WHITNEY'S NOODLES

This is a cheap, filling meal. It's named after my nephew, Whitney, who served his mission in Taiwan and learned to cook inexpensive meals. Eggs.

Bacon.

Onions and garlic.

Veggies--this is the crookneck squash. Add half of the seasoning pkgs. to the veggies as they are cooking. Boil the noodles with the other half of the seasoning pkgs. Mix everything together and serve. Delicious. Thanks, Whitney. WHITNEY'S NOODLES--Whitney Peterson

Some kind of meat. I have only ever used bacon but other meats could be used or if you're a vegetarian just leave the meat out.

Eggs
Onions and garlic
Mushrooms--I didn't have any but usually always use them.
Veggies--I used two good sized crookneck squash and one good sized zucchini
Other veggies--lots of things could be used.
Ramen noodles, one pkg for each person

Boil ramen noodles with one half of the seasoning pkg. Boil only 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain. Use the remaining seasoning pkg. in the veggies.

Cook bacon, drain well. Set aside. I add everything to an oven proof bowl in a 200 degree oven to keep things warm while I sauté the remaining ingredients.

Sauté one veggie at a time and add to bowl in the oven--or you could steam them with a bit of water. I used some of the bacon grease and it was too greasy. I couldn't find my original recipe so I sautéed the veggies for too long. You want the veggies to have a bit of crunch.

Cook the eggs and then cut them into chunks.

Add everything together and serve.

I made extra as I want to send them some to my neighbor. I told her about the recipe but she looked at me a little oddly so I want her to taste it. Her daughter has gone away to college and needs cheap, filling meals.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE

Mmm, good. This was served at our Enrichment dinner last Tuesday. Our theme was, "What Can't You Do Without?" We had everyone bring what they couldn't do without--family and scriptures didn't count so it had to be something else. I took three things but which are all part of my one thing I can't do without. My little desk lamp which shines on my magnifying mirror which I use to pluck my chin hairs--which are actually stray eyebrows (according to Janette Barber: “I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows”). I pluck every single night, whether I need to or not. That is one of my pet peeves, women with moustaches or chin hairs. Pluck Lynne, pluck. So my one thing I can't do without were tweezers.

MEXICAN CASSEROLE--Carolyn Heaton

1 box Spanish Rice mix (Rice a Roni®)

1 (15 oz.) can chopped tomatoes—to use in Rice a Roni

½ pkg Doritos Tortilla chips
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can chopped tomatoes with green chilies
1 can Hatch’s green enchilada sauce
2 cups grated cheese, a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar

Make rice dish as directed, using the one can of chopped tomatoes. Put rice in 9x13 pan, top with 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies. Layer Doritos, crushed a bit. Top with beans, drained and rinsed. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake in 350 for 35 minutes.

Serve with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, dollop of sour cream and chopped avocado. Can add olives if desired.

OKAY, I DIDN'T EXACTLY MAKE IT LIKE THAT. THIS IS WHAT I DID.

Made the Rice a Roni as pkg. directions. I used a little more than half of a quart of diced, home-canned tomatoes in the Rice a Roni. Didn't put the extra can of canned tomatoes on top--saved it for later. Topped with a bunch of tortilla chips from Costco. Drained a can of pinto beans and black beans and mixed with one can--NOT drained--of S&W Caribbean beans--I buy them to make Cafe Rio salad so I have a bunch in my food storage--plus two Tbs. of Red Hot liquid seasoning. (I dislike kidney beans so I rarely buy them.) Topped them with the rest of the quart of tomatoes, drained. topped that with a can of green enchilada sauce--I would have made my own--I'm a home-made type girl but I'm all out of green chilies. Topped with Mozzarella cheese only as I was too lazy to hunt up any cheddar cheese in the freezer. Baked loosely covered--kind of tented so the aluminum foil didn't touch the cheese--for 45 minutes at 350°. Uncovered the casserole, turned the oven to 400° until it was a little brown on top and bubbling.

