Apple Butter

Apples are Washington. And I love everything apple. I pick one variety for my apple butter, which is usually a tart variety, although I'll sometimes pick a sweeter more succulent variety as well. So far I've made: Melrose, Jonagored, Cripps Pink, Jonalicious single variety apple butters and gifted them all. If you can't get to an orchard or don't have a farmers market close by, you can alway pick up a bag of MacIntosh apples at your grocer.

Apple Butter

4lbs. apples (usually about 12 medium)

2 C apple cider (I make my own, or use Rockridge Farm's)

1.5 C brown sugar, or to taste

1T ground cinnamon

1 t ground ginger

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t ground allspice

Wash and quarter the apples (removing seeds), but do not peel or core them. Place into a large pot with cider and cook until soft, which is about 45 minutes. Press through a strainer, food mill or cheesecloth. Return puree to the pot and stir in remaining ingredients. Stirring occasionally, simmer over low heat for about 2 hours. I usually taste after 1 hour, many times doubling my spices. But those four spices are my favorite, you might not be so inclined. I pour the mixtures into glass jam jars and seal with a hot water bath, or use my favorite bail lid jar if I'm planning on using it immediately (like in quick or yeast breads).

Lennox Cast-Iron Roasted Seitan

This is a fantastic dish for the holidays. If I ever had a romantic holiday dinner date, this is what I would make. It's an old family recipe that was passed down from my great-great grandmother, a fantastic chef and amazing woman. This recipe used her family's farm raised beef and buckwheat honey, but I've converted it to a more animal friendly, modern version. I think she'd be proud.

Lennox Cast-Iron Roasted Seitan

- 4 C H2O

-1.5 lb shallots or chipolini onions

- 1 lb seitan cut into 1 inch cubes

- 2 springs fresh rosemary

- 1C dry red wine

- 1/3 C Balsamic Vinegar

- 1/ C olive oil

- 1/4 C soy sauce

- 1 T buckwheat honey or agave nectar syrup

- 1/3 C H2O

- 1T parsley, chopped and reserved

Preheat the oven to 475degrees. Place the 4C H2O in a cast iron pan, and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Add the shallots or onions and boil for 30 seconds. Pour onions into a colander, rinse in cold water and peel, leaving on the root. Place in one layer in the cast iron pan and top with the seitan and rosemary. Whisk together all remaining ingredients (except reserved parsley) and pour over top. Bring this mixture to a boil on the stovetop and place into the oven. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Jen's Jalapeno Jam

This jalapeno jam is for the spicy food lover. I use my bounty of end of the season jalapenos for this one. You'll need about 24 medium jalapenos, but I've used as few as 12 if they are mondo.

Jen's Jalapeno Jam

-1 large green bell pepper

-20 jalapenos, finely chopped and deseeded

-1.5 C apple cider vinegar

- pinch salt

- 6 C granulated sugar

- 4 oz. liquid pectin

- 4 to 6 additional jalapenos, finely chopped and reserved with seeds

- 1T oil, butter substitute, or butter (for those non-vegans)

Chop the 4-6 jalapenos in a food processor and reserve. Combine the green pepper and jalapenos in the processor and chop. You may have to do this in batches. Transfer the peppers to a large pot. Add vinegar. Bring to low boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. At this point you can strain the mixture through 2 layers of cheesecloth to remove pulp, but I'm a lazy jammer and leave the pulp in without straining at all. It makes for a stronger flavor and thicker consistency that I like. Add the sugar and salt to the mixture. Bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down , boil at this temperature for one minute. Add the butter or oil, then stir in the liquid pectin. The butter or oil (just any type of fat) prevents a boil over when you add the pectin, so it's super important not to forget! You'll then want to stir in the reserved jalapenos and remove from the burner. Ladle into sterile jars, leaving at least 1/4 inch of headspace. I seal using the hot water bath method and store once cooled.

