Snack Oat Bars with Whole Lemon and Ginger

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Today, the whole-lemon train pulls into the snack station. It takes a minute to slice up the lemon and grate the ginger for these guys, but otherwise, they require absolutely no sweat. Your reward is a more complex lemon snack that includes tart pulp plus floral peel accented by bitter pith—all hugged in a chewy, mildly sweet blend of whole wheat and oats.

These bars are way more substantial than your average supermarket cereal bar, so they'll keep you satisfied for a good minute as a snack. And if you happen to have some vegan vanilla ice cream in the freezer, feel free to put a scoop atop a square for a fuss-free weeknight dessert.

Snack Oat Bars with Whole Lemon and Ginger

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serves 9 generously

1 very large lemon (or 2 small), scrubbed

knob of fresh ginger, 1 1/2 inches long by 1 inch wide, peeled

1/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup turbinado

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk

Trim one end off the lemon so you can see the pulp (discard pithy end). Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the lemon into paper-thin slices. It's far more important to get thin slices than it is to get whole slices, so concentrate on the paper-thin bit, and don't worry if you only get half-slices (or even less sometimes). Transfer to a small mixing bowl. Use a Microplane zester to grate ginger into mixing bowl. Add natural cane sugar to mixing bowl and gently toss until thoroughly mixed—this may take a minute, and don't worry if a lemon slice (or two) breaks. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 with a rack placed in the center.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together oats, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Separately, whisk together applesauce and milk. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined.

Add a generous half of batter to a nonstick (or greased) 8"x8" pan. Press dough firmly and evenly into pan. Spread lemons evenly over dough. Pour any sugar and lemon juice in the bottom of the bowl over the lemon layer. Sprinkle remaining dough evenly in blobs atop lemons and press gently into a top layer (it should mostly cover the lemons, but you may have a spot or two of the lemon layer showing through).

Bake 37-40 minutes, until golden. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting.

The Basics No. 5: The MSV Waffle

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For a basic recipe, this isn't a standard waffle. But it's my standard waffle, the recipe I make when I make waffles. These guys start with all-purpose flour, but get an assist from cornmeal, which adds extra flavor, color, and a mildly rustic texture. And this recipe isn't a quick batter: these waffles get their loft—not to mention even more flavor—from active dry yeast.

They're still dead simple to throw together, thanks to the fact that the yeast batter sits overnight to develop. Which also means you're measuring your flour out the night before instead of first thing in the morning, which I consider a bonus, too.

Finally, there's the faintest hint of warmth from the addition of ancho liqueur, and it's matched by an equal amount of orange liqueur. The effect is seriously subtle (you might never have noticed it if you didn't know it was in there).

All of these tweaks are gentle—the cornmeal, the yeast, and the liqueur. So when you get ready to drizzle on the maple syrup and tuck into these waffles, you still feel like you're sitting down to a pretty classic breakfast dish. Just with more notes than toasted wheat and syrup. If you have a mild sweet tooth, especially when it comes to breakfast, then you may make this your go-to waffle, too. If not, give it a shot when you find yourself in need of a twist.

The MSV Waffle

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yields 12 waffles, adapted from Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

2 cups unsweetened soy milk

6 TBSP canola oil

2 TBSP Ancho Reyes ancho chile liqueur

2 TBSP orange liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier rouge

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, yeast, and salt. Whisk in milk. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator. Let sit overnight.

In the morning, heat your waffle iron. (If your waffle iron does not have a nonstick surface, grease the iron before adding batter.) When ready, beat canola oil and liqueurs into batter. Add one-quarter cup batter to each square of the iron and cook according to the manufacturer's directions, until crisp and deeply golden on the outside. Serve at once. (If you need to wait and serve the waffles all at once, hold finished waffles in a warm oven to keep them crisp while you cook the rest.)

Party Animals No. 55; On the Town No. 3: A (Calcotada-Inspired) Backyard Barbecue

Another hasty photo essay:

My pal Elaine hosted a great-big onion-grilling party (inspired by the Catalan calcotada tradition). For you fellow East Tennesseeans, consider this a suggestion for celebrating ramp season come March. I co-hosted the cookout, insofar as I helped make some stuff and invited some friends. My contributions:

1. Bread! Crusty, beautiful boules from the famously tried-and-true Sullivan Street Bakery recipe.

2. White wine-braised white beans and garlic, served in adorable mugs along with that bread.

3. Miso-marinated, thinly sliced portobello mushrooms topped with lemon zest, pistachios, and arugula—highly recommended.

4. Vegetables roasted whole, served alongside the grilled onions with a romesco-type sauce and Elaine's beautiful mixed-herb sauce.

After munching on the veggie courses out of doors, we were driven inside by light sleet and the disappearance of the last ray of sun. And thus officially began the indoor-party season. Happy November, and I'll be back soon with a new recipe.

Party Animals No. 46: Thanksgiving 2016

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The all-vegan MSV Thanksgiving table for 2016 went a little something like this:

To welcome our guests, a version of this spiced pear and ginger cocktail. Totally lovely. This'll definitely show up on the MSV entertaining table again. (Also, I went a little bananas and made botanical drawings to accompany all the items.) Get my (slightly simplified) version of this great cocktail here.

Tofu-pecan loaf and fluffy biscuits (same as last year).

A lackluster citrus and green bean salad that I'll replace next year. Win some, lose some.

Cranberry relish, same as ever.

A first stab at horchata cheesecake that decidedly needs more tests. Still tasted good, though.

And, finally, the pleasant surprise of the year. I tweaked my regular dressing to streamline the process. I replaced the corn bread (which I used to bake a day or two before) with store-bought prepared polenta, replaced the figs (which I used to soak and chop) with already-small currants, and took the walnuts down just a bit. The result is totally dreamy and a little more harmonious than my old dressing. This couldn't have worked better. I seriously recommend this recipe over the old one. The polenta's creaminess adds an unbeatable textural improvement that I refuse to do without from here on.

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If you got a long weekend, I hope it was lovely.