For the salad I mixed tomatoes, chopped multi-colored peppers, pepperoncini--also known as pickled banana peppers, and lettuce. I made guacamole, had sour cream and ranch dressing on the side.

Of course, I forgot to take photos until everyone was finished so no photo of the salad and guacamole and sour cream but everyone knows what salad and guacamole and sour cream looks like anyway.

It was very good. Lord Bumhampton had several servings and really liked it. We all really liked it. Go forth and bake some.

MUSHROOM-ASPARAGUS LASAGNA

This is wonderful! The first time I made this Phil ate 5 pieces. Five pieces! Can you imagine? He said his stomach hurt. I don't doubt it. He said it was worth it though. I ate one and a half because it was so doggone good. Mmm.

The original recipe had about a million steps and a lot of butter and even a fair amount of olive oil. I decided it didn't need all that fat and I also decided all those steps made me nauseous so I changed it. I honestly can't tell the difference and it's way easier. (You're welcome.)

You only make three layers of noodles but because you only boil the noodles for 4 minutes the noodles haven't expanded like a normal lasagna noodle you will need to cut pieces of another noodle and piece it on the end of each row. Does that make sense? You will actually have some noodle left over.

I put the asparagus and mushrooms on separate layers this time but would make them as the recipe says from now on. So much less complicated.

Add the mozzarella cheese to each layer.

I used waaaay too many mushrooms--I just kept slicing--so added an extra layer on the top. Like I said, I won't do that again, I will just mix the mushrooms and asparagus together for each layer. This is the third time I've made this recipe and the first time I've done it this way. Never again.

This is the final layer. Push it down before adding the sauce and cheese.
I added Parmesan and a fair amount of mozzarella and then uncovered it the last 15 minutes so it browned nicely. MUSHROOM-ASPARAGUS LASAGNA--Lynne Snyder

11 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 to 2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound mushrooms, sliced or chopped
2 cans (14 ounces) veggie or chicken broth--I used water and some of that concentrated soup base that has to be kept in the fridge.
Enough milk, soy milk or cream added to broth to equal 4 cups--I used one can of condensed milk
½ cup flour
¾ cup shredded Parmesan, divided (I used dry)
1 tsp lemon pepper
2-4 cups mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 13x9 inch pan.. Cook noodles ONLY 4 minutes. Boil asparagus 2 to 4 minutes, depending on how large it is, or until crisp-tender; drain.

Bring three cups of broth/milk mixture to a boil. Mix remaining broth with ½ cup flour, add to boiling broth mixture, return to boiling, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and lemon pepper.

Spread about 3/4 cup of the white sauce in baking dish. Top with 3 noodles (adding a cut noodle to the ends to fill the pan), 1 cup of white sauce, half mushrooms, half asparagus and 1 cup or a little more--maybe another half cup--mozzarella cheese, top with three noodles and cut pieces, 1 cup sauce, remaining mushrooms and asparagus and 1 cup (or more) mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining 3 noodles and cut pieces. Push everything down well. Add remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and extra mozzarella cheese--I added a cup more--, if using.

Bake covered for 45 minutes and then uncovered for about another 15 minutes until it is hot and bubbly in the middle. If the sauce and noodles are hot then the baking time will be a bit less.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, it is our favorite spring dish.

GENERAL TAO'S TOFU

I got this recipe from vegweb.com, recipe and pictures are here. It's the highest rated recipe on the site. I doubled the sauce because I was afraid there wouldn't be enough, I was also adding a red pepper and putting the broccoli in with the tofu--sauce is doubled here on this recipe--and added some red bell pepper. I wish I had added some asparagus as I have three pounds in the fridge. I forgot to make rice and since we were hungry and brown rice takes 50 minutes we just ate it with a slice of whole wheat bread.

