Category: Holiday

Vegan Green Chile Stew

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Vegan Green Chile Stew

Happy Fall and Happy Balloon Fiesta week! Here in Albuquerque, the first week of October is the official kick off of fall. The air is crisp, local schools give students a 4 day weekend to fully enjoy the Balloon Fiesta, this season's green chile is roasting at every grocery store, and we're all looking to the city's valley to spot our favorite balloons pop up again. It's truly a magical time anywhere, but even moreso in a place like this! After months of 90+ degree weather, we're all whipped into autumn by a random 40 degree day that we did not see coming. The best thing you can do on that day, after you've bought your year supply of chile, is make a hot pot of green chile stew.
NM fall/winter staple, that even a vegan should not have to live without. If meat alternatives aren’t your thing, sub the Beyond Meat for mushrooms or simply add more pinto beans and potatoes to make this stew a little heartier. 
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine New Mexican
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Instant Pot or Large Pot

Ingredients
  

  • 1 serving of Beyond Meat or 2lbs of mushrooms
  • 5-6 mushrooms loosely chopped, it's going into a blender, so it doesn’t have to be precise
  • 2 large potatoes diced into large chunks
  • 1 white onion
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 3/4-1 cup cup of green chile depending on spice level/preference
  • 6 fresh diced or 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 can of pinto beans
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of cumin

Instructions
 

  • First, dice your onion, garlic, tomato, mushrooms, and potatoes.
  • Begin sautéing HALF the onions on medium heat, after 2 min add your 5-6 mushrooms. Stir frequently. The other half of onions will be used later.
  • After the mushrooms are beginning to brown, sprinkle a pinch of salt, and add a spoonful of the green chile, along with your garlic and cumin.
  • Things should begin sticking to the pan, that’s okay. Pour in ½ cup of vegetable broth and stir vigorously to release everything, then turn off the heat. (If you don’t have vegetable broth, use the liquid from your pinto beans, or some water with a little soy sauce!)
  • Transfer this gloopy medley into a blender and blend until you’ve made a dark vegetable smoothie.
  • Now, add your “meat” to the pot and sauté until fully cooked, about 15 minutes. Then, add the potatoes, diced tomatoes, and the rest of your diced onions. Add some salt and pepper, here.
  • After about 2 minutes, add in the remainder of the green chile and pinto beans, and pour your blended veggies over the top.
  • Now, pour in 3-4 cups water or vegetable broth, until ingredients are fully covered plus a little more. It’s soup, not pasta.
  • Allow to cook on a medium heat until potatoes are fully cooked. This should take about 30-45 min.
  • Serve with a warm tortilla on a chilly, autumn day.
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Taos Mule (Featuring Rolling Still Spirits)

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Rolling Still Spirits

Rolling Still Spirits is located in downtown Taos but distributing their product all over the state. They utilize organic maize for the vodka and infuse it with New Mexico grown ingredients like Red Chile, Green Chile, Pecan, and Lavender.

Check them out here. I can’t wait to take a trip up to Taos to try some of their own cocktails at Rolling Still’s lounge. 

For ABQ Natives, I picked up my bottle for $30, downtown at Moonwalk Bar.  Here’s where you can order your bottle, along with other local beers and spirits. 

Taos Mule

This is the most festive little local drink. Instead of a Moscow Mule with regular old vodka, I subbed in this New Mexican vodka and named it a Taos Mule.
Lavender is my favorite, so naturally, this lavender vodka is my new obsession. Hopefully you'll love it too. If you can't get your hands on a lavender vodka, fear not, you can always infuse culinary lavender into the blackberry syrup and use regular vodka. If you don't like blackberries, try another berry or flavor that would pair well with lavender! Strawberries, blueberries, lemon, more ginger, rosemary, sage.
Anyway, all you really need to make a Taos Mule at home is:
Lavender, Ginger beer, Vodka.
Cheers, drink safely!
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Total Time 8 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine New Mexican

Ingredients
  

  • Rolling Still Lavender Vodka
  • 1 16 ounces of ginger beer Crabbies is the very best!! I couldn't find it, but any will work.

