Bea's Beat

My human sister Ashley loves this really rich raw dessert.  Mother’s friends can’t believe it is raw.  Of course, I can’t eat it cause chocolate is bad for dogs.  But I’m really good at crying when Mother won’t give me the food processor to lick out.  My brother Spencer loves almonds, so he begs for them.

Crust:

1 C Dried, unsweetened coconut

1/3 C Coconut Oil

1/2 C Soaked Almonds (soak at least 4 hours)

Combine all ingredients in food processor, pat into two 4″ tart pans and refrigerate.

Filling

1/2 C Cacao Powder

1/2 C Agave

1/4 C Coconut Oil

Melt coconut oil over hot water or in the dehydrator (if you are using it) Whisk together cacao powder, coconut oil and agave. Pour into tart shells and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This is Mother’s favorite raw dessert. She has served it to non-vegans who rarely eat raw food, and they can’t get over how delicious this yummy pie tastes! I always help Mother by licking the coconut cream out of the food processor. Coconut oil is really good for you. The young coconut meat and water are delicious!

Crust:
1/2 C Macadamia Nuts
1 C Almonds
1/2 C fine dried Coconut
2 T coconut oil
2 T Agave

Place macadamia and almonds in the food processor. Process until a coarse meal is achieved. Add the coconut oil, coconut and agave. Pulse until blended. Spread into an 8″ pie plate. The crust will be sticky so it helps to do this with wet hands. Refrigerate.
Chocolate Sauce:
1/2 C Cacao Powder
1/2 C Agave
1/4 C coconut oil (melted over warm water)
1 vanilla bean

Split Vanilla bean in half and with a table knife, scrape all the pulp out of the inside of the bean. Place the vanilla bean scrapings and and the rest of the ingredients into the vitamix. Blend for 2 minutes. Spread a layer (you will have quite a bit left over) on the bottom of the crust. Place in refrigerator to set.

Filling:
2 C Cashews, soaked for 6 hours
1 C coconut meat (from young coconut)
1 vanilla bean
1/4 C Coconut Oil
1/4 C Water from Young Coconut
2 C Sliced Strawberries
Flaked dried Coconut

Split the young coconut and reserve 1/4 c. water. Scrape out the filling. Combine all ingredients in vitamix. Process until smooth. Place filling in bowl and stir in sliced strawberries. Pile filling into chocolate lined crust, top with flaked coconut and refrigerate until set.

For more delicious raw dessert and other raw food recipes, visit www.rawmazing.com. It is Mother’s favorite raw food recipe sites.

My Nonna taught this recipe to Mother, who used to make sauce every Sunday. Nonna learned about frying the paste from her Sicilian boyfriend’s mother. Mother uses this yummy sauce for pasta, homemade vegan pizza, lasagna, manicotti and stuffed shells.

Ingredients
2 small cans or jars of tomato paste (Mother uses Bionatura organic)
1 large can or homemade tomato puree
½ of a large sweet onion or one leek
Garlic
Oregano
Basil
Bay leaf
Olive oil
¼ cup wine or sherry

Instructions
Chop the onions well (or put in food processor if you want them really fine) and fry in olive oil until golden brown. Add paste and some water. You will be frying the paste; this is what gives the sauce a good taste. Keep adding water as necessary but not too much. After about 15 minutes, add the puree. Add fresh or dry garlic, oregano and basil to taste. Add one bay leaf. Add wine or sherry. Mother likes Chianti or dry sherry. If you want a sweeter sauce, use Lambrusco. Cook sauce for a couple of hours. Add water as necessary.

*Remember not to feed onions to dogs or cats

Ashley, my vegan-since-birth sister, LOVES this pizza. She asked if Mother could ship a pizza to her college (Mother said it wouldn’t make it). I LOVE this pizza, too, especially the crust. Mother first made the pizza for a cooking presentation to her 10th grade Honors English class. She had to write a recipe and explain to the class how to make it. She’s been making it ever since, converting it to vegan along the way.

Dough
2 packages of yeast
1 ¼ cups of very warm, but not hot, water
6 tbsp. olive oil
pinch sugar
1 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole grain pastry flour

Dissolve yeast for five minutes in warm water. Add olive oil and sugar. Add flour and mix. Form a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl. Place dough in the bowl (ball should be large enough to cover bottom). Cover and place in warm place (on top of an oven heated to 175 degrees with a light turned on overhead is the best).

Let dough rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size (usually reaches close to top of bowl). Punch down dough and stretch into lightly greased 14 inch round deep dish pizza pan. Make slight edge around perimeter.

Top with sauce, vegan cheese and any toppings you like (vegan sausage or pepperoni, mushrooms, artichokes, peppers, onions, broccoli, spinach, sundried tomatoes, etc.).

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. If you like a browner crust, try baking another 5 minutes.