GENERAL TAO'S TOFU

1 box of firm tofu

egg substitute for 1 egg--I forgot to use this and it turned out fine

3/4 cup cornstarch

vegetable oil for frying

3 chopped green onions

1/2 to 1 red bell pepper, sliced

other veggies, maybe asparagus

2 Tbs minced ginger

2 Tbs minced garlic

1 1/3 cup vegetable stock

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup sugar

red pepper flakes to taste--I used 1/4 tsp. but it could have used a bit more, I think

2 Tbs sherry (optional)--I didn't use this

2 Tbs white vinegar--I used cider vinegar

steamed broccoli--I used the flourettes and peeled and diced the stems and used them too.

Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1/2 by 1 inch chunks. I had frozen tofu in the freezer from FOREVER AGO. It gives it a firmer texture, more chicken-like consistency. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water--I forgot to do this Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture, coat completely. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at bottom of the bowl.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain. Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil--too much oil, I used about one--in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, red pepper and other veggies if using, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar. Mix ¼ cup water with 2 Tbs cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add fried tofu and coat evenly Add broccoli--original recipe did not add broccoli to sauce. Serve over rice.

VEGETABLE PIZZA APPETIZERS--Genny Ulrich--a friend of Lynne's

2 cans crescent rolls
2 larget pkgs. cream cheese (or 1 cream cheese & 1 cup sour cream and eliminate mayo)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Onion
Green peppers
Celery
Olives
slicedCheddar cheese

Spread 2 cans crescent rolls on large cookie sheet or pizza pan. Bake according to directions and cool.

Mix 2 large packages of cream cheese with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (dry). Spread on cool crust. Cut up vegetables very fine and spread on top of cream cheese layer. Shred Cheddar cheese and sprinkle on top of vegetables. Cut and serve.

BLACK BEAN SOUP—Donna Jones

Very easy and good—I made this about 5 times last winter

1 (8 oz.) can corn, drained (or fresh or frozen corn)
3/4 cup green onions—use part of the green stem
1/2 cup coarsely shredded carrots
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can tomatoes, diced
2 (15-16 oz.) cans drained and rinsed black beans
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional) (I use ¾ of one)
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
water if needed (I use ½ to 1 cup)

Sauté onion, carrots and pepper in a little oil. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed.

VEGAN STUFFED POTATOES--Lynne Snyder

I love these.

Scrub and cut out any blemishes on about 8-10 large potatoes. Prick with a knife and bake in preheated 400° oven for one hour or until tender. Remove and scoop baked potato out (hold potatoes with a hot pad), leaving a bit of potato with the skin so it will hold together.

Mash the hot potato with one recipe reduced fat or regular sour cream--recipes on this site--with double the onion powder, garlic powder and salt. Add a bit of water if the potato mixture is too stiff. Taste and add seasonings or salt if needed.

Stuff potato skins, fluffing the mixture up in peaks if possible. Return potatoes to oven and bake about a half hour or so until they are hot and the peaks start to brown.

PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATOES AND SPINACH--Lynne Snyder

I ate a pasta like this at a restaurant and so came home and fiddled with ingredients until I came up with something I liked. This will serve 8

Roma tomatoes, about 20 or about 4 pounds
1-2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped
1-2 onions, chopped
6-10 garlic cloves, chopped
olive oil
1-2 Tbs. dried basil--or use a whole lot of fresh
1 recipe Reduced Fat Sour Cream W/ Double Spices and Salt
22 ounces curly (or other) pasta

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until onions are wilted. Add chopped tomatoes and sauté ½ hour. Add basil and simmer a few minutes longer. Boil pasta until al dente, drain. Put spinach on top of tomato mixture, top with pasta and sour cream, stir.

Reduced fat sour cream w/ double spice and salt recipe
½ cup cashews
1 recipe thick water
¼ cup water
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp. garlic powder
Put water (not thick water), lemon juice, cashews and oil in a blender and blend until the cashews are liquefied. Add thick water, spices and salt mix well.