Hollyhock Dressing

This might be misleading, but there aren't Hollyhocks in this dressing. It's a recipe from a retreat on Cortes Island called Hollyhock Retreat Centre. I got it from our Farm Manager, Brady. The recipe makes a wonderful salad dressing, but I usually double the nutritional yeast to make a thick spread. I use this on sandwiches, toast, veggies and pasta, or I can add a 1/2 C of it with some olive oil and a splash of cider vinegar for the original dressing on a tasty raw salad. I store it in a glass bail top jar, so it's easy to reuse, and keeps it fresh for about 3 weeks.

Hollyhock's Nutritional Yeast Dressing

1 C Large Flake Nutritional Yeast

1/3C Tamari

1/3C Apple Cider Vinegar

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1.5 C sunflower or olive oil depending on preferences

1/3C H2O

Crush the garlic and process in food processor until finely chopped. Add Nutritional Yeast, tamari, and vinegar. Process for 30 seconds and then add H2O, processing for 30 seconds to 1 minute until throughly mixed. Add the oil slowly, pulsing the processor to mix.

For a thicker dressing or spread I leave out the H2O, and double the nutritional yeast. I usually add the oil slowly and stop when it gets to a good consistency.

I haven't found anyone whom doesn't like this dressing yet. Kids love it. So do dogs. And it's good for both!

Homemade Soy Yogurt

I've always loved yogurt, and it was one of the last things I gave up when I became vegan. I've been on the search for a creamy not so sweet replacement for plain greek yogurt, but the store brands escaped my needs. There are a couple of brands out there for your interest: but many of them contain way too much sugar for my likes.

1) Nancy's Cultured Soy Yogurt

2) WildWood Organics

3) WholeSoy&Co.

My recipe is pretty simple and takes minimal amounts of prep work. I usually start this process at night, right before I get ready to go to bed, put it in the oven and forget about it. I can even turn the heat down so save some extra energy while using the oven for so long.

One of the most important aspects of yogurt making is your container selection and sterilization. You'll need a glass jar with a dome lid. You won't be heating this jar to the temperature that you would be during canning, so a standard glass jar will serve you well. I chose an peanut butter jar, because the neck of some jars make it difficult to get the yogurt out. Clean the jar well, with soap and water, then fill with boiled water and screw the lid on. Once cool enough to handle, pour the water out. Heat your oven to the lowest setting (about 110-140 degrees)

As for the recipe, add the following ingredients, screw the lid on and shake!

Soy Yogurt

- 2c soy milk *

- 2t - 2T sugar (for a bit of sweetness and a starter for bacterial growth)

- 2T yogurt starter acidophillus or 2T of cultured soy yogurt from a store

- 2T arrowroot powder

* I usually have unsweetened soymilk, so I use this and add sugar to control the sweetness.

Remove the lid after shaking and leave in the oven for 7-9 hours (while you sleep or work is great). After cooking, replace lid and store in the fridge. You might need to add some more arrowroot if it isn't as thick as you'd like, or you can experiment with thickening agents.

This recipe is really easy to double or half if you need to. You'll need to play around with the sweetness and thickness, but it's easy to add those after cooking so you'll know how to make your next batch. Mix in some fresh fruit, nuts, or granola and enjoy!

Green and Gold Noodle Soup

I've been trying to make a mock-chicken noodle soup for a good while. My great-grandmothers recipe uses egg noodles, chicken bone/gizzard stock, and hen meat. It is a fantastic recipe for using aged and barren farm hens, once in which you stew the hen meat for a few days to get rid of the stringiness of the aged muscle tissue. I grew up with this recipe, but it is the least transferable to vegan standards. I cannot replace the taste of this soup, or even try to mimic it with mock meat. I'm trying to replace the feeling around it. The sense of home, nurturing and cold fall days.

Green and Gold Soup

- 1 large onion

- 2T oil

- 1.5 c green beans

- 1 zucchini

-1 yellow squash

-2c peas

-1.5 c corn

- 2 c elbow macaroni

- 2-4 c collard greens and kale

- 1/2 c fresh parsley

- 3-4T nutritional yeast flakes

- 8 - 12 c veggie stock

- salt and pepper to taste