Vegan Eggnog

By www.cafejanae.com.

 I have not tried this yet but it got rave reviews from Micah and her family.

7 cups nut milk (get recipe on www.cafejanae.com)
½ cup raw cashews (soaked for 4 or more hours)
2 Tbs. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup raw honey
¾ tsp. turmeric
¾ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
¾ tsp. nutmeg
¾ tsp. powdered ginger

Directions

Combine all ingredients in high speed blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Chill and serve cold.

Orzo Super Salad

From 101 Cookbooks, by Heidi Swanson.

I liked this recipe, but the asparagus on the second day didn't seem quite as good as the day before.  Next time I might try pickled asparagus rather than steamed, or maybe plan to not have leftovers.

1 cup dried (whole wheat) orzo pasta
8 - 10 medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
1/2 a medium head of broccoli (or broccolini), cut into small trees
small handful of cilantro(or mint if you prefer), chopped
1 small clove of garlic, mashed with a big pinch of salt and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
a small handful of sprouts
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium avocado, sliced into small pieces
1/4 cup feta, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil the orzo per package instructions. Avoid over-boiling, you want your orzo to be cooked through, but maintain structure. About 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking stir the asparagus and broccoli into the orzo pot. Cook for the final 30 seconds, drain and run under a bit of cold water. Just long enough to stop the cooking.
In the meantime, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and more salt (if needed) into the dressing. Set aside.
When you are ready to serve the salad toss the orzo, asparagus, broccoli, and cilantro with about half the dressing. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well. Now add the sprouts, almonds, cucumber, avocado, and feta. Very gently toss a couple of times to distribute those ingredients throughout the salad and serve.
Serves 4.
Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 10 min

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad

From 101 Cookbooks, by Heidi Swanson.

Hearty and satisfying, and yet another option to serve at the Thanksgiving table.  I made a few substitutions to use ingredients I had on hand and it turned out great.  Carrots instead of radishes, chard instead of kale, tahini instead of miso and Thai chili sauce instead of harissa sauce.  Well that may seem like the whole ingredient list, but I did have a delicata squash which made the salad look so pretty.  The toasted pumpkin seeds rather than almonds added a nice crunch too.

1/2 pound / 8 oz / 230 g small fingerling potatoes, washed and dried
3/4 pound / 12 oz / 340 g delicata squash
1/4 cup / 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
scant 1/4 cup / 50 ml white miso
scant 1 tablespoon harissa paste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 ounce / 45 g kale, de-stemmed and finely chopped
4 radishes, very thinly sliced
1 1/2 ounces / 45g Marcona almonds, toasted pepitas, or other toasted nuts

Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C degrees. If the potatoes aren't tiny, slice them into pieces no larger than your thumb. Cut the delicata squash in half length-wise, and use a spoon to clear out all the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch wide half-moons. You can leave the peel on these squash.
In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, miso, harissa. Place the potatoes and squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup / 80 ml of the miso-harissa oil. Use your hands to toss well, then turn everything out onto a baking sheet. Bake until everything is baked through and browned, about 25-30 minutes. Toss once or twice along the way after things start to brown a bit. Keep an eye on things though, you can go from browned to burned in a flash.
In the meantime, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining miso-harissa oil. Taste, it should be intensely flavorful, but if yours is too spicy or salty, you can dilute it with a bit more olive oil or lemon juice. Stir the kale into the leftover dressing and set aside.
Place the warm roasted vegetables in a bowl and toss with the kale mixture, radishes, and almonds.
Serves 2 to 4.

Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 30 min