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Home for the Holidays
Vegan and Gluten-free Recipesby Raechel Barone
Increasingly in my work as a baker and co-owner of On The Rise Bakery in Richmond, I am fielding questions such as, “My son-in-law is a vegan—do you have anything without dairy?” Or, “I was recently diagnosed with celiac disease—can you make a gluten-free dessert that my whole family will like?” One of our breakfast cooks even shared the following with us: “My grandmother seriously thought I could just eat around the pork in her baked beans, even though I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 10!”
My history of “cooking inclusively” for the holidays stretches back before my “On The Rise days,” to the family dinners my relatives prepared when I was young. After I became a vegetarian and my uncle became a vegan, my mother created amazing Thanksgiving meals where the only dish he and I couldn’t eat was the turkey. To this day, the array of side dishes she serves each year is extraordinary, and they are more than hearty enough to please the meat eaters.
Anyone who has tried his or her hand at preparing a holiday meal knows that with tradition comes expectation. The challenge is finding the right balance between accommodating different dietary needs and honoring the way things have been done in the past. Here are some options for creating “new old-favorites.” These are substantive dishes that are pleasing to the palate in ways we expect from holiday food, but that are made without animal products vegan and are gluten-free. And because they achieve their deliciousness without the use of overprocessed or imported ingredients, we can support our local growers when we cook these dishes, as well as meet the needs of the people we love.
Raechel Barone is a baker and co-owner of On The Rise Bakery in Richmond, www.ontherisebakery.net. Raechel, her husband, and a dedicated crew serve upwood-fired pizzas, handmade bagels, and scores of fresh goodies daily.
Photo of Raechel and Indira courtesy of On The Rise Bakery
Original recipes by Raechel Barone
BUCKWHEAT AND CORNBREAD STUFFING
Vegan and gluten free
This recipe starts with a Vermont variation on traditional cornbread—one that adds buckwheat flour and maple syrup for a rich flavor and moist texture. It’s so delicious it’s almost a shame to crumble it for stuffing! Try making it again sometime as a side dish.
Cornbread:
1 ½ cups cornmeal
¾ cup buckwheat flour
1 T potato flour
1 T baking powder
¾ t baking soda
¾ t salt
4 T sunflower oil
¼ cup maple syrup
2 cups soymilk
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together all wet ones in a pitcher. Add the wet to the dry and mix well. Pour into an oiled 9”x 13” baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until the center feels firm and a toothpick comes out clean. When the cornbread has cooled completely, cut it into 2-inch cubes. Now you are ready to make the stuffing.
Stuffing:
4 T sunflower oil
1 T garlic
2 medium-size yellow onions
4 stalks of celery
1 cup dried cranberries
1 T fresh sage
2 t dried thyme
2 cups veggie stock
¾ cup toasted sunflower seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté the garlic, onions, and celery in oil in a stock pot. When all are tender, add in the cubed cornbread, herbs, cranberries, and veggie stock. Mix well while continuing to cook until the cranberries plump up. Add the desired salt and pepper, as well as the sunflower seeds, and cook until it all begins to brown—about 15 minutes on medium heat.
Serves 8
MAPLE APPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Vegan
It is said that Pineapple Upside-Down Cake was devised to promote the use of canned pineapple! Why not use a local fruit and sweetener instead? This vegan version of the old classic relies on a baking soda and vinegar rise, so don’t combine wet and dry until you are ready to pour it into the pan and bake. The maple/apple combination creates a gooey decadence.
3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced in rings
1 t cinnamon
3 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
¼ cup maple syrup
2/3 cup sunflower oil
1 ½ cups maple syrup
1 ¼ cup water
2 T vanilla
2 T white or cider vinegar
Toss prepared apples in a bowl with syrup and cinnamon. Set aside. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk all wet together in a pitcher. Arrange apple slices in the bottom of an oiled 9”x 13” pan. Add wet to dry and mix well. Pour over apples and bake at 350 degrees for 20–25 minutes. (A toothpick stuck in the cake should come out clean, and the cake may start to form tiny cracks.)
After removing the cake from the oven, wait five minutes before freeing all the edges from the side of the pan with a knife. Place a serving plate on top of the cake and quickly invert the baking pan so the bottom is now up. Carefully release the pan and replace any apple rings that did not release.
Serves 8
PUMPKIN TARTS
Gluten free
These festive treats are delicate to handle and are surprisingly healthy for a dessert that has a custard-like filling and a tart-style crust. Serve them with a dollop of local whipped cream on top.
Crusts:
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup melted butter
½ cup maple syrup
Combine all ingredients well and press into an oiled muffin tin so that the crust is about ½ thick on the bottom and around the sides of each muffin cup. (Form the crusts about ¾ of the way up the sides.)
Filling:
2 cups pumpkin
1 ½ cups half and half
¾ cup maple syrup
½ t salt
1 ½ t cinnamon
½ t ginger
3 eggs lightly beaten
Whisk all ingredients together in a pitcher and pour into crusts. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees for 15–20 more minutes. Remove when filling has set and begins to brown.
Serves 10 to 12 (depending on the size of your muffin tin)