MSV subscribers (you can join their ranks if you haven't already) got a little note about this in their emails, but I'm taking this week off, leaving the blog quiet for now while the East Tennessee communities try to work through this week's damage in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and nearby towns.

See you again soon.

Savory Tarragon and Black Pepper Loaf

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If you find yourself regularly wishing savory snacks were as easy to grab on the run as sweet ones, today's recipe is going to help you out.

This simple savory quick bread is dense, moist, and seriously tasty. Fresh tarragon lends it fragrance while freshly cracked black pepper gives it heat. A touch of sugar both takes the edge off the tarragon and pulls out the flavor of the modest dose of cornmeal you'll throw in.

The loaf makes a great snack all on its own and plays extremely well with fruit jams. If you're in search of an easy meal, it also makes a really lovely tartine with Dijon mustard, seared tempeh, fresh apple slices (hello, fall), and a little arugula. And probably any other open-faced sandwich you can dream up.

Savory Tarragon and Black Pepper Loaf

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yields 8 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional—assists binding)

1 TBSP finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt, such as Silk brand

1/4 cup canola oil

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Heat oven to 350. Oil a 9x5" loaf pan.

Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and psyllium husk powder, if using. Stir in salt, pepper, and tarragon.

Separately, whisk together milk, yogurt, oil, and sugar. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until combined. Transfer batter to loaf pan and bake 43-45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Carefully and gradually work the loaf loose from the sides and bottom of the pan with a very thin metal spatula. Turn out onto wire rack and let cool. Leftovers should be wrapped tightly, but keep well for several days at room temperature.

Maple-Pecan French Toast

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September: sounds like fall, still feels mostly like summer. And this indulgent brunch dish is the perfect solution to your new cravings. All the bread, maple, and nuts associated with the cooler season without turning on the oven.

Start with a couple thick slices of sourdough, cook 'em up, and finish the whole thing off by taking an extra few minutes to put together a seriously luscious maple sauce packed with a pile of crunchy toasted pecans. So good. And so perfect for easy entertaining.

Maple-Pecan French Toast

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serves 2

For the French toast:

2 TBSP chickpea flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 tsp coconut oil

2 half-inch-thick slices sourdough, such as Knoxville Sourdough

For the maple-pecan sauce:

2 TBSP chopped raw, unsalted pecans

2 TBSP maple syrup (grade B preferred)

2 TBSP full-fat canned coconut milk

1 TBSP turbinado

1 tsp coconut oil

pinch fine sea or kosher salt

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dry toast pecan pieces for several minutes, tossing frequently, until very fragrant.

Meanwhile, measure out chickpea flour, cinnamon, and salt into a wide bowl. Measure out all maple sauce ingredients, except pecans, into a small sauce pan. Set aside.

When pecans are toasted, transfer to a small plate to let cool. Return skillet to heat. Add two teaspoons coconut oil to skillet. Whisk milk into chickpea flour mixture. Press bread, one slice at a time, into chickpea batter, pressing each side in for 10-15 seconds. Carefully add bread to hot skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden. Reduce heat to medium-low, flip, and cook another 3-4 minutes, or until golden. Transfer to plates.

While French toast cooks, bring maple sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat immediately to medium-low and let simmer, stirring very frequently, until thickened, but still loose enough to pour, 3-5 minutes. (If you're not sure how thick to make it, err on the side of the mixture being too thin so you don't wind up with candy stuck to your pan.)

Remove sauce from heat, stir in toasted pecans, and divide sauce over French toast. Serve at once.

Party Animals No. 42: Big Ears Brunch 2016

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Welcome to the recap for the third annual brunch squeezed in around the most unbelievable music festival that rolls up to the MSV front door each year.

The only thing luckier than living in the middle of the action on these weekends is having a friend who brings the main dish to brunch so you don't have to sweat it:

My pal Casey brought these tempeh hand pies: squares of puff pastry stuffed with flaked tempeh spiced up sausage-style. Awfully tasty, and a totally fun brunch main.

But before those (and after coffee), festive drinks:

To the left, peach lambic and rye sangria. Sounds good, right? Alas, this is too sweet for MSV. Even with a particularly spicy rye added, there's just no escaping the cloying nature of Lindemans peach. Live and learn. And stick with raspberry or black currant.

To the right, a frosty pitcher of booze-free pomegranate-black tea punch. Rather nice.

There were also vieux mot makings available, substituting grapefruit for lemon juice since there was a good bit of grapefruit juice left from segmenting these lovelies:

Also on the table, but not pictured (oops) were almond-crusted thin green beans. Nut-crusted vegetables are the best—especially when you can eat 'em with your paws—and they make for a substantial menu item without piling on more starchy carbs. Because there were plenty of those otherwise:

It's time to thank Mollie Katzen for instructing us to toss potatoes in far more Dijon mustard than you'd think was advisable before roasting them up. It works. So well. (Those are only half the potatoes—there's no pan here that fits four pounds in anything close to a single layer.)

And oh yeah, dill. Seriously dreamy.

Finally, the baked goods tray:

That's a jar of strawberry chia jam and a bowl of blueberry cream cheese (frozen wild blueberries simmered in a bit of brandy and lemon juice, then stirred into Tofutti cream cheese—Kite Hill brand was too salty). And so we'd have something to smear all that good stuff on, two types of muffins. To the right are Isa's lemon-poppy muffins (those are roughly regular homemade size, and the others are jumbo because the MSV kitchen can only bake 18 muffins at once). To the left, gluten-free vegan cinnamon-sugar muffins:

Embarrassingly enough, without the finishing sugar. There's supposed to be a sprinkle of turbinado up top to really drive that recipe title home, but it was forgotten, and that's what we get for being human. Still tasty, though (and a successful first go at gluten-free baking for our very first gluten-free guest).

Gluten-Free Cinnamon-Sugar Muffins

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yields 12 muffins

170 g white rice flour

35 g brown rice flour

35 g blanched almond meal

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 TBSP baking powder

1 TBSP psyllium husk powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 TBSP turbinado, for topping

Heat oven to 375. Oil a muffin tin.

Sift together dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir just until combined. Add batter to muffin tin. Sprinkle turbinado on top.

