One of the easiest ways to save animals is to become vegetarian or vegan. Here are some of our favorite cruelty-free recipes.

CHRISTMAS CHOCOLATE EUPHORIA CAKE (Vegan) by Joel Hailey

CAKE:
2 sticks Earth Balance (“buttery flavor”)
2 cups sugar
3 cups Swans Down cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups vegan dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (e.g. Whole Foods “365” brand)
4.5 teaspoons Energy Egg Replacer and 6 tablespoons water
1.5 cups warm water
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup premium unsweetened Dutched ground cocoa (e.g. “Lake Champlain” at Whole Foods)
Take 3 9-inch cake pans, pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into each pan, and brush olive oil about the pans. Pour 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour into each pan and brush until pans are well greased. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk cocoa and warm water in separate bowl. Soften Earth Balance in microwave for 20-30 seconds. In mixer, cream softened Earth Balance and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (around 1 minute). In separate bowl, whisk egg replacer with water and vanilla, then slowly add it to the creamed sugar in mixer at low speed (around 1 minute). Scrape down sides of mixer and blend at low speed around 30 seconds. In another bowl, fake jacob co pour cake flour, baking powder and salt. At low speed, gradually blend cocoa mixture and cake flour mixtures (around 2 minutes) with sugar mixture. Scrape down sides of mixer bowl and blend at low speed until well mixed (around 30 seconds). Stir in chocolate chips. Do not overbeat.

Pour batter into cake pans and bake for 25 minutes. Test with toothpick. Continue baking until toothpick can be removed from cakes without batter sticking to it. After removing from oven, let cake pans cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Then turn pans over and gently knock on bottom of pans until cake is removed. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before spreading icing.

CHOCOLATE ICING: 
1 stick Earth Balance (“buttery flavor”)
4 cups powdered sugar
Rice Dream milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 ounces El Rey block dark chocolate (58% or higher cocoa, non-dairy), melted
(optional: 1/2 teaspoon Creme de Cacao liqueur, ground pecans, chocolate shavings)

Soften Earth Balance in microwave (around 30 seconds). Add 2 cups powdered sugar, vanilla, liqueur, and splashes of milk, stirring slowly until well blended. Add melted chocolate and 2 cups powdered sugar. Stir mixture and continue to add milk to reach desired consistency. Spread icing on cake. Add ground pecans or chocolate shavings to top if desired. Keep cake refrigerated.

GLORIA WEERS’ TOFU TURKEY

5 #’s firm or extra firm tofu

3/4 cup sesame oil

1/2  cup soy sauce

You can make more sesame oil and soy sauce to use as a marinade  as the tofu turkey baste.  This helps brown and give it more flavor.  I personally like to make it a day ahead and just reheat in the oven, but that’s just my personal choice.

Mash tofu well (I usually press the tofu to get most of the moisture out of it) and mix with 1/3 of the sesame oil and soy sauce.  Line an 11” colander with a single layer of moistened cheesecloth.  Transfer tofu to colander.  Press tofu against the colander to about 1 inch thickness, and fold edges of cheesecloth over it.  Place a cake tin or other flat object over the surface of the tofu and weigh it down with a heavy object to press the liquid from the tofu.  I find very little moisture comes out it if you press it in advance.

After the tofu has drained for 1 hour or more, hollow out to within 1 inch of the colander.  Fill the cavity with your favorite stuffing, or use the stuffing recipe below.  Pack in stuffing and cover with remaining tofu.  Pat down so surface is flat and firm.  Oil a roast or turkey pan, place pan over colander, and flip over so that flat surface of filled tofu faces down.  Remove cheesecloth.

Mix remaining sesame oil and soy sauce to use as a basting liquid.  Baste tofu with liquid and bake covered at 400 degree for 1 hour.  Remove cover, baste, and return to oven to bake uncovered until top becomes golden brown, about one hour more.  Baste often during remaining cooking time.  It slices much better if it is chilled first and then reheated.

     Dressing

1 batch of corn bread or package of cornbread dried stuffing.  Cornbread recipe below with 1 pack. Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing and as follows.

3 ribs of celery, chopped, 1 ½ onions chopped and 1 bell pepper, chopped

7-8 mushrooms, sliced

1 14 oz can veggie broth (my stuffing packages were large so I used three)

2 sticks margarine

1 package slivered almonds

1 tsp. sage

1 Tbs. poultry seasoning

Saute onions, pepper, mushrooms in margarine, and add sage and poultry seasoning..  Mix with some of the veggie broth and with stuffing.  Add  enough broth to moisten bread.  Add slivered almonds.  Use in tofu above or put in bowl and bake at 375 degrees for 35 or 40 minutes.

     Cornbread for dressing

¼ cup vegetable oil4 tsp baking powder

1cup flour ½ tsp salt

1cup cornmeal 2 tsp sugar

1cup water

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Add oil and water and mix until blended.  Bake in greased 8 or 9 inch square pan for 30 to 35 minutes.

     Mushroom Gravy

2 Tbs. sesame 1cup flour (put in a dry pan and toasted till lightly browned)

2 onions diced 6 to 7 cups water

6 cups mushrooms, sliced ¾ cups soy sauce

Heat oil and sauté onions and mushrooms.  Mix flour with water.  Bring to boil over high heat, stirring often.  The simmer uncovered over medium heat for ½ hour stirring occasionally.  (I blend it at this point, or after it has cooled slightly).

VEGAN CORNBREAD –by Deborah Daigle

Preheat the oven to 425º. This is the first step in good cornbread. Use a well cured 9 “cast iron skillet or 9 “baking pan. Oil the skillet or pan well to where about an 1/8 of an inch of oil is on the bottom of the pan. I use olive oil and it works well (instead of the lard or bacon grease I was taught to use as a child). Some of the nut oils might work well too but canola may be too bland. Put the skillet/pan in the oven that is heating while preparing the batter.

