for a stunning centerpiece. Using an oblong dish, float mini-pumpkins, apples, nuts and cranberries for a festive center to your holiday table.

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Pumpkin Vase

1 large pumpkin (green and white varieties are charming)
Marking pen
Large knife
Large metal spoon
Jar to fit inside pumpkin (optional)
Seasonal flowers

1. With the marking pen, draw a line around the top of the pumpkin to make a circle 2 inches from the stem.

2. With the tip of the large knife, cut into the pumpkin at any spot on the line.

3. Following the line, cut off the top of the pumpkin, and scrape out all fibers.

4. Using the metal spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds and fibers from the inside of the pumpkin.

5. Choose a jar that fits inside the pumpkin. Fill it with water and arrange flowers in it. Or if you prefer, simply fill the pumpkin itself with water and then arrange the flowers. (With a jar of water, the vase will last several days. Otherwise, count on using the vase for only a single day, perhaps two at the most.)