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HappyCow Cookbook Holiday Giveaway

HappyCow helps millions of people everywhere find delicious vegan and vegetarian cuisine across the globe through the site’s extensive database of restaurants and reviews. Now, Eric Brent, creator of HappyCow, and Glen Merzer, coauthor of Food Over Medicine, have brought the HappyCow concept home with The HappyCow Cookbook!

The HappyCow Cookbook features a collection of nutritious and delicious dishes from top-rated vegan restaurants around the world! It shares the history and evolution of each restaurant, provides Q&As with the owners, and teaches you how to make some of their popular dishes.

The HappyCow Cookbook has a lot of fab recipes that are perfect for those holiday dinners, and it also makes a great gift—so we thought this was the perfect time to do a super epic cookbook giveaway! We’re highlighting a few recipes from The HappyCow Cookbook below that we think are sure to inspire during the holiday season. PLUS, we’re giving away a copy of The HappyCow Cookbook to not one, but TEN lucky winners!

All you have to do is enter using the Rafflecopter app at the bottom of this post. We’ll be picking 10 random winners on November 16th, 2015. The contest is open to U.S. residents only, and you can enter multiple times. Good luck to everyone!

NUTLOAF – from Wayward Café in Seattle, WA

Ingredients:
-1 cup chopped walnuts
-1 cup slivered almonds
-1 large white onion, diced small
-1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
-1 12-ounce block medium-firm tofu
-1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP) granules
-1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
-1/3 cup bread crumbs
-1 tablespoon ground sage
-1 tablespoon soy sauce
-1/2 tablespoon vegan chicken broth powder
-1 teaspoon dried thyme
-1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
-2 tablespoons vegan margarine, softened
-2 tablespoons minced garlic

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a food processor, grind the walnuts and almonds until they resemble a meal. Place all ingredients, including the processed nuts, in a large mixing bowl. Using clean hands, mash everything together into a paste. Mix very well. Spray a small cookie sheet with nonstick oil. Put the nutloaf dough onto the cookie sheet and spread evenly, filling all sides to the edge of the cookie sheet. Smooth the top to make sure the dough is level. Place the cookie sheet in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Serve as we do at our restaurant: either in a cold sandwich on toasted French bread with vegan mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato, or in an open-faced hot sandwich on grilled sourdough topped with mushroom gravy and a side of garlic steamed kale.

ROASTED SPAGHETTI SQUASH, CAULIFLOWER, GARLIC, AND MASHED POTATOES WITH PORCINI MUSHROOM GRAVY – from Peacefood Café in New York, NY

Ingredients:
-1 cup whole cloves garlic
-5 tablespoons olive oil
-4 pounds spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise into quarters
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 head cauliflower, florets cut from stem

Ingredients for the mashed potatoes:
-1 1/2 pounds peeled potatoes, cut into large cubes
-4 tablespoons vegan butter
-1 cup unsweetened rice milk
-salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the porcini mushroom gravy:
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 cup diced white onion
-pinch of salt
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and soaked in 2 cups warm water until soft; reserve liquid
-2 cups mixed mushrooms sliced into small pieces (white, oyster, white beech, or any of your choice will do)
-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-3 cups vegetable broth
-2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 3/4 cup cold water
-2 tablespoons vegan butter

Directions:
For the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peeled garlic cloves and 4 tablespoons olive oil in a pan over medium heat and cook until light brown. Reserve oil. Brush the spaghetti squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper, to taste. Spread out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then cover with foil paper. In a bowl, toss cauliflower florets and fried garlic with reserved oil. Add salt and pepper to taste; spread cauliflower and garlic on a cookie sheet, uncovered. Place both squash and cauliflower florets in the preheated oven. Remove the cauliflower after 15 minutes, or until they are soft. Remove the squash after approximately 1 hour, when a fork can easily pierce the squash.

For the mashed potatoes: Put potatoes in a large pot and add water to just above the top of the potatoes. Bring water to boil, then uncover. Continue the boiling until water evaporates and potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Strain any remaining water and mash the potatoes with a fork. Add vegan butter, rice milk, and salt and pepper. Mix very well and set aside, covered.