     Ingredients: Dry

1 cup Non-GMO Cornmeal

1 cup Organic all-purpose flour

1 ¼ tsp Baking powder

1 ¼ tsp Baking soda

½ tsp Salt

     Ingredients: Other

1 ½ cup non-dairy milk (Silk organic unsweetened/ unflavored works best)

1-2 tbsp. sugar depending on taste (I prefer less sugar; it’s cornbread not cake)

2 tbsp. oil or melted vegan butter

1 ½ tbsp. white vinegar

     Directions: 

Mix dry ingredients well together. Add sugar, oil and non-dairy milk stirring well but not beating.

At the same time carefully take the heated pan out of the over. Add the vinegar to the

mixture and quickly stir in well; pour into pan and into the over as soon as possible. Bake about

25-35 min. Check at 25 min and do not overbake. Best served warm with vegan butter.

VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE
from Nava Atlas

2 cups well-baked and mashed sugar pumpkin* (or for faster results, 16-ounce can of pureed pumpkin).

3/4 cup silken tofu (about half of a 12.3-ounce aseptic package)

1/2 cup natural granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg & 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)

9-inch good quality graham cracker or whole grain pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the pumpkin pulp in a food processor with the remaining ingredients.  Process until velvety smooth.  Pour the mixture into the crust.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the crust is golden.  Let the pie cool to room temperature.  Cut into 6 or 8 wedges to serve.

*To bake sugar pumpkin, halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibers.  Place the the halves cut side up in a foil-lined, shallow baking dish and cover tightly with more foil.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp and discard the skin.  Use any leftover pumpkin pulp for another purpose.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie
from Nava Atlas

2 cups well-baked and mashed sugar pumpkin* (or for faster results, 16-ounce can of pureed pumpkin).

3/4 cup silken tofu (about half of a 12.3-ounce aseptic package)

1/2 cup natural granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg & 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)

9-inch good quality graham cracker or whole grain pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the pumpkin pulp in a food processor with the remaining ingredients.  Process until velvety smooth.  Pour the mixture into the crust.  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the crust is golden.  Let the pie cool to room temperature.  Cut into 6 or 8 wedges to serve.

*To bake sugar pumpkin, halve the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibers.  Place the the halves cut side up in a foil-lined, shallow baking dish and cover tightly with more foil.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp and discard the skin.  Use any leftover pumpkin pulp for another purpose.

HOLIDAY PECAN CUPCAKES

by Joel Hailey

CAKE:

2 sticks Earth Balance (“buttery flavor”)
2 cups sugar
3 cups Swans Down cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon salt
6 teaspoons Energy Egg Replacer and 8 tablespoons water
1-1/4 cup Rice Dream milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Amaretto (or if unavailable, then almond extract or vanilla)

Prepare 24-30 cupcake holds in cupcake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Soften Earth Balance in microwave for about 30 seconds. In mixer, cream softened Earth Balance and sugar at medium speed until fluffy (around 1 minute). In separate bowl, whisk egg replacer and water, then slowly add it to the creamed sugar in mixer at low speed (around 1 minute). Scrape down sides of mixer and blend at low speed around 30 seconds. In separate bowl, pour rice milk, vanilla and Amaretto. In another bowl, pour cake flour, pecans, baking powder and salt. At low speed, gradually blend milk and cake flour mixtures (around 2 minutes). Scrape down sides of mixer bowl and blend at low speed until well mixed (around 30 seconds). Do not overbeat.

Pour batter into cupcake holders and bake for 20 minutes. Test with toothpick. Continue baking until toothpick can be removed from cakes without batter sticking to it. After removing from oven, let cupcake pans cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Then remove cupcakes from pans, using fork if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before spreading icing.

ICING:
1 stick Earth Balance (“buttery flavor”)
4 cups powdered sugar
Rice Dream milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whole or chopped pecans

Soften Earth Balance in microwave (around 30 seconds). Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and splashes of milk, stirring slowly until well blended. Continue to add milk to reach desired consistency. Spread icing on cupcakes. Then gently place pecans on top and lightly press them into icing with back of spoon. Keep cupcakes refrigerated.

VANILLA BIRTHDAY CAKE–by Deborah Daigle

This recipe was adapted from an online recipe originally calling for pastry flour. I used cake flour in equal amount as the pastry flour measure. If all-purpose is used the weight will need to be adjusted and it will be a slightly “tougher” product due to the higher protein content of all-purpose flour.

*NOTE-There was difficulty turning the layers out of the pan despite sufficient oiling and flour dusting. This cake responded best when completely cooled then turned out. Parchment paper lining might also work well.

     Ingredients:

3 ½ cups cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt (kosher salt or sea salt is always best)

2/3 cup vegan margarine (used Earth Balance buttery sticks)

2 cups sugar

1 ½ cups water

4 Tbsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

     Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; don’t skip sifting.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the vegan margarine, sugar, water, vanilla, and vinegar until blended.

Add the dry ingredients and whisk quickly just until well absorbed; do not overbeat since the vinegar is already at work. Quickly divide into the two cake pans and get the batter into the oven right away.

Bake time is 30-40 min. but check the cake at 30 min.

Cool completely before turning layers out.

     Buttercream Frosting

½ cup vegan butter softened; add 2½ to 3 cups confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Start beating on low speed until light and fluffy, then continue to beat an additional 2 minutes or so until. A handheld mixer works fine for this. If it is too firm add a tablespoon of non-dairy milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached. This just barely frosted a 2 layer 9 cake; I would consider making an additional ½ of the recipe to assure coverage.