*Remember not to feed onions to dogs or cats

I can’t wait until Christmas. Not only do I get to watch Mother decorate two beautiful trees and open wonderful gifts, but the food alone should be enough for the holiday spirit. Nonna’s Italian Stuffing and Mother’s Mushroom Gravy are a combination made in heaven!

Ingredients
2 cups crimini mushrooms
½ sweet onion
½ cup Vegetable broth
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Olive oil

Instructions
Fry the onions in olive oil until golden brown.
Saute the mushrooms in a tablespoon of olive oil and vegetable broth.
Stir the nutritional yeast into the mushroom mixture until dissolved.
Put everything in a food processor and process until gravy consistency. Add more broth if too thick or more nutritional yeast if too thin.
Heat before serving with Nonna’s Italian Stuffing.

*Remember not to feed onions to dogs or cats

Mother and Nonna used to make Italian stuffing. After they became vegan, they substituted Lightlife Italian sausages. This is the most delicious stuffing ever! I could eat the entire large pan.

Ingredients
1 loaf of whole grain bread cut into cubes
1 large sweet onion
1 stalk of celery without leaves
4 granny smith apples
2 cups of pecans
2 packages of Lightlife Italian sausages
2 tablespoons sage (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon rosemary (or more to taste)
Salt to taste
½ cup cooking sherry
1 cup low sodium vegetable broth (or more as needed)

Instructions
Toast the bread cubes in a 350 degree oven until light brown.
Chop pecans in food processor.
Chop onion, celery and apples in food processor.
Chop sausages in food processor.
Mix toasted bread cubes and the remaining ingredients. Add the sherry and broth to sufficiently moisten the stuffing. Put stuffing in a greased 9 x 12 glass pan
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately one hour. Serve with Mother’s Mushroom Gravy and fresh cranberry sauce.

You don’t need turkey to celebrate Thanksgiving! Mother and I make the most amazing, vegan meals-I’m still salivating! We made Nonna’s Italian stuffing with vegan Italian sausage, fresh cranberry sauce (flavored with orange), mushroom gravy, whipped potatoes and parsnip (Japanese sweet potatoes, yam, yellow potatoes and parsnips). Here’s the recipe for one of the main Thanksgiving day attractions: pumpin pie! I’m going to ask Mother to make one for Christmas as well.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
1 package silken lite tofu
2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin
2/3 cup vegan sugar or agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice or next 4 ingredients
2 tsp cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp cloves
1 unbaked 9” pie crust

Pie Crust
½ cup unbleached white flour
½ cup whole wheat or whole grain pastry flour
1/3 cup vegan coconut spread (instead of shortening)
4 drops cold water

Instructions:
Cut coconut spread into flour with pastry cutter. Add water and make a ball. Roll out to make a 9 inch pie crust.

Drain tofu and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; blend well. Pour into 9” unbaked pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour. Filling will be soft but will firm up as it chills. Top with vegan whipped cream.

Pumpkin Crème Pie: Use all of ingredients above and blend in 1 package of 4 Tbsp water and 2 packages of vegan vanilla pudding mix (non cook version). Follow directions above.

My Grammy O’Connor grew up in County Clare, Ireland. She moved to Hartford when she was 20 years old and now lives in West Hartford. I love her Irish accent. She and Mother love to bake and cook together. Mother and my cousin Deirdre are introducing her to vegan food. Grammy is a huge animal lover. She has three small dogs and seven cats.

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups unbleached organic flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (one cup soy or rice milk plus one tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar; let stand for 10 minutes)
2 tablespoons vegan sour cream or plain soy yogurt
1 tablespoon Ener-G egg substitute + four tablespoons warm water (mix thoroughly)
vegan sugar (to taste)
Currants (optional – as many as you like)
Caraway seeds (optional – as many as you like)

Instructions:
Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl and wet ingredients together in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well. Form a round loaf and place on baking sheet coated with vegetable spray.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour (test bread before that).

I have always loved Peanut Butter!  So Mother and I came up with these peanut butter dog treats and named them after me.  You can be sure I don’t let my canine brothers lick the bowl.

Ingredients:

¾ cup unsalted peanut butter

½ cup water

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ¼ cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

Instructions:

Combine all wet ingredients.  Slowly add dry ingredients.  Gather into a ball and knead for about a minute.  You can wrap dough in plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Roll out ½ inch thick and cut with cookie cutter.

Baked on greased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

While Mother has been busy traveling around the East Coast searching for funding to support CAPS and doing media work, I’ve been working hard on becoming a celebrity. I love getting all the attention from adoring fans, but I want more! It’s not that I’m spoiled (okay, maybe I am a little bit). I come from a puppy mill, a far cry from a glamorous beginning. Thankfully, Mother has done everything possible for me to get the love and support I rightfully deserve. It’s time for me to help CAPS- who would deny such a pretty girl like me (have you seen my ears?!)?

Beatrice and Kiley Wirtz Jennings

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