Bake 23-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack before loosening sides gently with a thin spatula. Transfer muffins from pan to the wire rack and let cool completely.

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Back next week with a new recipe. Until then, happy brunching.

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Brown Sugar-Pepita Topping

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That's one satisfying loaf, right there. You could make breakfast, snacks, or even a modest dessert of it. It's a gently sweetened number that's generously spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

That combination ensures this cake is ready to take on a top layer of crunchy little pepitas and a nice sprinkle of turbinado before baking. Together, they make for a fabulous and effortless finishing touch.

Cut a thick slice and enjoy the simple sugar-and-spice combination as it is, or since the loaf isn't terribly sweet on its own, feel free to smear on a little jam to add a burst of fruit.

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Brown Sugar-Pepita Topping

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8 oz all-purpose flour (app. 1 2/3 cups)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup canola or other neutral-tasting veg oil

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 TBSP turbinado

2 TBSP raw hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Heat oven to 325.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Whisk together applesauce, oil, milk, and 1/3 cup sugar. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.

Scrape batter into a nonstick 9x5 loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle pepitas evenly over the top. Repeat with turbinado. Bake 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let cool 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen sides with a plastic spatula, carefully remove from pan, and let cool completely on rack.

Party Animals No. 39: Thanksgiving 2015

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MSV's real, live, all-vegan table for 2015:

• Sangria
• Tofu-Pecan Loaf
• Biscuits
• Mashed Potatoes
• Wild Mushroom-Chickpea Gravy
• Cranberry Relish
• Spiced Walnut-Fig Cornbread Dressing
• Mixed Citrus Green Salad
• Apple Cake

The tofu loaf is a slight variation on these tofu-pecan meatballs. The cranberries never get tweaked. You've seen those biscuits and dressing before (printable recipes here and here). The sangria is a bottle of Spanish grenache poured over a sliced orange, a couple handfuls of pineapple chunks, and a small chopped pear. Chill for several hours and drink it down in a fraction of that time.

The salad is 5 oz spring mix tossed in a dressing of equal parts black cherry concentrate, apricot jam, and olive oil with a dose of finely chopped mint. That all gets topped with two oranges, two grapefruit, and a handful of toasted pistachio (serves 4-6). The apple cake is from The Joy of Vegan Baking, and is always pretty. Even when you don't line up your apple slices just so.

The new kid on the table this year actually made its first appearance last year. (In fact, last year's table was such a winner, this year ended up mirroring it almost exactly.) But it's getting shared this year. It's pretty lovable: earthy, thick, and with two kinds of pepper, it's a great addition to any spud (or tofu-pecan loaf). You'll want to whip it up all winter long, holiday or no.

Wild Mushroom-Chickpea Gravy

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yield will vary based on desired consistency

1/2 oz dried wild mushrooms

2 whole black peppercorns

1/4 cup chickpea flour

2 TBSP olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Use a coffee grinder to grind the mushrooms and black peppercorns into a fine powder. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add mushroom powder and chickpea flour. Toast, tossing very frequently, until fragrant, a couple of minutes.

Whisk together oil, broth, and all herbs and spices. Add half the liquid to the pot in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in other half of liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook, whisking frequently, until thickened to the desired consistency. Adjust salt, if needed.

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Hope anyone who gets a long weekend enjoys it. See you back here next week.

(Double Brandied) Breakfast Fig-Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

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Let's be clear: don't make these for dessert. They're something like the British scone of cinnamon rolls, low-key and firmly in the breakfast arena of sweetness. But you can bump up the sugar factor by drizzling on some extra glaze, which is thin and spiked with a touch of brandy.

What you get with these instead of a syrupy filling is a thicker, deeply aromatic and satisfying blend of black figs, buttery walnuts, a hit of brandy, and, naturally, cinnamon. Your biggest challenge while making these will be resisting the filling long enough to spread it on dough.

Speaking of the dough, it's the very definition of cooperative. And streamlined, to boot. With only five dough ingredients, and this much aromatherapy, your late-winter breakfasts are covered. Make a batch on the weekend (or whenever you have time to let dough rise), and pop the leftovers in the freezer to grab on any given morning. Feel pampered all week long.

(Double Brandied) Breakfast Fig-Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

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yields 8 rolls

For the dough:

1 1/3 cups full-fat canned coconut milk, at room temperature

2 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 TBSP active dry yeast

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups all-purpose flour

For the Brandied Fig-Walnut Paste:

1 cup dried black Mission figs, stems removed

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup raw, unsalted walnuts

1 TBSP brandy

1 TBSP turbinado (or brown) sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP full-fat canned coconut milk

1 tsp brandy

Begin by preparing the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, sugar, and yeast. Proof 10 minutes. Add salt and flour (flour should be measure by spooning flour into measuring cup, then leveling). Mix with paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough comes together that can be kneaded. Switch to dough hook and knead until smooth and springy, 3-5 minutes.

Lightly oil a mixing bowl, add dough, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let double in size (this could take anywhere from 45-90 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen).

While the dough rises, prepare the fig-walnut paste by simmering figs in water, covered, for 10 minutes. Grind walnuts to a fine meal in a coffee grinder. Combine figs with any remaining liquid, walnut meal, brandy, sugar, and cinnamon in a quart jar and puree with an immersion blender. Set aside.

When the dough is ready, punch down and transfer to a floured surface. Let rest 5 minutes. Oil a cookie sheet. Roll dough into a 12"x12" square. Heat the fig paste in the microwave for 1 minute to soften (it firms up as it sits), and working quickly, spread the mixture evenly over the surface of the dough with the back of a spoon. Roll up, pinch closed, and cut into 8 even slices. Transfer to prepared cookie sheet, cover again with the kitchen towel, and let rise until puffed and roughly doubled, 30-45 minutes (or longer, if needed).

Heat oven to 375. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Meanwhile, whisk together glaze ingredients. Let cool 5-10 minutes and serve with glaze.

