Hamantaschen

My hat it has three corners, three corners has my hat...
Sorry to post this a week AFTER Purim, but I had to rework the recipe a bit. Slash, I got lazy.

You'll need:
2 c. flour + 1 tsp. baking powder + 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. refined coconut oil
1/4 c. apple sauce
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. lemon extract

In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the coconut oil until soft. Cream in the sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add the apple sauce, vanilla, and lemon extract and beat until combined. Add half the flour and mix until just combined. Then mix in the orange juice, and add the remaining flour. The mixture will be a little crumbly, so smush it together into a ball. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes.

To roll out the dough, cut into 4 pieces. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, and roll out one of the pieces to 1/4 in thick. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut as many large circles of dough as you can out of the piece of dough. You can re-roll it and re-cut it a few times to make as many cookies as possible.

Put the circles of dough on a silicone baking mat or piece of parchment on a baking sheet. Spoon about 2 tsp. apricot preserves (or other fillings) into the center, and fold the edges into a triangle shape. Pinch the edges closed tightly around the filling. Repeat this process to shape the remaining cookies. You can also fill them with the traditional poppyseed filling, (which comes in a can, lucky for me!)

Bake at 350 F for about 12 minutes, until the edges are light brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.

Lebanese Meat-less Pies

Ok, here's my vegan version of something delicious that I used to eat a long time ago: lebanese meat pies. They're tasty, but they're traditionally made of lamb, which isn't really my style. So here's my lamb-friendly version, 'cause of this t-shirt.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups dry TVP granules
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 tsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce*
2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce*
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. sweet paprika*
1/8 tsp. ground cloves*
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (traditionally you're supposed to use pine nuts, but I'm not that rich right now)
1 Tbsp. soy sour cream
salt and pepper (how much? you ask. Figure it out yourself! I believe in you!)

1 package filo pastry and some oil, for brushing

*these ingredients are not traditional, but they help the TVP not taste bland

So that was a lot of ingredients! Well, if you're still feeling ambitious you can wrap these lil' guys in home-made pita dough, but I'm gonna take the shortcut and wrap them up in pre-made phyllo. Cause that's how I roll.

Ok so here we go. Let's make the filling:
1. Heat up the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and spices and saute, stirring occasionally.
2. Mix the Worcestershire, soy sauce, tomato paste, and boiling water. Pour this over the TVP. Let this sit for five minutes, and then add it to the skillet. Adjust the heat to medium, and let it sit. You want the TVP to brown a little bit, so don't stir too much! Cook for 15 minutes, and then remove from heat.
3. Pour the TVP mixture, walnuts, lemon juice, herbs, and soy sour cream into a mixing bowl and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now you have to find something to do while you wait for that to cool down to room temperature. (Like for instance, check if anyone posted on your facebook wall? Brush your hair? Walk the dog?)

4. This is the tricky/ fancy part. If you don't want to deal with it, you could also serve the filling inside of store bought pita, especially if you warm up the pita first. Otherwise, follow these instructions for how to fill the pastry. (I could describe it for you but it would not help you one bit. Just watch the video.) Bake them in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes, until they are golden.

They are a bit involved to make, and they will disappear quickly so you might be annoyed. Sorry? Um, enjoy.