Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 6 to 8

Filling
36  ounces frozen blueberries (about 6 cups), preferably wild
1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch table salt
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Biscuit Topping
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 ounces)
2 tablespoons stone-ground cornmeal
1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 2 teaspoons for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1. Thaw frozen blueberries in colander, allowing liquid to drain away.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.

3. For the filling: Stir sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. Add berries and mix gently with rubber spatula until evenly coated; add lemon zest and juice and mix to combine. Transfer berry mixture to 9-inch glass pie pan, place pie pan on rimmed baking sheet, and bake until filling is hot and bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes.

4. For the biscuit topping: Whisk flour, cornmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to combine. Whisk melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla in small bowl. Mix remaining 2 teaspoons sugar and cinnamon in second small bowl and set aside. One minute before berries come out of the oven, add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir with rubber spatula until just combined and no dry pockets remain.

5. To assemble and bake cobbler: Remove berries from oven; increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Pinch off 8 equal-sized pieces biscuit dough and place on hot berry filling, spacing them at least 1/2 inch apart (they should not touch). Sprinkle each mound of dough with cinnamon-sugar. Bake until filling is bubbling and biscuits are golden brown on top and cooked through, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool cobbler on wire rack 20 minutes and serve.

From Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1/4 C turbinado or demerara sugar
2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 canola oil
1/4 C molasses
1/4 C soy or rice milk
1 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the turbinado/demerara sugar in a small bowl.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a large bowl mix together oil, molasses, soy/rice milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well.

Roll into one inch balls and roll in turbinado/demerara sugar. Set on cookie sheets, about one inch apart. Bake 10 - 12 minutes, let cool on cookie sheets for 3 - 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

From Three Bowl Cookbook: The Secrets of Enlightened Cooking from the Zen Mountain by David Scott and Tom Pappas

Serves 4

1 pound pasta
1 ripe avocado, pitted, pealed, and chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 or 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10 basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook paste until al dente in salted water.

2. Mix avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, jalapeno, tomatoes, garlic in a large bowl.

3. Toss with hot pasta, season, and serve.

[Also good with white beans or chickpeas mixed in. I love this cookbook so much. Everything I've made has been good, and he's not as heavy on the dairy as most vegetarian cookbooks are.]

Dairy and soy free, and delicious,  More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan.

Brownies
3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 C unbleached white flour
2 Tbs arrowroot
1 C unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 C light cane sugar
1/4 C dark cane sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs canola oil
1 C maple syrup
1/3 C prune puree (*see recipe below)
2 Tbs water
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 chocolate chips
1/3 chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9"x9" pan.
2. Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Add the flours, sugars, arrowroot, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda,and salt. Tap the strainer against the palm of your hand to sift the ingredients into the bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Whisk together oil, maple syrup, prune puree, water, and vanilla in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Pour into dry ingredient and mix. Add chocolate chips. Batter will be thick.
4. Spread batter into prepared pan evenly and bake for 18 minutes until the top looks dry and set, and the sides of the brownies have pulled away from the sides slightly. A tester inserted into the center will be coated with very moist cake, but the cake will not feel gummy. Do not overbake or the brownies will be dry. The brownies will firm as they cool and when they are chilled.
5. Place the pan on a rack and cool to room temperature. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate the brownies before cutting.

*Prune Puree
1/3 C prunes
1/3 C boiling water less 1 tsp

Pour boiling water over prunes and let sit 15 - 30 minutes. Pour water and prunes into blender and puree.

[Notes: I used white sugar and brown sugar, and maybe 3/4 C of maple syrup because I ran out. They're still good. Also takes more like 27 - 28 minutes to bake, but YMMV. She's serious about refrigerating them first. They taste better that way too.]

From the Bakers' Catalogue.
My cousin and I made these last Christmas and I just now found the recipe floating around on my desk. They were damn good.

2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs honey or corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 powdered sugar
1 lb. chocolate

Melt the butter and add the honey/corn syrup and vanilla, stirring to combine. Stir in the peanut butter and sugar and set aside.

Melt and temper the chocolate. Pour a small amount into a paper candy cup and use a spoon to coat the sides and bottom. Add peanut butter filling and cover with more chocolate. Refrigerate until set.

From Barefoot Contessa Parties by Ina Garten

Makes 2 8-inch cakes. Each cake serves 6-8. The second can be wrapped well and frozen for up to 6 months if not needed.