Note: These spices and the salt are doubled! If making regular sour cream cut them in half.

Thick Water—Lynne Snyder

1 cup water
2 Tbs. Arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Bring ¾ cup water to a boil, mix ¼ cup water with arrowroot powder and stir into boiling water. Boil and stir, one half minute or until clear.

OYSTER MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS OVER ANGEL HAIR PASTA--Lynne Snyder

One day I saw oyster mushrooms in the grocery store and so i bought them. I think the angels were hovering because I had never heard of a recipe like this so one of them must have whispered in my ear. Serves 2 hungry people or 3 polite ones.

Olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 bunch asparagus, sliced diagonally (or use broccoli)
1 8 oz. container oyster mushrooms, sliced
1/2 can black olives, cut in
half
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Heat several Tbs. olive oil in fry pan and sauté onion. When almost done add asparagus and oyster mushrooms, sauté a few more minutes. Add chopped olives, season with garlic powder, salt & pepper and serve over hot angel hair pasta.

SPICY SPAGHETTI SAUCE--Lynne Snyder

Elizabeth used to love the "Angry Penne"--I think it was Penne Arrabbiato--that Macaroni Grill served. I tried to clone it. I don't know how close this is but its fabulous. I serve spaghetti the first day and then use this sauce to make lasagna.

2-3 Tbs. olive oil
12 cloves minced or crushed garlic
6 to 8 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce,
2 (16 oz.) cans diced or crushed tomatoes
1 ½ tsp. basil
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp.seasoned salt
¼ to 1 tsp.dried chili flakes (optional—this makes the sauce spicy--Elizabeth says there is no use making it if you're not going to make it spicy—I use 1 tsp.)

Sauté garlic in medium hot oil until it just starts to turn a light tan. Immediately add tomato sauce, tomatoes and chili flakes. Simmer until thick as desired. Add basil, seasoned salt and oregano and simmer a few more minutes.

BRYANNA'S FRANKLY FIBEROUS CHOCOLATE CHIP BRAN MUFFINS--Bryanna Grogan on Vegsourse

Bryanna has a vegetarian site on Vegsource. I have some of her cookbooks and they are really good. I made these muffins so often I doubled the batch. (The double proportions are in parenthesis.) Because I made her muffins so often I bought a huge bag--maybe 25 pounds--of bran and then after making the muffins a few more times I quit. Phil found the bag in the basement recently and said, "what shall we do with this?" I don't have a clue. I guess I'll have to make two thousand batches of this soon. If you want some bran come on over. I have plenty.

MIX TOGETHER:
1 and 1/2 c. wheat bran (3 cups)
1 and 1/2 c. water (3 cups)
Let soak 15 min.

ADD WET MIX:
1/4 c. applesauce (1/2 cup)
2 T. Lynne’s low-fat homemade margarine (1/4 cup) or oil
1 T. flax seeds ground (1/4 cup)
1/4 c. water blended with flax seed til “gloppy” (1/2 cup)

DRY MIX:
1 c. spelt flour (2 cups) Other flour would be fine.
¼ cup sugar (1/2 cup)
1 T. baking powder (2 Tbs.)
1/2 tsp. salt (1 tsp.)
1/2 T. EnerG egg replacer (1 T.)

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 muffin cups. (24)

Soak the bran and “milk” (water) together in a medium bowl for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the Dry Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. After the bran has soaked for 15 minutes, add the Wet Mix to the bowl, stirring briefly. Dump in the Dry Mix and stir briefly. Scoop evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and push them into the batter with a toothpick. Bake 20 minutes.

Loosen the muffins carefully with a knife and set them on their sides in their muffin cups. Place the tin on a rack. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. These muffins are very moist when just taken from the oven, but firm up on standing, and remain moist the next day. Cool thoroughly and store in a closed plastic bag or container. They will keep moist for 2 or 3 days. These freeze well. (Calories each made with oil--174, 3 weight watcher points. Calories made with homemade margarine--159, 2 w w points)

TEMPURA BATTER FOR SUNBURGERS MADE INTO SWEET AND SOUR "CHICKEN"--Chef Deb from Vegsource

Deborah on the Vegsource Recipe Board gave me this recipe years ago.