For the porcini mushroom gravy: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add minced garlic, all the mushrooms, and mustard; keep stirring the pan for another 3 to 5 minutes, then add more salt and pepper to taste. Add the liquid from the soaked porcini and the vegetable broth, bring the sauce to boil, then lower it down to simmer. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and butter, stir for another minute, then remove the pan from heat.

To assemble: Arrange each plate with a piece of squash, top with cauliflowers and garlic, and set mashed potatoes next to them. Ladle gravy on top of the potatoes and vegetables. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

PICKLED BEETS – from the “Tasting of Beets” dish from ZenKitchen in Ottawa, ON

Ingredients:
-5 medium purple beets
-1 cup red wine vinegar
-1/2 cup red wine
-1/2 cup water
-1 tablespoon pickling salt
-1 tablespoon granulated cane sugar
-1 teaspoon pickling spices

Directions:
Place the beets in a large pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and allow them to cook fully, about 45 minutes. Check their doneness with a sharp paring knife by inserting it into the center of the beet. When you can pierce a beet with little resistance, they’re done. Remove the beets from the water and allow them to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Remove the skins from the beets, then slice into bite-size wedges, and place them all in a clean container into which you can pour the pickling liquid without it overflowing. In a saucepan, bring the vinegar, wine, water, salt, sugar, and spices to a boil. Pour over the beets and allow them to sit until the liquid cools to room temperature. Place a cover on the beets and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. These beets can be eaten after 2 hours, but allowing them to rest in the pickling liquid for at least a day is recommended. Serves 4.

SKILLET CORNBREAD – from Cornbread Café in Eugene, OR

Ingredients:
-1 to 2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter substitute
-1 cup cornmeal (medium ground)
-1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
-1/2 cup sugar
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon sea salt
-1 cup soy or rice milk
-1/3 cup oil
-egg replacer for 2 eggs (follow directions on box)
-for the optional topping: Earth Balance butter substitute and agave syrup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put 1 or 2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter substitute (or other vegan margarine) into a 9″ cast-iron skillet and put in the heated oven for about 10 minutes.

Add together the dry ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl and whisk together, combining thoroughly. Set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients (soy or rice milk through egg replacer). Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well, just until all of the dry mixture is incorporated with the wet. Some small lumps are okay.

Remove skillet from oven and coat bottom and sides with the melted Earth Balance. Pour (or scrape) batter into skillet, spreading evenly with rubber spatula. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes in the middle of the center rack. Test the center of corn bread with a toothpick after 20 minutes. When the toothpick comes out clean without crumbs sticking to it, the corn bread is done. Let it cool for a few minutes and, if desired, serve with Earth Balance and agave syrup.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH BOURBON-BROWN SUGAR CREAM – from True Bistro in Somerville, MA

Ingredients for the crust:
-5 dates, soaked in warm water
-1 1/2 cups pecans, lightly toasted
-pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling:
-3 cups cashew pieces, soaked 1 to 2 hours
-1 1/4 cups almond milk
-3/4 cup dark agave syrup
-1 cup pumpkin puree
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
-1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon allsp
-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
-3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut oil
-2 tablespoon liquid lecithin

Ingredients for the bourbon-brown sugar cream:
-4 tablespoons brown sugar
-3 tablespoons bourbon
-3/4 cup almond milk
-1/2 teaspoon agar powder
-3 tablespoons almond oil

Directions:
Drain the dates and peel off the skin and remove the seeds. Process the pecans with the dates and salt in a food processor until a fine meal is formed. Press the meal into the bottom of a 9″ springform pan. Add all filling ingredients to the blender, minus the coconut oil and the liquid lecithin, and blend until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the coconut oil and lecithin to the blender and incorporate fully. Pour the contents of the blender in the springform pan containing the crust. Tap the pan on the counter several times to remove air bubbles and then smooth the top. Place in the freezer for 2 hours, then transfer to the fridge overnight to set. In a saucepan, melt the sugar with the bourbon over low heat. Whisk in the almond milk and agar. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes, then transfer to a pan to cool. When the mixture is cool and has set, stir in the almond oil. Use the cream as a plate garnish by placing the slices of the cheesecake atop it.

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