Blueberry-Maple Polenta Snack Cake

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First, this is a streamlined, flavor-profile tweaked, and wheat-based version of this, so thanks to her. Second, this one isn't cheap, because it calls for a heap of totally gorgeous grade B maple syrup.

If it helps, know that splurging on this cake gets you a two-fer. Not only does it make a totally satisfying breakfast, snack, or moderately sweet dessert, it's also a fantastic dose of aromatherapy. Crunchy, toasted polenta along with fragrant maple syrup and a hint of nutmeg demand that you cut a slice, bring it to your nose, and breathe deep. Once you finish savoring the scent—take your time—feel free to take a bite into all those lovely blueberries.

Blueberry-Maple Polenta Snack Cake

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adapted from here

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup polenta (coarsely ground corn meal)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 350. Oil and flour a (app. 9"x5") loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together polenta, flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, syrup, and apple sauce.

Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until almost combined (a few pockets of flour remaining). Add blueberries and fold until just incorporated. The batter will be quite thick.

Spoon batter into loaf pan and smooth top. Bake 45-50 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the edges are beginning to turn golden. Remove pan from oven and cool on wire rack before unmolding.

Party Animals No. 28: Big Ears 2014 Sunday Brunch ftr. Sweet & Spicy Sweet Potato-Prune-Pecan Tamales

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The Big Ears Festival is a big deal around the MSV house. Since it revived this year after a too-long hiatus, we decided to make it an even bigger deal by hosting brunch on the final morning of the fest. The menu:

• sweet & spicy sweet potato-prune-pecan tamales served with maple syrup and a rich coconut-lime spread
• refried beans served with avocado slices and habanero salsa
• broiled grits cakes
• jicama-grapefruit salad with sweet citrus-mint dressing
• tortilla chips and mild tomato salsa
• ginger-mango agua fresca
• lime-cucumber-mint agua fresca

We cannot get over how great these tamales are. Tons of flavor, but with a fairly short list of ingredients, these little guys hit our homestyle culinary sweet spot. And since the filling is fairly firm at room temperature (it does soften upon steaming), these tamales are some of the easiest to assemble you may ever find.

And note that we had extra dough left, which we formed into plain tamales, and they rival the filled ones for our affections. Like biscuits or tortillas, tamales without fillings make wonderful meal accompaniments, and we found these particularly charming. (Plus, dead simple to form.)

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Sweet Potato-Prune-Pecan Tamales

yields about 30 filled tamales, plus another 6 or so plain

For the filling

3 cups chopped pecans

3 cups (about 60) prunes, roughly chopped

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

1 ½ tsp chipotle powder

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

For the dough

24 oz sweet potato, peeled, diced, and boiled until very tender

¾ tsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

3 TBSP maple syrup

3 ¾ cups warm water

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp salt

1 TBSP baking powder

5 ¼ cup masa harina

To assemble:

corn husks, soaked for about an hour

Heat oven to 400 and toast pecans until darkened and fragrant, about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Transfer to a food processor and grind to a minced texture. Meanwhile, mash prunes with spices in a mortar and pestle (alternately, pulse in a food processor).

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cooked sweet potato, spices, syrup, and oil. Mix well. Add water and mix again. Sift together salt, baking powder, and masa harina. Add to the wet ingredients and mix with the paddle attachment until fluffy and smoothed out a bit. The dough will remain a little sticky.

Assemble tamales using 2-3 TBSP of dough and a generous TBSP of filling for each. Steam for 40-45 minutes.

If desired, serve with maple syrup and our Coconut-Lime Spread.

The coconut-lime spread is adapted from Saveur, but we found their version far too sweet for our liking. And that goes double when you're already offering maple syrup on the table. So we put the emphasis back on the richness of the coconut milk and ended up with a silky, totally luxuriant condiment.

Coconut-Lime Spread

yields 3/4 cup

1 can coconut milk

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/8 tsp pectin

zest of ½ lime

Simmer coconut milk and sugar until reduced to 3/4 cup, about an hour. Stir in pectin and zest. Cool and chill.

Next up, a note on our savory components. Our refried beans aren't actually refried at all, but simply well done and pulsed with an immersion blender and some added oil before serving. Many a meal has been made from them. And while the grits cakes are pretty irresistible handheld munchies, our favorite way to dig into both is to top the grits with the beans, then avocado, and a drizzle of spicy salsa.

To add a fresh element to the table, we combined crispy, juicy, earthy, gently sweet jicama with brightly colored, tart grapefruit and tossed it all in a dressing of mixed citrus and mint. Totally simple and a total winner.

Grapefruit-Jicama Salad with Sweet Citrus-Mint Dressing

2-3 large jicama, cut into matchsticks

4 grapefruit, peeled and segmented

¼ cup + 2 TBSP orange marmalade (bittersweet preferred)

¼ cup + 2 TBSP lime juice

¼ cup apple syrup

finely chopped mint leaves from about 3-4 sprigs, or to taste

Whisk together marmalade, lime juice, syrup, and mint. Pour over jicama and toss well. Add grapefruit and toss gently to distribute.

Since a pal was generous enough to offer to bring the day's cocktail--a tasty ginger-tequila-lime concoction we're bummed we didn't take a shot of--we had time to whip up a couple of refreshing and festive non-alcoholic options. The lime-cucumber-mint agua fresca seen above is total heaven alongside the habanero salsa. Highly recommended for the warm months when you find yourself with a stack of grits, beans, avocado, and salsa. Which we expect we often will.

Also on the table was a ginger-mango agua fresca (which we also failed to shoot) that can certainly be had alone, but mixes well with bubbly, which another guest was kind enough to provide. For an even lighter alcoholic drink option (because seriously, some of us have things to do after brunch), it mixes beautifully with light beer when garnished with a squeeze of lime. Summer in a glass.

Do note that both of these recipes offer guidelines when diluting the mixtures. Add as much or as little water as you like to get a light, refreshing result that you feel like you could drink all day. And finally, we really prefer turbinado sugar for these. If you choose to use white sugar, you'll likely need less than called for.