1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
ice water
oil for frying

Vegetables (thin slices of squash, bell pepper, eggplant, broccoli and cauliflower florets or whole green beans.)

Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder. Add ice water slowly, stirring until mixture is like a thick pancake batter. Dip vegetables into batter, shake off excess. Fry vegetables in oil heated to 350 degrees until light brown and crispy. drain on paper towels.

SUNBURGERS--Doris and Dee Olsen and Lynne Snyder

These burgers have the best texture of any homemade burger I have tasted. I used to make them all the time. I probably should make them again and share them with my daughter's Vegan friends

Bring 10 cups water to a boil and add:
1 1/2 cups powdered imitation beef soup base (I used Frontier brand)
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
3/4 cups dry onion flakes
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. thyme
1 Tbs. basil
1 Tbs. dry parsley
Simmer about 3 minutes, remove from heat and add:
1 1/2 cups Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 Tbs. oil
1/4 cup A-1 Steak Sauce
1 Tbs. liquid smoke
Stir into:
15 to 20 cups oatmeal
1 cup sunflower seeds

Mixture should be virtually instantly stiff and almost too hard to stir, if not, add additional oats. Scoop out balls using ice cream scoop and place on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Flatten patties and bake in 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes on each side. Patties can be placed in Tupperware containers or plastic bags and frozen. This
recipe makes 40-50 3-inch patties.

Note: Doris and Dee used a small Tupperware hamburger press to shape their patties and I bought one too. Humm. I wonder where it is? To re-heat frozen patties place in a fry pan sprayed with vegetable spray and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes on each side.

To make nuggets cut in one inch pieces, wet with water and shake in flour.
Fry in oil until brown.

To make sweet and sour chicken substitute chicken flavor soup base for the beef soup base. Cut burgers into one inch pieces, dip in tempura batter and fry in hot oil.
Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

VEGAN STROGANOFF--Lynne Snyder

Vegan Stroganoff--Lynne Snyder

Onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
mushrooms, sliced
garlic, minced or pressed
Superior Touch Better than Bouillon Vegetable Base
Olive oil
water
Fettuccine Noodles

Sauté onions in oil (or steam in water). Add mushrooms, garlic, some Bouillon and a bit of water; cover and steam until mushrooms are to your liking. Uncover, add white sauce, simmer a minute or two to blend flavors and serve over hot noodles.

White Sauce
flour
pepper
oil
soy milk
salt

Sauté flour and pepper (pepper is the secret ingredient in a good white sauce--it must be sautéd with the flour and oil) in oil for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Whisk in soy milk and salt to taste. Heat until it is thick.

VEGAN CLAM DIP--Lynne Snyder

When we were Vegan two of our boys "stole" the Vegan Clam Dip and barricaded themselves in a bedroom with a bag of chips. They thought they had the "real" non-vegan version. They practically ate the whole batch before coming out. When we told them they blustered and stammered but they had been caught--they couldn't tell the difference!

1 (8 oz.) pkg. Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese
½ cup soy milk
1 Tbs. A-1 steak sauce
1 Tbs. Braggs Liquid Aminos
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
½ cup dry Chicken TVP (or plain TVP or seafood TVP if you can find it)
additional soy milk if needed

Blend everything (except TVP) together well; then add TVP. It will take about 15 minutes for the TVP to re-hydrate and the dip to thicken (if it gets too thick add more soymilk, a few drops at a time). Serve with fresh vegetables and chips.

NEW POTATOES AND PEAS--Lynne's Mom

As soon as Mom could dig the first new potatoes in the early summer we were sure to have new potatoes and peas for dinner. She only peeled part of the skin off, usually in a little spiral around the potato but I am guessing she peeled the part of the potato that the shovel might have nicked. This dish meant summer to me, along with rhubarb (which I adored) and asparagus (which I did not adore but have since learned to).

