Delicious no-meat recipes for your holiday table.
“There are few moments in life that can’t be improved with pie,” write Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, authors of the new cookbook “Vegan Pie in the Sky: 75 Out-of-This-World Recipes for Pies, Tarts, Cobblers and More” (Da Capo Press).
And baking pie isn’t just about the eating, they write. It’s also about the experience.
Pie is the perfect fusion of art, craft and kitchen, unlike anything else you can bake in your oven today….The kind of person that just makes pie, simply because that’s what they do, is a station apart from the hurried, stressed-out masses reaching for instant sugar rushes and quick fixes. Learn how to make a pie and really take your time to enjoy doing it; it’s as calming as a yoga class or a day at the beach.
Perhaps more than any other holiday, Thanksgiving is associated with warm home-baked pies. For many vegetarian diners who don’t eat dairy or eggs, though, the holiday pie is off limits. But home cooks will soon discover that they don’t have to sacrifice flavor when baking a vegan pie. Traditional fruit-pie fillings often meet the requirements of a vegan diet anyway; mashed bananas, silken tofu and almond milk add plenty of creaminess to a pudding or cream pie. And traditional pie makers will be wowed by the flavor and flakiness of an olive-oil crust.
The Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving series is offering three delicious pie recipes from “Vegan Pie in the Sky,” all certain to satisfy everyone at the holiday table. Below you’ll find recipes for a pumpkin cheesecake pie, a fruity and tart “appleberry” pie and an old-fashioned chocolate pudding pie, as well as recipes for an olive-oil double crust and a graham cracker crust.
Visit Well’s interactive recipe collection to see more Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes; we will be adding new dishes daily.
Vegan Pie in the Sky’s
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
We prefer the consistency and flavor of canned pumpkin for this insanely popular fall dessert.
Crust:
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust (see Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding pie recipe, below), or use a store-bought 9-inch vegan graham cracker crust.
Filling:
1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews, soaked in water for 2 to 8 hours, or until very soft
1/4 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
1 (12- to 14-ounce) package silken tofu, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature
6 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin purée
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated margarine
Pinch of salt
1 cup pecan pieces, roughly chopped
1. Make the topping first. In a mixing bowl, use a fork to mash together brown sugar, margarine and salt until crumbly, then fold in the chopped nuts and stir to coat with the mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare the crust and press it very firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, and move the pan to a cooling rack, leaving the oven on for further baking in a bit.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Drain the cashews and blend with the banana, tofu, sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and orange extracts, and sea salt. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and no bits of cashew remain.
4. Set aside 1/3 cup of batter. To the remaining batter, add the pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and blend until smooth, then pour it onto the crust. Randomly spoon dollops of the reserved batter onto the cheesecake. Poke the end of a chopstick into a batter blob and gently swirl to create a marble pattern; repeat with the remaining plain dollops.
5. Bake the cheesecake for 45 to 50 minutes, removing the cheesecake halfway through the baking period to sprinkle on the topping. Return to oven to continue baking. Cheesecake will be done when the top is lightly puffed and the edges of the cake are golden. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to complete cooling, at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight. To serve, slice the cake using a thin, sharp knife dipped in cold water.
Yield: One 9 1/2-inch cheesecake.
Vegan Pie in the Sky’s
Appleberry Pie
It may sound like a mystery fruit, but appleberry is the best of fruit pie worlds: the substantial, hearty texture of apples fused with fresh or frozen sweet, tart berries.
Crust:
1 recipe Olive Oil Double Crust prepared and rolled as directed (see below).
Filling:
2 cups fresh blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or a mix (about 10 ounces frozen berries)
4 cups peeled Granny Smith apples, sliced 1/4 inch thick or thinner (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Big pinch of ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons cornstarch
Topping:
2 tablespoons almond milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Fit the bottom crust into the pie plate, pile in the filling, and gently press down to get everything in. Cover with the top crust, pinch the edges together, trim excess dough to about an inch, and crimp. Make five slits in the middle of the pie to let steam escape (a steak knife works great for this).