Lime-Cucumber-Mint Agua Fresca

24 oz cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced

1/2 cup lime juice

6 TBSP turbinado

3 cups water

3 sprigs mint

Puree all ingredients except mint. Add mint to a pitcher, pour the agua over it, and chill. Serve over ice.

Ginger-Mango Agua Fresca

20 oz thawed frozen mango

1/4 cup lime juice

2 oz ginger

1/4 cup turbinado

20 oz club soda

Puree all except sparkling water. Strain. Chill the liquefied mango and club soda separately. Add soda just before serving and mix well. Serve over ice.

And since it was also(!) another friend's birthday, we'll leave you with a little shot of a ganache tart we made using our cornmeal-bourbon shortbread recipe for the crust. Cheers!

Vegan Lemon Meringue French Toast

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This post is actually a two-fer, because it not only contains this completely fun vegan lemon meringue french toast, but our standard, loveable, dead-simple, cinnamon-laced french toast recipe serves as the base.

We're of the mind that this recipe sells itself, so in between shots of fluffy, barely sweetened vegan meringue, we're giving credit where credit is due, and there's plenty to go around.

The meringue is made from the gel that results from boiling flax seeds, and it was Miyoko Schinner who discovered this one. (Here, it's used as a soft, unbaked garnish, but the great folks at the PPK forums have done some additional work making flax meringue heat stable.)

Speaking of stability, this is fairly delicate stuff. It whips up great, but can't be held, so make sure you have your french toast prepped so you can serve it all up right when the meringue is done.

Whipping the flax gel is straightforward and takes only minutes, but you will need to plan ahead. It whips up best frozen and thawed, which takes time. So make the flax gel right now (really, right this minute), stick it in the freezer where it can sit until you're ready, then simply transfer to the fridge the night before you want to make this dish. Then the whole thing's done in less than 15 minutes.

And full disclosure: that stuff up there isn't lemon curd. It's a mango concoction we had left over from filling doughnuts (recipe soon!) after we ran out of our batch of lemon curd. It tends to go fast. Our totally tasty chamomile lemon curd--adapted from the infinitely useful Vegan Food Gifts--is smoother than what's pictured above, and only that brilliantly colored right after cooking:

Once chilled, which is when you'll actually use the stuff, the fat solids turn it pale and opaque:

And now what we all came for:

Vegan Lemon Meringue French Toast

Note: this recipe has been updated, September 2016

Print the recipes

serves 2 generously, inspiration from here

2 TBSP chickpea flour

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk (or other nondairy milk, or water)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch salt

2 tsp nondairy butter or coconut oil

2 large slices bread

lemon curd, recipe follows

vegan meringue, recipe follows

Whisk together chickpea flour, water, cinnamon, and salt.

Heat fat in a skillet over medium-medium-high heat. When thoroughly heated, dip each slice bread in the chickpea mixture, coating both sides, and cook for 3 minutes on each side, checking the second side after 2 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup for plain french toast or with lemon curd and meringue for lemon meringue french toast.

Chamomile Lemon Curd

yields 1 1/2 cups, adapted from Vegan Food Gifts

6 TBSP hot water

1 TBSP dried chamomile

1 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 3-4 lemons)

zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup nondairy butter

1/4 cup cornstarch

Steep chamomile in hot water for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid, and discard chamomile.

Bring sugar and lemon juice to a boil over high heat. As soon as it bubbles, reduce heat to medium. Stir in zest and butter. Stir until melted.

Whisk together chamomile tea and cornstarch until smooth. By now, the pot should be bubbling again. Add chamomile-cornstarch slurry to the pot and stir constantly until thickened, a few minutes. (When it's ready, the curd will begin to come away from the bottom of the pot as you stir.) Allow to cool, then chill.

Vegan Meringue

adapted from Miyoko Schinner

1/3 cup brown flax seeds

2 cups water

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 TBSP powdered sugar

1/8 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Add seeds and water to a small pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat as necessary to keep the pot from boiling over, but maintain a steady high simmer. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the strained gel measures 1/3 cup when you pour the whole mixture through a fine mesh sieve and give it a few good stirs to help release the gel a bit. (More volume, and it will be too delicate to reach stiff peak stage, at least that was our experience.) Reserve the seeds for another purpose.

Cool gel thoroughly, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer. (It should keep well for some time.) When ready to use, transfer to the refrigerator and let sit for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

Place the thawed gel in the bowl of a stand mixer (the gel may or may not still have a bit of ice crystals in it) fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high for a total of about 9 minutes. (An electric hand mixer will work, too.) Add the cream of tartar after the first couple of minutes, when the mixture turns opaque and begins to gain volume. Add the sugar after 7 minutes, when it should be near stiff peak. Add the vanilla extract at the very end and whip just until incorporated.

Baked Yeast Hush Puppies

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Last week, we promised a side dish that would perfectly complement our country comfort plate, and here it is. If you have a dutch oven and an extra hour or so to burn, you can have sunny, seriously seasoned hush puppies without the hassle of frying. They take very little effort, cake flour gives them a bit of fluff on the inside, and baking them in a dutch oven produces a satisfying, lightly chewy crust that makes these tough to put down.

Baked Yeast Hush Puppies

Print the recipe

yields 1 dozen

6 TBSP lukewarm water

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 cup grated yellow onion, juices included (or, process the onion into a chunky pulp in a food processor)

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup cake flour

1 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/8 tsp cayenne

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine water, yeast, oil, sugar, and onion in a mixing bowl. Whisk together flours, salt, and all seasoning. Add dry ingredients to wet and beat until very well combined. Form into a rough, shaggy ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise until a bit puffed, about an hour (up to two hours if your kitchen is cold).

Place a dutch oven with the cover inside your oven and preheat to 400.

Sprinkle a little cornmeal over the top of the dough and dust a clean work surface. With dampened hands, fold the dough over itself a few times. The dough will be quite wet, but will stick more to itself than it does to you. (If you're having trouble working with it, wet your hands again. If it’s still unwieldy, add a bit more flour.) Form the dough into 12 balls, placing them on the floured surface as you work. Sprinkle a little more cornmeal over the tops and cover again. Let rest for 30 minutes (up to an hour in a cold room).

