Mincemeat Pie Recipe: Vegan, Vegetarian Alternatives

Mincemeat pie is the quintessential traditional Thanksgiving pie. Mincemeat pie is a love it or hate it dessert. If you love mincemeat like we do, you probably know that it is expensive. Here's an easy recipe for homemade mincemeat pie filling.

  Mincemeat pie is named so, because traditionally mincemeat contains stewed, shredded beef. Mincemeat developed in the middle ages as a way to preserve meats and prevent them from spoiling. Similar to smoking meat, pickling it in a brine, like herring or corned beef or salting it away like salt pork, beef cooked in stewed fruits and spices could be stored for a time also. The cooked fruits formed a sort of brine for the beef. When the mincemeat filling was baked into a pie, the pie was a dinner pie, such as steak and kidney pie or the more modern pot pie. Mincemeat pie was the entree.

  My original recipe called for a pound of stew beef stew meat to be cooked with the fruit and spices. For reasons of taste and for vegetarians and vegan diners, I've omitted the stewed meat from the recipe. If you've a yen for a good old medieval dish, add a pound of stewed beef to your recipe. I have done this in our homeschool when we were studying medieval Europe. But for the rest of us, here's the modified fruit only version.

  Nine cups cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered (Macintosh, Jonathan, Ida Red, Jonamac, Granny Smith apple varieties make the best cooking apple; my personal favorite being the wonderful Macintosh from my home state of Michigan.)

  4 ounces avocado oil or ghee

  2 1/2 cups of sugar (I like Florida Crystals)

  2 1/2 cups of water

  15 ounce package raisins

  1/4 cup molasses

  2 cups dried currants (available near the packaged raisins; Sun-Maid makes packaged currants)

  1/2 cups chopped or diced candied fruits with peels, also known as citron; these are the same candied fruits used in holiday fruitcake (available seasonally in most grocery stores).

  1 teaspoon each shredded orange peel and lemon peel

  1 cup orange juice

  1/2 cup lemon juice

  1 teaspoon salt

  1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  1/4 teaspoon mace

  In food processor, grind apples and oil. Place all ingredients, including apple-suet mixture in a large kettle. Cover, simmer for forty-five minutes, stirring frequently. This recipe makes enough for 2 nine inch pies. Use four cups per pie. Bake with a double crust pie. If you are using frozen pie crusts, use two crusts, fill one and use the other on top.

Dairy free Vegan Recipe: Milk-less, Eggless, Sugar-less, Butter-less War Cake (with diet food swaps)

Vegan Cake Recipe: War Cake
During WWII, foods were rationed: eggs, milk, sugar and other items. Vegans do not eat these foods, so what better recipes for vegans than recipes from WWII? Here is my grandmother's famous eggless, sugar-less butter-less milkless "war cake" recipe. I've tweaked the recipe only to remove lard' or shortening from the ingredients list and replaced with olive oil. If you want to make an authentic war cake, use shortening as olive oil  would have been difficult to find and probably boycotted as we were at war with Italy. If you're looking to lose weight or just lighten up your cake, use mashed avocado, applesauce or ground flaxseed to sub for oil and eggs. 

 War Cake

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/ 2 cup corn syrup

1/2 molasses

1 cup cold water

1 cup chopped raisin

2 teaspoons any combination of spices: cinnamon, mace, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves

one half teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

one half cup olive oil (or mashed avocado, mashed banana, applesauce or milled flaxseed)

Bring to boil oil, spices, corn syrup molasses, salt, raisins and water. Boil three minutes. Sift together dry flour, soda, baking powder. Blend wet and dry ingredients. Pour into oiled tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into top of cake comes out clean.

Graduation Open House Buffet Recipes for Bridal or Baby Shower too

May and June are busy with graduation open houses. If you have a graduating child, here's a guide to plan a graduation open house party cheap and easy. This festive budget graduation party guide has tips on purchasing, preparation, serving and clean-up tips for a perfect open house that even a busy DIY parents can enjoy!

--Set up self-maintaining buffet and drink areas.

--Serve simple appetizers and finger foods that people can graze from and don't require you to manage (aside from putting out a fresh tray possibly).

--Beverage bar: arrange variety of pop, water or juice, ice bucket and cups. Or buy canned soda in bulk cheap and fill a cooler. Set a box lined with plastic for returnable cans. Serve one each: cola product (Coke, Pepsi, RC), clear soda (7-Up, Sprite, Squirt), diet soda, non-caffeinated pop (root beer), bottled water, lemonade and juice boxes. If you serve alcohol, have a bar tender. Put bottled or canned beer in cooler. Monitor casually but carefully.

--Use disposable utensils, plates, cups and napkins. Get cheap paper products at Dollar Tree, Walmart or Family Dollar in your school colors. Serve food from large disposable foil roasting pans. Use the turkey size. Buy rectangular pans as they store in the refrigerator better. Fill roaster pans the night before and reheat before serving

--Cheap, easy open house buffet foods: These don't need to be reheated.

BBQ meatballs: Mix and heat thoroughly: 5# bag of Armour frozen meatballs and 16 oz jam or frozen fruit, 16 oz ketchup, envelope French onion soup mix, cup molasses, smoked paprika, garlic and lime juice.

Sausage and Sauerkraut: three 32 oz bags of refrigerated sauerkraut and 4# fresh bratwurst, sweet Italian or Polish sausage. Bake until sausage is thoroughly cooked about an hour.

Tuna Salad: Mix 2# cooked small seashell pasta, four 12 oz. or eight 6 oz. cans of drained tuna, 1 whole stalk of celery pared, cleaned and sliced, 1 large sweet or Vidalia onion, cleaned and chopped, 3 T. dill, 32 oz jar mayonnaise, 4 hard cooked eggs sliced and arranged on top, pepper or paprika for garnish

Chicken Salad: Mix 2# cooked small seashell pasta, four 12 oz cans cooked chicken, 32 oz jar mayonnaise, 1 # chopped walnuts, 1 stalk cleaned, pared chopped celery, 2# washed seedless purple grapes, 1/2 c. chopped sweet onion (optional), parsley for garnish.

Baked Beans: Mix 8 cans of pork and beans or 3 jars of great northern beans, two 3# bacon cut into bite-sized pieces, 32 oz ketchup, 2# brown sugar. Bake on low until beans and bacon are browned and bubbly.

Vegetable tray: For color variety use: cucumbers, grape tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, yellow pepper strips, mini ir baby portobella fresh mushrooms, cauliflower. Serve dish in hollowed out green pepper or use ranch dressing for dip.

Fruit bowl: canned pineapple chunks, fresh strawberries (washed and pared), fresh washed green grapes, canned mandarin oranges, fresh blueberries. Serve individually in disposable drink cups topped with whipped cream for a smaller party. You can also make a watermelon boat.I don't care for all the cutting up of a melons, though.

Cupcakes: Cupcakes are much easier to manage than a huge cake that messy and ends up all over your yard. You can buy bulk decorations like little diplomas, Class year or graduation. You can buy them from any party supply store or Walmart. Put one on each cupcake. Our local Meijer grocery superstore makes decorated graduation cupcakes. I paid $30 for 72 cupcakes, a big savings over a cake.