Recipes

Potluck and social hour recipes everyone wants…

Kick Ass Vegan Meatballs  (makes about 35)

• 8 oz tempeh
• 6 oz fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (or 1/4 cup flour if you don’t have it / don’t like it)
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup pizza or tomato sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried fennel

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Depending on the brand you use, you may want to steam your tempeh before adding it to the meatballs. Steam over a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Then set aside to let cool. Once it’s cool chop it up until it is pretty fine – about 1/4″ pieces max. It should crumble up a bunch and that’s good!
3. Set a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the chopped spinach and 1-2 Tablespoons of water.  Cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add to your tempeh and let cool.
4. In a separate bowl mix together your vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, salt, basil, oregano, dried pepper flakes and fennel.
5. Mix the pizza sauce, tomato paste and rice with your tempeh mixture. Then add that to your dry mix. Stir to combine and then knead for a minute or so.
6. Take a small piece of the mixture out and shape into a ball that is no larger than 1 inch in diameter. You should end up making around 35 – 40 meatballs.
7. Bake for 15 minutes and then flip. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes (this is pretty crucial because it lets inside of the meatball firm up in texture.)
8. If you would like to you can now simmer them in your favorite marinara sauce for 5-10 minutes to warm them up. Or you can serve them without sauce, whatever you like!

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  about 6 vegan meatballs – 266 calories, 5.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 33.1g carbohydrates, 4.1g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 25.3g protein

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Patti A’s Cucumber Pita Finger Sandwiches

While Patti has cukes in her garden, she shares these wonderful sandwiches at coffee hour after our Sunday service:

Ingredients

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
4 whole pita breads
1 to 2 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
Garlic herb seasoning; pepper.

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and herb seasoning until combined. Split pita breads in half, forming two circles. Spread cream cheese mixture over pita circles; cut each into six wedges. Top with cucumbers; sprinkle with black pepper or cayenne . Makes 4 dozen.

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Almond-Crunch Pumpkin Cheesecake

1-2/3 cups Graham Cracker crumbs
1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup sliced slmonds, chopped
5 Tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
(3) 8 oz. pkg.s cream Cheese, softened
1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
4 eggs
Almond Crunch Topping *

PREHEAT oven to 350°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick springform pan). Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup of the sugar, almonds and margarine until well blended. Press firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up side of pan; set aside.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining 2/3 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add pumpkin, sour cream and spice; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour into crust.

BAKE 1 hour. Turn off oven. Open door slightly; let cheesecake stand in oven 30 minutes.

PREHEAT broiler. Spread Almond Crunch Topping over warm cheesecake. Broil 6 inches from heat for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Run small knife or spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

* Almond Crunch Topping

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sliced almonds

PLACE sugar and butter in small saucepan; cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.

ADD coconut and almonds; mix well.

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Julie’s Sweet Snack Mix Recipe

14 cups popped popcorn (or 4 bags of microwave popcorn)
3 cups crisp rice cereal
2 cups salted peanuts or 3 cups cashews
1# almond bark white confectionary or candy coating 24 oz. bar
3 Tbs. creamy peanut butter (can be increased to 5 Tbs)
(1) 32 oz pack Mini pretzels (or to taste)

To prepare: Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Melt bark and peanut butter together in double boiler or carefully in microwave. Pour over popcorn mixture and stir.  Spread evenly on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.  Let set for two hours.  Break up and serve.

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Cheddar Pecan Wafers

Servings: 108

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound butter, softened
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large bowl, mix together the butter, Cheddar cheese, pecans, cayenne pepper and salt until well blended. Gradually mix in flour, using your hands to work in the last bit. The result will be a stiff dough much like shortbread. Form the dough into logs about 1 inch thick, and 10 inches long. Wrap each log in waxed paper, and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
2.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Unwrap the chilled logs of dough, and slice into 1/4 inch thick rounds using a sharp knife. Place slices about 1 inch apart onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
3.Bake for exactly 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm and slightly browned at the edges. Allow wafers to cool for 1 minute before removing from the pan.

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Richards’ Salad, aka Cottage Cheese Pineapple Jello Salad

• 1 large package of lime gelatin (or other flavor)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 bag of mini-marshmallows
• 1 can of crushed pineapple
• 1 cup of mayonnaise

1. In large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water
2. Add marshmallows and stir until almost completely melted (becomes frothy)
3. Stir in mayonnaise
4. Stir in pineapple (including the juice in the can)
5. Chill in fridge. Check every hour to stir lightly – helps distribute the heavy pineapple and cottage cheese throughout – until it really begins to stiffen up, then leave to finish setting.

Notes: Some people have been known to add chopped walnuts.

Nutritional information – you don’t really want to know!

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