Carefully transfer the dough balls to the hot dutch oven, placing them an inch apart. Replace the lid and bake 12 minutes. Remove the lid, bake another 3 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. (Note: we used a 5-qt dutch oven that required us to bake these in two batches. If you need to do the same, instructions do not vary for the second batch.)

MSV's Favorite Breakfast: Dead Simple Jumbo Blueberry Buckwheat Pancake Filled with Almond Butter

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If you like earthy, gently sweet, dense, freshly baked handheld foods, then boy, have we ever got you covered. This has been a staple for years in the MSV kitchen, and winter seems like a good time to share. Comforting and filling, it pairs perfectly with a cup of strong, black coffee and easily takes you through the morning, especially since the calories can be adjusted by using more or less almond butter.

The sweetness from the lightly cooked berries is an obvious appeal, but don't overlook the charms of the raw almond butter. Almond butter made from nuts that haven't been roasted has a more prominent almond flavor and subtle sweetness of its own that works beautifully with the blueberries and the crispy pancake edges scented with coconut.

And of course, there's no reason you can't make smaller pancakes, but this is designed for any given morning, when an item that cooks without much supervision can be a bonus. Plus, eating this pancake with our hands (kinda like a giant whoopie pie) is really fun.

In a pinch, this also travels reasonably well--especially since there's no fork required--though you will, of course, lose the heavenly crispy edges.

Dead Simple Jumbo Blueberry Buckwheat Pancake Filled with Almond Butter

Print the recipe

serves 1

1 tsp unrefined coconut oil

1/4 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1 tsp turbinado or brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

1/2 cup water

small handful (app. 1/4 cup) frozen blueberries

1-2 TBSP raw almond butter, to taste

Add the coconut oil to a nonstick pan over medium heat. While it heats, measure out and whisk together all other ingredients, except blueberries and almond butter. The batter will be very thick, but still pourable.

By now, your skillet should be ready. Swirl the oil around the skillet and immediately add the batter. Sprinkle the berries over the surface. Cover and cook until the edges are visibly cooked (this allows for easy flipping, even with the very large pancake), about 3 minutes. Flip and cook, uncovered, until cooked through, another 2 minutes or so.

Transfer to a plate, blueberry-side up. When just cool enough to handle, spread the almond butter on one half. Fold in half and serve with strong black coffee.

Party Animals Nos. 26 and 27: Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Brunch 2013

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We celebrated Christmas Eve this year by putting together a comforting spread of homemade foods inspired by some of the U.S.'s favorite bits of Japanese cuisine. We kicked off the evening with a cocktail, which we found here.

This Shiba Dog, as they're calling it, is a lovable, dead simple drink. We made one adjustment to the suggested recipe by using nigori sake. We suggest you make an additional adjustment by forgetting the salted rim altogether. It was an overwhelming nuisance. But by all means, mix equal parts nigori sake and grapefruit juice at every opportunity. (And check Barnivore before buying your sake. We somehow failed to back when we bought this bottle, and ended up with a brand that isn't vegan-friendly.)

Next up, Miso Soup with Mushroom Wonton Dumplings. We're working to nail down MSV's official dashi, so the soup recipe isn't quite ready to share. In the meantime, we're enjoying every last test bowl.

For this special occasion, we added some gorgeously salty and savory mushroom wonton dumplings using our gorgeously salty and savory mushroom filling recipe. We omitted the cashews, so the only crunch in the soup would come from the spring onion garnish, and we substituted for the morels the shiitakes we used to make the dashi. Feel free to use nothing but button mushrooms, and you'll still have tasty morsels on your hands.

With time running out after a quick look around town yielded not a single commercial vegan wonton wrapper, we decided we'd have to make our own pasta for the dumplings. Method here, but we used a dough much easier to work with by using roughly 1 1/3 cups flour, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup warm water. The great little folding tutorial we used is here. Adorable.

Vegan nigiri sushi trio: roasted red pepper (jarred, and we looked for a variety that, contrary to our usual preference, contained added sugar to make sure we got a lovely shot of sweetness); sliced avocado; and blanched, pressed tofu marinated in a simple, addictive soy-miso sauce from Kansha. (Knoxville readers, remember that Lawson-McGhee has a copy of Kansha you can check out--highly recommended.)

And finally, for dessert, we continued the theme by using both matcha and ginger, but also included a nod to the common Western European-American Christmas tradition by including a heap of sorghum (in lieu of molasses) and other spices. The result was a dense, moist, terrific gingerbread cake with a matcha glaze. (Cake veganized from Tartine, matcha glaze spotted in Pure Vegan.) You can see the cake at the very top of this post. It wasn't very pretty, but it was incredibly tasty. And paired beautifully with straight nigori sake.

The following morning, brunch! The MSV kitchen doesn't host this brunch, but we do make a few contributions.

Almond-crusted zucchini strips. So incredibly good. You can find our coating recipe here, but instead of using mushrooms, we cut one giant zucchini into 6 1/4-inch-thick planks. Bake on one side for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10-15 minutes, until golden (more golden than this shot indicates, sorry) and mind-blowingly fragrant.

On the side, fluffly little corn muffins seasoned like hush puppies. Yum. This was a first test of this recipe, and we have some ambitions for it, we think. It may reappear before long, depending on our progress with these.

And, finally, Apple-Blueberry Doughnut Cobbler. This bit of ridiculousness comes from BHG. Be warned, the mini doughnuts got a little too crispy in spots (they tasted fine, but were a bit difficult to cut), so we suggest using either full-size doughnuts or covering the cobbler for the first half of baking. And, if you hadn't already guessed, this is only for the serious sweet tooth.

Our version is different from BHG's a little, so here goes:

We made old-fashioned doughnuts the day before to make this a snap to assemble. For the filling, we used two Granny Smith apples, two Honeycrisp apples, and one cup of frozen blueberries. First, measure out the blueberries, but keep them in the freezer. Slice the apples, and cut those slices in half. Toss them with the juice of half a lemon (or lime, of course, but juice the whole lime, if substituting). Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg. Toss the apples with that mixture, then carefully stir in the blueberries. Top with the doughnuts, drizzle with 2 TBSP of melted nondairy butter or coconut oil, and bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

See you all next year.