Blackberry Simple Syrup

  • 16-20 frozen or fresh blackberries
  • 3 tbsp raw sugar (any sugar will work, this is my favorite)
  • 1/2 cup water (You can use as much or as little water as you'd like, the flavor of the blackberries is still there. Just remember to add more sugar as you increase the water amount.)

Garnish

  • Rosemary
  • Blackberries

Instructions
 

Blackberry Simple Syrup

  • In a saucepan, on low-medium heat, warm up 16-20 blackberries for 1 minute.
  • Add sugar over the top, this will help release all of their juices. Turn up the heat, and allow to come to a rolling boil, stirring frequently.
  • After about a minute, add your water. Once that comes to a rolling boil, add your sugar. Keep stirring and adding water and sugar until desired consistency.

Drink Assembly

  • I don't want to tell you how much booze to put in your drink! There's no wrong way to combine drink ingredients. Make it as boozy or as mild as you'd like. If you really want me to suggest how to go about this, proceed to the next step.
  • Using a shot glass as a measuring cup, pour two lavender vodka shots into your copper mug, then add 3/4 cup of ginger beer. And finally add 1-2 tablespoons of blackberry syrup.
  • Stir well and taste to make sure you like it. The best part of making drinks at home is that you can keep adjusting it.

Notes

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Vegan Biscochito Latte

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Vegan Biscochito Creamer

A biscochito latte is soo Albuquerque local coffee shop. Pinon Coffee has been famous for theirs for years, Castle Coffee rolled theirs out and it was delicious. Without throwing shade, I took it upon myself to make it a little bit better and for a fraction of the $5+ price tag.
There are a couple of ways you can go about this one.
1. The One Cup Version (1 min)
2. The Big Batch Version (3 min)
3. The Extra Creamy Version (5 min)
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Total Time 5 minutes
Course Drinks
Cuisine New Mexican

Ingredients
  

The One Cup Version

  • 2-4 drops anise extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 dashes cinnamon
  • 1 your regular latte

The Big Batch Version

  • 32 ounces vanilla flavored creamer
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon anise extract

The Extra Creamy Version

  • 4 biscochito cookies
  • 2 cups oat milk any milk will work
  • 1 tablespoon soaked cashews
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon anise extract
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

The One Cup Version

  • Make your regular latte (coffee and milk).
  • Stir in all ingredients.
  • Froth and sprinkle with cinnamon.

The Big Batch Version

  • Add all ingredients to the creamer box and shake well.
  • Always shake before use, and add to coffee.

The Extra Creamy Version

  • Steep old halved biscochitos and (presoaked) cashews in oat milk for 1-2 hours. Then add to blender.
  • Add remaining ingredients to the blender, blend until there is no evidence of cookies or cashews.
  • Enjoy as a cookie milk or with your morning coffee.

Notes

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Dottie’s Vegan Biscochitos

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Dottie’s Vegan Biscochitos

Dottie Tenorio
I have made it pretty obvious that I’m from New Mexico, but nothing is greater evidence that sharing a biscochito recipe. If you came here, just to find out what the heck these things are, they are THE New Mexican Christmas cookie. They are commonly made with lard (not today), and lend a drier, shortbread consistency. Their flavor is anise seed. Even if you aren’t crazy about anise, don’t run away yet!! The anise is quite subtle in this recipe yet, it is the star in these cookies. Please don’t unfollow me after that pun.
Abuelas and Hispanic mothers of NM get together to roll out big batches of these babies in order to recycle those cookie tins that they’ve been holding onto since last year. It might also be clear that I am not an abuela, nor a Hispanic mother. So, I had to go straight to the source to present you with this recipe. Enter: Dottie Tenorio. She is something of a renaissance woman, an amazing baker, and the warmest person you’ll ever meet. Dottie is also very proud of her New Mexican heritage and always up for the challenge to make a traditional, NM staple into a vegan’s delight. I don’t know any other abuelas who are up for this obstacle, mostly because they are still trying to understand why anyone would choose to be vegan at all. Thankfully, she was willing to share this family recipe with her (one day) daughter-in-law, and with all of you! If you do attempt this recipe, please give her a huge thank you in the comments section below.
Notes from Dottie:
• My maternal grandmother, Grandma Simona (Simi) kept a large bottle of whiskey under her bed for her “rheumatism” to rub on her joints, but she took a nip now & then to give the topical application a boost! So, she always had some “liquid on hand”.
• I noticed the vegan version does not brown as much as the traditional, lard based Biscochito.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Resting Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine New Mexican
Servings 22 cookies