3. Brush the top of the pie with almond milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
4. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 35 to 40 more minutes, or until the filling bubbles up through the edges. Place the pie on a cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: One 9-inch pie.
Vegan Pie in the Sky’s
Olive Oil Double Crust
Olive oil produces a light, flaky crust with a surprisingly neutral taste. Plus, since it’s made with pantry-friendly olive oil, it’s a fast and convenient all-purpose crust ideal for fruit pies. The secret is to place the olive oil in the freezer beforehand, so that it becomes partially solid. This helps the fat blend into the dough in little pockets, creating the flakiness that pie lovers crave.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup olive oil, partially frozen (see instructions below)
4 to 8 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1. About an hour before beginning the recipe, place the olive oil in a plastic container. For best results, use a thin, light container, like the kind used for takeout food. Freeze the oil until it is opaque and congealed but still somewhat soft, like the consistency of slightly melted sorbet. If it gets too frozen, that’s fine; just let it thaw a bit so that you can work with it.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Working quickly, add the olive oil by the tablespoonful, cutting it into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the flour appears pebbly.
3. In a cup, mix together 4 tablespoons of the ice water with the apple cider vinegar. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the water and vinegar mixture into the dough and stir, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together to form a soft ball. Take care not to knead the dough too much.
4. Divide the dough in two. Press each half into a disc about an inch thick and place each disc between two 14-inch long pieces of waxed paper. Using a rolling pin, roll each piece into a circle about 1/4-inch thick. For a more even, uniform circle of dough, roll the pin one or two strokes outward, turn the dough a few degrees, and roll a few times again and repeat. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Refrigerate the rolled dough wrapped in waxed paper until it is ready to use, or as directed in the recipe.
Yield: One 9-inch top and bottom crust.
Vegan Pie in the Sky’s
Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie
This is your grandma’s puddin’ pie, only it’s vegan — a smooth, cool and creamy pudding in a classic graham cracker shell. To make life even easier, you can use a store-bought crust. For added grandma love, serve with vegan whipped cream and shaved chocolate.
Crust:
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust (see below), or use a store-bought 9-inch vegan graham cracker crust
Filling:
3 cups almond milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Big pinch of salt
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove it from the oven and let cool.
2. In a small (2-quart) saucepan off the heat, combine 1 cup of the almond milk and the cornstarch. Use a fork to whisk until the cornstarch is good and dissolved. Whisk in the remaining almond milk, the sugar, cocoa powder and salt. It’s fine if the cocoa is a bit clumpy at first; it will dissolve eventually.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Keep a close eye because once the mixture boils, you want to lower the heat and bring it to a slow rolling boil. Whisk consistently until the mixture is thickened, which should be about 7 minutes.
4. Add the chocolate chips and mix to melt. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the pudding into the prepared pie shell and let cool for about 15 minutes on the counter, just until it stops steaming like mad. To keep a skin from forming, place a circle of parchment paper over the filling. Refrigerate and let set for at least 3 hours.
Yield: One 9-inch pie.
Vegan Pie in the Sky’s
Graham Cracker Crust
It’s hard to imagine a mint chocolate pie, homespun pudding pie or cheesecake without a sweet, crumbling crust made from crushed graham crackers, chocolate cookies or even vegan vanilla wafers. Use this recipe for a firm crust that’s ideal for slicing and holding in very soft pie fillings.
1 3/4 cups finely ground graham crackers (made from 10 ounces of whole graham crackers)
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons melted nonhydrogenated margarine, melted coconut oil or canola oil
1 tablespoon plain soy milk or almond milk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the graham crumbs and sugar. Drizzle in the oil or melted margarine. Use a spoon to blend the mixture thoroughly to moisten the crumbs, then drizzle in the soy milk and stir again to form a crumbly dough.
3. Pour the crumbs into the pie plate. Press crumbs into the sides of the plate first, then work your way down to the bottom. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until firm. Let the crust cool before filling.
Yield: Makes one 9- or 10-inch pie crust.