Party Animals Nos. 24 and 25: Post-Thanksgiving Party 2013 and a Christmas Party

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Talk about festive. To get everyone started at our post-Thanksgiving party (held annually at the MSV house on the Friday after Thanksgiving) this year, we offered a pitcher of Cranberry-Rosemary Sangria. Really good. We recommend topping off each glass with a bit of dry bubbly to make this drink perfect.

(Also, note that we had the wrong apples on hand when we made the test run, which is what was photographed. We did use the Granny Smith apples called for in the recipe the day of the party.)

The post-Thanksgiving party is mostly about leftovers, but we always provide a couple of soups and a couple of loaves of crusty bread to supplement. This year we made miso soup with a shiitake dashi from Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites. (This also made for the best possible breakfast the morning after the party) and a carrot-ginger soup from The Curry Book.

And now this weekend is our first Christmas party of the season, and to it we're taking a pitcher of Horchata White Russians. This is a genius idea for a dairy-free, gorgeous, and winter-ready mixed drink. Our recipe came from Pure Vegan, and the sweet, cinnamon-packed horchata, like everything else we've tried from that book, is pretty stunning in this drink.

But it's not the only ingredient, of course. To assemble the drink, add a half-cup of horchata to an ounce each of vodka and coffee liqueur. We made our own liqueur using this super-fast recipe. Ready in days, not weeks. Bring on the cheer.

Party Animals No. 23: Thanksgiving 2013

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For you new readers, the MSV kitchen hosts a real, live Thanksgiving every year. Now that that's out of the way, this is the post that needs no introduction.

But we will add two notes. Recipes below call for both nondairy milk and nondairy butter. This year, for the first time, we used Miyoko Schinner's homemade butter recipe (from the October 2013 VegNews). Our doughs this year were both the fussiest raw and the loveliest finished products we've ever had. Because our kitchen is a home kitchen and not a controlled test kitchen, we can't guarantee either of those were due to the change in butter, but it's the only thing we altered from previous years. But we think it's the combination of that with the cold weather. So you know. As ever, our nondairy milk of choice is our homemade almond-oat.

The recipes for biscuits, cranberry relish, and roasted apples with balsamic drizzle are unchanged from last year.

For our main dish this year, we made a shepherd's pie filled with earthy, meaty Puy lentils, tender eggplant, and rich toasted pecans further flavored by a pile of garlic and given a touch of sweetness and a bit of color from grated carrots.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

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serves 8

For the potatoes:

1 1/2 lb white or gold potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

2 TBSP olive oil

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 TBSP nutritional yeast

1/2-1 cup nondairy milk, warmed

For the lentils:

8 oz eggplant (half of a medium), peeled and cut into 1/4-1/2-inch dice

1/2 cup unsalted pecan halves

1 cup dried Puy lentils

2 1/2 cups water

2 TBSP olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots (about 2 oz total weight), minced

6 oz carrot (2 large or 3 medium), peeled and grated

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp dried marjoram

2 TBSP low-sodium tamari

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable broth, divided

1 TBSP chickpea flour

To prepare the potatoes, boil them in enough water to cover by a couple of inches until very tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well and quickly transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the beater to mash the potatoes thoroughly on low speed, a minute or two. Add the salt, oil, pepper, and nutritional yeast, and beat another half-minute to incorporate, adding nondairy milk to reach your desired consistency. Switch to the whisk attachment and whip for five minutes, until fluffy. (Alternately, use any method you like to mash to the potatoes.)

To prepare the lentil mixture, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the eggplant in a single layer on a cookie sheet and roast 20 minutes, until browned on the edges, tossing halfway through. After tossing, add the pecans to the oven and toast them for the remaining 10 minutes, checking occasionally to avoid burning. Let cool, then process into crumbs in a food processor.

Reduce oven to 350.

Meanwhile, place the lentils in a medium pot with 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, 20-25 minutes. Set aside in a mesh sieve to allow to drain thoroughly.

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion, garlic, and grated carrot until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the basil, parsley, marjoram, tamari, and liquid smoke. Stir thoroughly and cook for another couple of minutes.

Whisk together 1/4 cup vegetable stock and chickpea flour to make a slurry. Add the lentils to the skillet, stir to combine, and add the slurry. Stir well and cook until warmed through. The mixture should be very moist, but not saucy. Add more stock, if needed, or continue cooking to let excess moisture cook off, if needed.

Remove skillet from heat, stir in eggplant and pecans, and adjust seasoning. Transfer the lentil mixture to a deep 9-inch-round pan. Scoop the mashed potatoes on top in large dollops all over the surface and gently smooth out to cover. Bake 20 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned.

This is pretty much the same old beloved dressing we've made each year, but we streamlined the process and went with a chunkier, looser assembly. If you prefer a tighter, more sliceable dressing, simply skip the oven-drying of the cornbread, crumble it rather than cube it, and press the final mixture tightly into the dish before baking.

And finally, we left it out of the recipe this year, but you can add 1/2 tsp of fennel seed along with the walnuts, if desired.

Spiced Walnut-Fig Cornbread Dressing

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serves 8-10

1 loaf (generous 1 lb) cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2/3 cup dried mission figs, quartered

2 TBSP oil

1 large yellow onion, very finely chopped

2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

8 oz walnut halves, finely chopped / crumbled in a food processor

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rubbed sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 TBSP low-sodium tamari

fine sea or kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup nondairy milk

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2-1 cup vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 400. Spread the cornbread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook until dry and barely toasted, 10-12 minutes. Set aside to let cool, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Reduce oven heat to 350.

Meanwhile, place the figs in a heatproof bowl and pour in hot water to cover. Let stand 20 minutes, drain, and add them to the cornbread.

Heat 2 TBSP oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and rosemary until the onion turns translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the walnut crumbles and all spices, including tamari. Stir and cook until warm, fragrant, and no liquid remains in the bottom of the skillet, about 3 minutes.