Cake
3/4 C unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temp
2 C sugar
4 eggs at room temp
3/4 C sour cream at room temp
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 C flour
1/4 C cornstarch
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour 2 8-inch cake pans.

Cream butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. On medium speed add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream, zest, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix well.

Sift together flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. On low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and combine just until smooth.

Pour the batter evenly into the pans smooth the tops with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then remove to wire racks and cool to room temp.


Filling
For each cake:
1 C whipping cream, chilled
3 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Whip cream, add sugar and vanilla. Slice one of the cakes in half with a long, sharp knife. Place the bottom slice of the cake on a serving platter, spread with half of the whipped cream, and scatter with sliced strawberries. Cover with the top slice of the cake and spread with the remaining cream. Decorate with strawberries.

From How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 small onion, finely diced
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
3 plump zucchini
generous 1/2 C basmati rice
2 1/4 C vegetable stock
2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained
scant 1/2 C melted butter
7 oz filo dough

Preheat oven to 400.

Gently fry the cumin seeds and onion in the olive oil until the onion's soft. Add the turmeric and coriander. Dice the zucchini, unpeeled, and add them to the onion mixture, cooking on a fairly high heat to prevent the zucchini from becoming watery.

When they are soft but still holding their shape, add the rice and stir well, letting the rice become well coated in the oil. Add the stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring all the while. When all the liquid has been absorbed, the rice should be cooked, so take it off the heat, stir in the chickpeas, and check the seasoning.

Brush the insides of the springform pan with some of the melted butter. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with 3/4 of the filo dough, buttering each piece as ou layer. leave a little filo overlapping the sides, and keep 3-4 layers for the top.

Carefully put in your slightly cooled filling, and then fold in the overlaps. Butter the last layers of filo and scrunch on top of the pie as a covering. Brush with a final coat of butter, and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the filo is golden and the middle hot. Check this by inserting a slin, sharp-bladed knife. If, when you remove it, it feels hot when you press it against your wrist, the pie's ready.

Serves 6-8.

From Sinfully Vegan by Lois Dieterly

Cake
1 1/4 C maple syrup
3/4 C non-hydrogenated margarine
4 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 Tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 C orange juice
1 Tbs orange extract
2 C chocolate chips [I might suggest fewer, like 1 1/2 C]

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Allow margarine to soften to room temperature and cream in a standing mixer. Slowly add maple syrup and beat until light and fluffy. [Light and fluffy is an overstatement. It will look sort of grotty and curdled, but it's okay, just beat it hard.] Add orange extract.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine. Alternately add flour mixture and orange juice to the margarine mixture.

Pour into bundt pan and bake 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan ten minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Glaze
3/4 C powdered sugar
2 Tbs orange juice

Mix together and pour over cooled cake.

One recipe Cocoa Bean Cream

Cake
From Bittersweet by Alice Medrich

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup espresso OR 1/3 cup hot water plus 1 tsp instant espresso powder OR 1/3 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
6 eggs
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12x17 inch sheet pan with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and water/espresso together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water or (carefully) in the microwave. Stir in vanilla. Set aside.

Separate eggs. Whisk the yolks into the chocolate. Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar together and slowly add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Stir a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it and then gently but thoroughly fold in the rest of the whites.

Spread evenly on the sheet pan and bake 8-10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out moist but not goopy and the cake springs back when pressed gently with a finger. (It took closer to 15 minutes for me.)


Cherry Filling
Approx. 2 cups of sweetened dried sour/tart cherries
1 Tbs dark rum
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put dried cherries in a bowl with enough water to barely cover them and refrigerate over night.

Strain the cherries, pouring the water used to rehydrate them into a small saucepan. Put the cherries in a small bowl and set aside. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce by half. Add rum, vanilla, and cherries and cook for two or three minutes.

Remove from heat and pour the whole mixture into a blender or food processor. Blend as smooth as your want your sauce to be. Don't expect it to come out smooth because it won't. You can always strain it afterwards if you feel it's too wet.

To Assemble
Cut the cake into 24 even squares. Place one square on a plate, cover with cherry filling, place another square on top, and garnish with cocoa bean cream. I also used cherries out of a can of cherry pie filling with the goop washed off for garnish because my cousin loves them and it was her birthday. (I think they're kinda gross personally.)

From Cook's Illustrated.

Cake
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 pound medium carrots (6 to 7 carrots), peeled
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil , safflower oil, or canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

( recipe )

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese , softened but still cool
5 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, but still cool
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar (4 1/2 ounces)

( recipe )