Pureed Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Recipe from The Everyday Vegan.

1 large butternut squash (to yield 6-7 cups of flesh when cooked, see note)

2-3 large sweet potatoes or yams (orange-fleshed tubers) (to yield about 3 cups when cooked, see note)

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, chopped

few pinches sea salt

few pinches freshly ground black pepper

2-3 medium-large cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon (to taste)

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 1 1/2 cups water

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake squash and sweet potatoes (on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper) for 55-60 minutes, or until tender when pierced. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Prepare other ingredients while squash/potatoes are cooking and cooling. Once cooled enough to handle, slice squash and yams and scoop flesh from the peels (discard seeds and string from squash). In a large soup pot over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, celery, salt, pepper, garlic, curry powder, coriander, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes, adding a few drops of water if need (if onions are sticking). Add vegetable stock, 1 cup of water, and squash and sweet potato flesh. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add ginger (and extra water if desired to thin soup). Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with extra salt and pepper if desired, and serve.

Note: Instead of 1 large squash, you could use 2 smaller ones, to equal roughly 4 1/2 lbs total. Similarly, you can use smaller sweet potatoes, equalling roughly 2-2 1/2 lbs total.

Triple Layer Chocolate Cream Cake (from The Everyday Vegan)

Here you have the ultimate chocolate cake - Triple Layer Chocolate Cream Cake from TEV.

Vegan is not even an issue here, this cake gets rave reviews from vegans and non-vegans alike whenever I serve it... and I've had people ask to buy my cookbook on the spot just for this recipe alone!

(Just be sure to use SILKEN extra-firm tofu for the frosting... and use a food processor to puree it, please!)

Cake Batter:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups unrefined sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 3/4 cups water
2 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp mocha extract (or more vanilla)
1/4 cup organic canola oil

Frosting:
2 pckgs (349-g) SILKEN extra-firm tofu, patted dry
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (generous) non-dairy chocolate chips

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda, then add in sugar and salt and mix well. In another bowl, combine water, vinegar, extracts, and oil. Add wet mixture to the dry, and stir until well combined. Pour into 3 lightly oiled round cake pans, distributing batter as evenly as possible. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of each comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

For the frosting:
In a food processor (don't use a mixer, it won't smooth out the tofu), combine tofu with maple syrup and vanilla, and puree until very, very smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a bowl fitted over a pot with simmering (not boiling) water. Pour melted chocolate into food processor with tofu mixture, and puree again until well incorporated (again, scraping down sides of bowl). Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cool (will thicken as it cools). Once cool, spread frosting on cake layers, then refrigerate cake for at least a couple of hours to set (preferably overnight).

Tahini Sauces!

Tahini-Tamari Sauce (from The Everyday Vegan)

1⁄3 cup + 1 tbsp tahini
1⁄3 - 1⁄2 cup water (adjust for desired thickness)
1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp honey alternative (agave nectar or other liquid sweetener)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

With a handblender or in a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Season to taste with extra sea salt and pepper as desired. Makes about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups.

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Sesame Mustard Tahini Sauce (from Vive le Vegan!)

This is a rich and zesty sauce that’s very versatile: it can be tossed into cooked pasta, beans, or steamed veggies; drizzled over cooked grains, fresh salads, or veggie patties (such as Moroccan Chickpea Patties); or even mashed into leftover tofu for a snappy sandwich filling. So many possibilities!

1⁄2 cup water (+1-2 tbsp or more, adjust to desired consistency) (see note)
1⁄2 cup tahini
1⁄3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 small clove garlic, chopped
11⁄2 tbsp honey alternative (see note)
3 tbsp tamari
2 tsp Dijon mustard
21⁄2 - 3 tsp toasted sesame oil
1⁄4 - 1⁄2 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)

With a handblender or in a blender, combine all the ingredients, starting with 1⁄2 cup of the water. Thin out with extra water to desired consistency, and season to taste with additional sea salt and/or honey alternative, if desired. You can add extra tablespoons of water to thin this sauce to a consistency you like – the additional water will also dilute the flavors a little if you find a thicker sauce a bit intense. This sauce also thickens after refrigerating, so you may want to stir in another teaspoon or two of water. Keep in mind that a thicker sauce is good for sandwiches, patties, grains, and spring rolls, or to use as a dip, and a thinner sauce is best for tossing with pasta, or to use as a salad dressing.

For the honey alternative, I like using agave nectar in this sauce, but you can use another liquid sweetener of choice.