Add the contents of the skillet to the mixing bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate, breaking up any large cornbread pieces, but being careful not to reduce it to crumbs.

Whisk together the milk, 1/4 cup oil, and 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock. Pour over the mixture and stir well. The mixture should be very moist, but not wet. Add more stock, if needed, and transfer to a lightly oiled baking dish. Bake 45-60 minutes, until golden on top.

So, those are biscuits, because we failed to get a shot of the spaghetti squash. But it tastes way better than it looks, anyway, so don't skip this one (and do feel free to reduce the oil to make it friendly for any weeknight meal). In fact, go ahead and double the Savory Nut Crumble recipe when you go to make it for this dish, because you're going to want to have some on hand to sprinkle on other meals throughout the week. In fact, even if you never make this squash, take five minutes to make a batch of the Savory Nut Crumble. It's a green salad's best friend.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash with a Savory Nut Crumble

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serves 6-8, adapted from The Cheesy Vegan

1 small-medium spaghetti squash (about 2 1/2 lbs total weight)

1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional 2 tsp, for roasting

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Savory Nut Crumble, recipe follows, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400. Split the spaghetti squash lengthwise, discard the seeds, rub the cut sides with 2 tsp oil, and roast, cut-side down, until tender, 45-60 minutes. Let cool.

Add the thyme, basil, rosemary, and paprika to a skillet with 1/4 cup oil and warm gently. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scrape out the flesh into a serving dish. Remove the oil from heat, grate in 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and toss thoroughly with the squash. Top generously with the Savory Nut Crumble and serve.

Savory Nut Crumble

1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup raw walnut halves

2 TBSP nutritional yeast

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Process the almonds in a food processor until broken up into small pieces. Add all other ingredients and process into crumbs. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Oh, hi, pie. We never use anything but Gesine's pie dough. It just works. (Unless we're making a cookie crust, of course. Because those are just dead simple.)

Sorghum-Maple Pecan Pie. We used Isa's recipe, replacing half of the maple syrup with sorghum syrup. We also whipped up a batch of vanilla salt (made by stirring the contents of 1 vanilla bean into 1 TBSP fleur de sel) to sprinkle on individual slices, as desired. Ridiculously good with the vanilla salt. Expensive, but good.

Pear-Cranberry Pie. To our tongues, this pie tastes exactly like the season. To fill our pie, we stirred together the following:

2 pears, thinly sliced

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

zest of 1/2 lemon

1 TBSP lemon juice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

6 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 TBSP quick-cooking tapioca

To finish it off, we suggest milking the top and sprinkling with a cinnamon-sugar mix (we use 1 part cinnamon to 2 parts sugar). Then bake until golden and bubbly.

Potato and Spinach Pesto Flatbread

With thin, golden potatoes blanketing a crusty, chewy base, this loaded flatbread is way comforting and seriously family- and party-friendly (and don't forget about brunch). The dough takes its cues from the convenience of the slow cooker. Just stir together the dough ingredients in the morning and have this beautiful little whole wheat number almost ready to go after happy hour.

Bonus points for getting in a pile of green via the spinach-walnut pesto. Note that all the varieties of vegan pesto from the MSV kitchen are salted solely from red miso paste. And because it's fermented (and more pungent than light miso), red miso gives the finished product every bit of depth of flavor you expect from pesto. The result is totally unimpeachable and frequently necessary.

Potato and Spinach Pesto Flatbread

Print the recipe 

serves 4 

For the dough: 

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 tsp fine sea (or kosher) salt

1 cup water

For the Spinach-Walnut Pesto: 

4 oz (2 packed cups) fresh baby spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tsp red miso paste

1/4 cup shelled, unsalted walnuts

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

To assemble: 

1 medium Yukon gold potato (about 7 oz total weight) 

black pepper, to taste

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, yeast, and salt. Add the water and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Cover with a towel and let rise 8-9 hours. Punch the dough down, fold it over itself a few times, replace the towel, and let rise another hour. 

While the dough undergoes its second rise, prepare the pesto by pureeing all ingredients until smooth. Scrub the potato and cut into very thin slices (1/16")--this will ensure they cook fully. 

Thirty minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 450, preferably with a pizza stone on the lowest rack. Liberally dust a pizza peel with cornmeal. 

When the dough is ready, transfer it to the prepared peel and dust the top liberally with cornmeal. Roll it out to a circle 12-13 inches in diameter (make sure the dough is not sticking to the peel at all times--if it starts to, stop and dust the peel with more cornmeal before proceeding). Using a fork, dock the dough, leaving a 1/2-3/4-inch border for a crust, if desired. Top with the pesto and potato slices, sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper, transfer to the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. The crust will be golden and sound hollow when tapped and the potatoes will have begun to brown in spots. 

Let cool for five minutes before serving. 

Party Animals No. 15: Nut-and-Seed Psyllium Loaf with Herb Jam and Butter Bean-Dijon Hummus for a Potluck with Pals

1. Loaf from here. ​This has been really handy to keep in the freezer, though if you opt to keep it fresh, we still recommend toasting before serving to improve texture and aroma. And not only of the nuts and seeds. Toasting also teases out the maple syrup and coconut oil (the most heavenly combination of foods ever), which is nice since you don't get to dig into the loaf while it's still warm from the oven. We've been putting it to work in other ways, too. Last time we made it, we added 1/3 cup dried apricots and 1/2 cup dried cherries. After slicing the loaf, dehydrate the slices at 125 degrees for something like 15 hours, et voila: granola biscotti.

2. We wish we'd thought of herb jam, but since we didn't, we're glad Paula Wolfert did. That said, this recipe results in a fatty consistency something like creamed spinach, which we weren't crazy about. Next time, we'll decrease the fat and likely increase the acid. In fact, the first time we tried this loaf with a green accompaniment, it was spiced pickled kale. Incredible pairing. Because the loaf is so rich, it really benefits from acidic garnishes.

3. Finally, we made Dreena Burton's white bean hummus, substituting creamy butter beans for the cannellini. So great.​ The dijon in this is genius.