New potatoes
Fresh or frozen peas
milk or soy milk
green onions (optional)
garlic (optional)
oil
flour
pepper
salt

Clean and boil new potatoes until tender. (If they are too large cut in half or fourths.) Put frozen peas (or fresh picked if you are lucky enough to have them) into the boiling potato water and remove pot from the heat. Let stand one or two minutes. Drain.

Sauté green onions and garlic (if using) in oil a minute or two, add flour and pepper (pepper is the secret to a good white sauce) and continue sautéing a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk or soy milk and salt to taste. Add drained potatoes and peas.

LEMON BARS--Sharee Snyder

Sharee made a double batch of this years ago for a wedding shower. They were so good they have been in the family cookbook ever since.

Crust:
1 cake mix-lemon or chocolate (if using chocolate eliminate lemon juice. We have never tried chocolate because we love the lemon so much.)
1 egg or egg substitute--I have used EnerG egg replacer, adding a tsp. nutritional yeast to each “egg.”
1/3 cup oil

Mix cake mix, 1 egg and the oil together well. Save out one cup of mixture. Press remaining mixture into 9x13 pan; bake 350° for 15 min.

Middle layer

1 egg or replacement
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese (I have used Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese for the vegan version)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice

Cream together cream cheese, egg or egg substitute, sugar and lemon juice until smooth and light. Pour over baked crumbs.

Topping: Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over top and bake at 350° 13 more minutes.

CARROT CAKE--Lynne Snyder

I got this recipe years and years ago, when I was newly married. I wrote down the baking temperature as 225 °--I was too inexperienced to know that no one would bake a cake at 225°. So, I baked it at that temperature and it baked and baked and baked. Finally the toothpick test said it was done. Well it was fabulous. Everyone LOVED it. The only problem is that the cake rose and slurped over the top and the slurped part burned in the bottom of the oven. But we loved it and so we had slurping cake for years and years. When we went Vegan I modified it to use tofu. No more slurping over and it was just as good.

2 cups sugar
1 (12.3 oz.) pkg. silken tofu
1 cup oil (original recipe called for a cup and a half)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 scant tsp. salt
1 Tbs. soda
1 Tbs. cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 to 2 cups chopped walnuts (I use almonds if I know someone is allergic to walnuts and it's just as good)

Blend sugar and tofu well in food processor--they must be mixed very well or there will be tofu lumps. Pour mixture into a bowl and add oil and vanilla, mix well. Mix together flour, salt, soda and cinnamon, then stir in tofu mixture. Stir carrots and nuts into batter and pour into a Pam sprayed 9 by 13 inch glass pan. Bake at 225 degrees (note unusual temperature!) for 2 to 2½ hours. Test with a toothpick.

Frost with Duncan Heinz cream cheese frosting or if making this vegan frost with cream cheese frosting made with Better than Cream Cheese, powdered sugar, some soy or rice milk, a little oil and some vanilla.

REDUCED FAT "SOUR CREAM"--Lynne Snyder

½ cup cashews
1 cup thick water
2 Tbs. to ¼ cup water
1 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder

Put water (not thick water), lemon juice, cashews and oil in a blender and blend until the cashews are liquefied. Add thick water and spices and mix well.

Note: If you double the onion and garlic powder you will have a sour cream that really has some punch. (I like it, but I like very flavorful food. Try it the normal way first. Phil doesn't like the double spiced version.)

"SOUR CREAM" --Lynne Snyder

This is my vegan/vegetarian recipe for sour cream. I like the taste better than commercial sour cream.

½ generous cup cashews or almonds, soaked, drained
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup water
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. Real Salt
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder

Blend all ingredients except lemon juice until nuts are completely pulverized. Add lemon juice and mix well.