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 3 Cups Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt I used pink Himalayan
  • 1 Cup Vegetable Shortening room temp/softened
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1 Egg Replacement (I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp water, well mixed before adding)
  • 1 tsp anise seed (Anise extract will work here too! Use a teaspoon of both if you love anise)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons wine wine is traditional but feel free to use almond milk, juice, tequila or whatever liquid you have on hand
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk

Sugar Bath

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or by hand, cream shortening & sugar until a paste forms. Add egg replacement & beat until fluffy.
  • Stir in wine, almond milk (or other liquid), vanilla extract, and anise seeds.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Then add to creamed mixture.
  • Mix together using a wooden or silicon spoon, until a dough forms.
    If it looks dry, add a tablespoon of almond milk (or whatever liquid you used), to bring together into a dough.
    If it looks wet, don't worry. Just flour your surface really well when you roll it out.
  • Roll your dough out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. For a crispier cookie, roll dough a bit thinner. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
  • After dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 360 degrees.
  • Time to cut your cookies! The traditional shape is to cut into 2” square with slits on each corner & pinch the 4 edges- like a 4-leaf clover🍀. (See picture) It is perfectly fine to use whatever cookie cutters you have on hand, or just the top of a jar for circles. Don’t forget to flour your cutters for easy removal.
  • Place back into the fridge after cutting, until ready to bake. Cold dough holds cookie shapes best.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until light brown. While they are baking, make your sugar bath. Combine both ingredients (cinnamon, sugar) in a container large enough to toss the cookies in.
  • Remove hot cookie directly to sugar/cinnamon bath and gently cover with mixture. Once cooled, remove to plate/dish. Enjoy!
Keyword albuquerque vegan, dottie's cookies, new mexico cookies, New Mexico Vegan, vegan biscochitos, vegan cookies, vegan dessert, vegan holiday, Vegan New Mexico Cuisine

Vegan Gingersnap Cookies

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Vegan Gingersnap Cookies

At the beginning of December, I decided that I wanted to make a holiday cookie recipe. This meant that I needed to start practicing, perfecting the recipe itself and had to get it done before the “holidays”. And unlike developing a dinner recipe, you don’t just have it for one night and see it again in a few days. When you’re working on cookies, it seems like you are surrounded by cookies all day and can’t escape them! Then they start becoming your breakfast, pre-lunch snack, post-lunch snack, mid afternoon snack, preparing dinner snack, and of course your dessert. I’m not trying to make you feel bad for me, I’m convincing you to start developing your own cookies so you too can be swimming in a title wave of sweets!!
Fortunately for my figure, I have given out most of these cookies to friends and family in the development process. These were originally made for my mom, a huge gingersnap fan. She loved them and could immediately tell that fresh ginger was incorporated. Which is exactly what you want to hear! Also, there is no cookie more Christmas appropriate. If you close your eyes while these babies are in the oven, you’re immediately taken to a lightly snowy, cobblestone pathed, German Christmas market placed right in front of a church, where they are selling Bratwurst, Glühwein, beer and wooden trinkets. We really think Santa wants chocolate chip cookies and milk? This old, white man wants gingersnaps and definitely some almond milk.
These cookies stay incredibly moist after over a week in Tupperware. An additional idea, if you only feel like eating a few at a time, freeze the dough into balls and throw them in the oven whenever you feel like 2 or 3, fresh, weeknight cookies. I also like the idea of putting them in a cute container and giving the frozen dough balls as a gift, so there's no pressure to eat them soon.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 16 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (if you don’t have it, use powdered again)
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom (optional, but so so so worth it)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup vegan butter (softened, not melted)
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons of plant milk

