Crescent Cakes
1¼ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup ground almonds
3 drops almond extract
½ cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg yolk

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients. Add the butter, honey, egg yolk and mix together well. Cover and then chill for in the refrigerator. When ready, pinch off pieces of the dough and shape them into crescents. Place the crescents on a well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. yields approx. 1 dozen cakes.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and oats in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly. Beat eggs with water and mix in dry ingredients. Work into a stiff dough. Sprinkle a few oats on a lightly floured board. Roll out dough as thinly as possible. Cut in circles or other large shape. Bake on greased cookie sheet in hot oven (400 degrees F) about 12 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Makes 3 dozen.

Harvert Stew
This stew contains the ingredients known as the "three sisters"-squash, corn and beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
4 heaping cups pre-baked, peeled and diced orange squash (sugar pumpkin, butternut, carnival, etc.)
3 cups cooked fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 ears)
28-ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid
16-ounce can red or black beans, drained and rinsed
one 4-ounce can chopped mild green chiles (less if you don't like them)
1 cup vegetable stock or water
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Hot cooked rice

Tofu Chocolate Pudding
1 box silken tofu (these are generally 12-13 oz.)
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup, or to taste
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
Puree the tofu in a blender/hand mixers until completely smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and add the chocolate chips. Cook over medium low heat, stirring often, until the chocolate chips have melted. (if it looks lumpy set your mixer to high and keep beating) Stir in the maple syrup and optional vanilla. (if you'd like to substitue sugar for maple syrup this works to, add sugar to taste)  Allow to cool completely, then serve at room temperature. Serves Approx. 4

Apple And Butternut Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cups peeled, diced large red apple
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups low-fat milk, soymilk, or rice milk, or as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the squash lengthwise with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Place cut side up in a shallow baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden. Add the diced apple, 4 cups water, bouillon cube, and spices. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the apples are soft, about 10 minutes. In a food processor or something simmilar, puree the squash with 1/2 cup of the milk, until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Transfer the apple-onion mixture to the food processor and puree until completely smooth. Transfer both this and the squash puree back into the soup pot and stir together. Add the remaining milk or soy milk, using a bit more if the puree is too thick. Bring the soup to a simmer once again, then cook over low heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until well heated through. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serves approx. 6

Corn Bread
1 1/4 cups of unbleached flour
3/4 cups of yellow corn meal
1/4 cup of natural sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk or soy milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 can of whole kernel sweet corn, optional
1/2 cup of pimentos, optional

Heat oven to 400F. Grease muffin pan. Combine and mix dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil, and cornstarch, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. If using the sweet corn and pimentos pour into mixture at this time and mix well. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Serve warm. Serves 12

Herbed Vegetables
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 parsnip, chunked
1 red onion, quartered
1 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried herbs (marjoram, thyme, basil, rosemary and oregano)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Fill a 13x9x2 baking dish with the chopped vegetables. Combine the oil, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and drizzle over top. Cover pan with foil and bake at 425F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and stir. Bake uncovered for another 5-10 minutes.

Honey Cakes
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 tsp. grated organic orange peel
1 cup orange juice
2-1/2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup ground almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13x9" pan and set aside. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir with a whisk to blend.
In large bowl, combine sugar, honey, oil, eggs, and orange zest and beat well until combined.

Alternately add the flour mixture and orange juice, mixing well after each addition, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Fold in almonds. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched in center and edges begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool on wire rack. Serve by cutting into squares and drizzling with warmed honey. Serves 10-12

Baked Apples Or Baked Squash
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut apples in half and scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a well. Do not cut all the way through. Stuff each apple with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender.

*variation* this can be done as a dinner with butternut or acorn squash. simply follow the directions above adding a bit more butter and sugar to meet the size of the squash. Also fill the baking pan with about 1/4 inch of water. Will bake 35-45 minutes. Half way through rotate the pan and brush the top of the squash with the melted butter and sugar. Will be done when squash is soft to feel when pierced with a fork.

Sweet Pongal
Pongal is the harvest festival celebrated in India during January. This is the traditional Pongal desert (a sort of rice pudding) I've tried to include a way to make this easily at home however traditional ingredients will enhance the taste and may be purchased through an ethnic foods store.

2 cups Jasmine Rice
1/2 cup Moong Dhal (these are Indian beans that kind of remind me of soybeans)
4 1/4 cups Milk
1/2 cup Ghee or Butter
3 cups Jaggery or  raw sugar or brown sugar
1/4 tsp Cardamon Powder or use Mace
1/2 cup broken Cashewnuts and Raisins

Fry the Rice and the Moong dhal in a pan, till the moong dhal color starts to change. Boil Milk, When the milk has boiled fully, add the Rice and the Moong dhal on medium and let it cook with a lid on. Add some water or extra milk until the Rice and Moongdhal is cooked nicely. Keep adding butter to this mixture and also keep stirring. When the Rice and Moongdhal mixture is cooked (it should be very soft) add Cardamon powder and Sugar. Keep stirring until all the sugar is dissolved.
Mix the Cashewnuts and Raisins with the Sweet Pongal, add extra butter if you wish.

Pumpkin carrot cassarole
1 sm pumpkin; peeled and cut into chunks
1 lb carrots; peeled and sliced
3 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves; diced
3 large onions; diced
2 celery stalks; diced 
 1/3 cup tamari
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup bran, wheat germ or breadcrumbs
1/2 cup peanut butter 
 
In a large pot, combine the pumpkin and carrots with 3 cups water, and steam
over medium heat for 20 minutes, until tender. Drain, conserving liquid for
soup stock. Mash the pumpkin and carrots together until smooth. In a frying
pan, heat the oil over medium heat; add the diced garlic, onions, and celery; cook for 7 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the seasoning. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the sautéed vegetables to the pumpkin and carrot, and mix well. Mix in the bran and peanut butter. If the consistency is too loose, add 1/4 cup flour. Transfer mixture to an 8" by 12" baking dish; top with a thin coating of oil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes  serves apporx. 6

Zucchini and cheese mix up
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
2 slices Swiss cheese, shredded 
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 Tablespoons fine, dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a covered med. saucepan, cook zucchini in water until tender (about 15 to 20 mins.). Drain and mash zucchini. Combine the mashed zucchini, eggs, corn, and cheese; mix well. Pour mixture into an 8x8-inch greased baking dish. Combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 ins. or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 

orange cranberry sauce
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 organic orange, zested
1 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup orange or apple juice
1/2 cups packed brown sugar  or honey
1/2 cup fresh cubed apples, walnut slivers, and/or 1 can mandarin oranges (these are all optional)
 
Mix cranberries, juice, cinnamon, and sugar in a pot. Heat up the pot then turn down to simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes, until cranberries pop. Remove from heat. Stir in orange rind and whatever optional extra ingredients youd like (such as apples or oranges)