SAUSAGE APRICOT STUFFING

Still trying to finalize your Holiday menu? Looking to add an additional item? Well, I believe this stuffing is what you are missing! We used to make this way back, when I ate my animal friends, and after I chose to live a compassionate life, I was the most disappointed to not have this yummy stuffing at the dinner table. After one Thanksliving without it, I was like NO! I WILL VEGANIZE IT!! And so I did! My family loves it just as much as the meaty version, and the tradition lives on!

SAUSAGE APRICOT STUFFING
(Serves 6-8)

*1 package of Vegan stuffing (I use the Whole Foods brand)
*1 package of Vegan breakfast sausage (I recommend Gimme Lean brand)
* 25-30 dried apricots, diced
*1 3/4 C of Veg stock; I use homemade, and I would highly recommend doing the same!
* 1/3 C melted Earth Balance butter
*1 lb of cremini mushrooms, washed and chopped
*1 large, sweet onion, diced
* 4 cloves of garlic, minced
* Olive oil, for cooking
* 6-8 fresh sage leaves, finely diced
* Himalayan salt, to taste
* Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

-Begin by heating oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
-Once hot, add your diced onion and mushroom, and a pinch of salt. Cook until vegetables begin to sweat and onions become translucent. Add your garlic and cook for 2-3 mins, stirring often, and being sure not to burn the garlic. You're not looking to fully cook the veg, as it will soften up a bit more in the oven. Remove from pan and place in a small bowl to cool down.
-Using the same pan, crumble and cook the vegan sausage. You may or may not need to add oil. I usually add a bit of water to the pan with the sausage, to deglaze it, and get all the yummy bits off of the pan. Cook sausage until heated through. Remove from pan and add to the veg mixture.
-Now, take your dry stuffing and add your diced apricots and veg/sausage mixture. Give it a toss to mix. At this point, I add my diced sage, salt and pepper.

-A little bit at a time, add your stock and butter, stirring and incorporating between each addition. Repeat this process until all the stuffing is moist.
-Transfer into a 9 x 13 baking dish. 
-This entire recipe, up to this point, can be made a day ahead of time. Simply wrap with foil and store in fridge until you are ready to pop it in the oven.
-Once you are ready to cook, put into a 350-375 oven, covered for about 25-30 mins. Then, remove the foil and bake an additional 10-15 mins, or until the top begins to get brown and crispy.
-Remove from oven, and enjoy!!

MY FAMOUS CHILI AND FIREY CORNBREAD!!

I've been dying for it to cool down so I could make my chili, so I was super stoked to see the temp drop a few weeks ago! And by drop, I mean like 68. Hey, that's chilly for us out here is LaLaLand. Don't judge. Anyway, I saw the forecast and took my butt to Sprouts to grab all the yummy ingredients to make my chili. As usual, it was BOMB! I really never thought I'd share my Chili recipe, it was one that I thought I'd save for that cookbook I have aspirations to publish one day, but then I was like.....why NOT share it? Your carnivore friends won't even know it's vegan. I've had big meat-eaters tell me that it was the best chili they ever had! SO, here it is. You can thank me later :)
*DISCLAIMER- I like my chili HOT. And when I say hot, I mean like I'm sweating and my nose runs when I eat it. I love heat. Gimme all the heat. If you don't like heat, just adjust the peppers and spices to your taste.

MY FAMOUS CHILI:
(Serves about 8)

* 1 green pepper, diced
* 1 sweet onion, diced
* 1 red onion, diced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 red jalapenos, with seeds, diced
* 2 green jalapenos, with seeds, diced
* 2-3 serranos, with seeds, diced
* 2 cans Organic red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 can Organic black beans, drained ans rinsed
* 1 can Organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 can (28 oz) Organic crushed tomatoes
* 1 box (32 oz) Imagine Organic Creamy Tomato soup
*  1 pkg soy crumble (I used Lightlife)
* 1 TBS chili powder
* Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
* Himalayan salt, to taste
* 2 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 TBS agave nectar
* 1/4 C water (more or less, depending on how you like your chili)
* 1 C fresh, assorted cherry tomatoes

-With Crock Pot heated (I start mine on High), add peppers, onions and garlic to bottom of Crock Pot and stir to combine.
-Next, add the soy crumble and stir to combine, being sure there are no clumps of "meat".
-Add all the beans, stirring to combine.
-Now it's time to add your liquids. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato soup and water. Give everything a good stir to incorporate the liquid with the solids. It won't look very soupy, but as it cooks down, it will become more liquidy, so I would go easy on the water, and add any extra later on in the cooking process.
-Next, add the chili powder, black pepper, salt, cayenne and agave. Be sure to really stir it up well.
-Lastly, add the whole cherry tomatoes. During the cook, they will break down and give the chili a super, fresh tomato flavor!

-Cover and allow to cook on high for a good hour. After that, I usually lower it to med-low and cook for an additional few hours, then turn it back up to high for and hour or so. Honestly, as long as it cooks for 4-5 hours, you can cook it on whatever temp you'd like. It's best when it's cooked down slowly, allowing the flavors to develop and deepen. Stir occasionally, and be sure to continue to taste it to see if any of the seasoning needs to be adjusted.
-At some point during the cooking process you can begin to make your cornbread.

FIREY JALAPENO CORNBREAD:
 Recipe adapted from a PPK recipe

* 2 C Organic, Non-GMO cornmeal (I use Bob's Redmill)
* 1 C unbleached All-Purpose flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/3 C melted coconut oil
* 2 TBS agave nectar
* 2 C unsweetened almond milk
* 2 tsp Bragg's apple cider vinegar
* 1 tps Himilayan salt
* 1 jalapeno, seeds included, finely diced
* 1-2 serranos, seeds included, finely diced

-Preheat oven to 350 (for glass) or 375 (for non-stick) and spray a 8 X 8 baking dish with cooking spray
-Combine almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, whisk together and set aside.
-Put all dry ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine.
-Add coconut oil and agave to almond milk mixture and whisk until foamy.
-Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and fold in until combined. It will be pretty thick.
-Drop in your peppers and fold into the cronbread mixture.
-Transfer to your "greased" baking dish and pop in the oven.
-Bake for 30-35 mins, or until edges begin to brown and a knife put into the center comes out clean.
-Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 5-10 mins before slicing.

Both the chili and the cornbread taste amazing for days after; I always like mine the best on Day 2! I hope you enjoy my chili as much as I do!