Topping

  • 3 tablespoons white sugar for rolling

Instructions
 

  • Cream your sugar. This is the primary step with every cookie. Mix the sugar into the butter until it is all one grainy, un-melted, soft, paste.
  • To this paste, add vanilla extract, fresh ginger, and molasses. Mix until fully combined.
  • Sift all your dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, powdered ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt) into a separate bowl. Mix together with a whisk or a fork.
  • Add these dry ingredients a little bit at a time (½ cup increments), to the paste. Incorporating fully before dumping the next batch.
  • Now that most of the ingredients are combined, the dough should look a little dry. Add in your 2 tablespoons of plant milk here, it will begin to look like a dough again after some mixing.
  • Roll the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper, to ¼ inch thickness. Transfer the parchment paper over to a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
  • Now that it is cold, use cookie cutters of your choice, or just roll into little balls (traditional). Then lightly roll your shapes/ balls in granulated sugar. If you plan on icing, don’t roll in sugar. Dough can be rerolled and used again, after cutout by cutters.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While you’re waiting, place cookies back in the fridge.
  • Once your oven is ready, bake for 8-10 minutes. Or until dough no longer looks wet.

Notes

• You don’t need a stand mixer; this can easily be done by hand. And unless you plan on making several batches of cookies, I would just mix by hand.
• The fresh ginger is optional, but I highly encourage it.
• Flour your cookie cutters, if using, to avoid sticking.
Keyword albuquerque vegan, New Mexico Vegan, vegan baking, vegan dessert, vegan ginger cookie, vegan gingersnap, vegan holiday, vegan millennial recipe, vegan_millennial

Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies

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Vegan Snickerdoodle Cookies

This cookie is another ode to my mom. She loves Snickerdoodles and so do I. Not enough people make these. I have never seen these at a bakery, nor have I met anyone else who was as infatuated with them as my mom. These cookies deserve more love and respect! How is the name not cute enough for you people??? If you’ve never had them, they are the snuggliest cookie on Earth. By that I mean, the cinnamon is the warm, familiar blanket, and the dough is the pillow you can peacefully rest upon. A bit poetic, but it’s true! Grab your cocoa, cider, or eggnog because these cookies are best served with PJ’s, a warm drink, and your favorite holiday movie.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Rest Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 18 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • ½ cup vegan butter (softened)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 3 tablespoons of water)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup non-dairy milk

Topping

  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar

Instructions
 

  • Mix the sugar into the butter until it is all one grainy, un-melted, soft, paste.
  • Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flax egg to your paste.
  • Sift all your dry ingredients into a separate bowl then mix together with a whisk or fork.
  • Add these dry ingredients a little bit at a time (½ cup increments), to the paste. Incorporating fully before dumping another.
  • Roll the dough out on a sheet of parchment paper, to ¼ inch thickness. Transfer the parchment paper over to a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. You should cover it with another sheet of parchment paper if you are going to allow to chill for more than 1 hour, in order to keep it moist.
  • When you’re ready to bake, whisk together cinnamon and sugar for topping and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Now that the dough is cold, form into balls (size of roughly 1 tablespoon), and dip in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place back into fridge if your oven is not fully heated yet.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes. Or until dough no longer looks wet.

Notes

 
Keyword albuquerque vegan, New Mexico Vegan, snickerdoodle, vegan cookies, vegan dessert, vegan holiday, vegan millennial recipe, vegan snickerdoodle, vegan_millennial

Veggnog Recipe

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Veggnog (Vegan Eggnog)

I made this because I got sick of paying over $4 for a tiny container of vegan eggnog during the holiday season. Now that I know how to make it, you can find me enjoying this in the middle of July.
Who knew that eggnog is just the taste of vanilla extract with nutmeg and cinnamon?? What a scam it is to make us wait 11 months for this stuff! Now you have your own, at home, any time you want! This has to be healthier than regular eggnog, it's made with protein packed cashews! Zero dairy too.
My brother gulped this in a few seconds, chilled. Personally, I love this with my coffee! It positively, tops Starbucks' eggnog latte!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Drinks

Equipment

  • Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup of cashews
  • 1 cup of oatmilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • Soak cashews in very hot water for at least 1 hour.
  • Drain the cashews. They should be much softer than before.
  • Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until it has become a thick homogenous milk.
  • Warm on the stove on low heat, stirring frequently for hot eggnog. Otherwise, it is ready to serve!

Notes

This only makes about 10 ounces of very thick eggnog. You can thin it down, but eggnog is traditionally thicky thick. And extremely filling. This one is no different.
For a thinner eggnog, add more oatmilk.
Keyword albuquerque, albuquerque vegan, dairy free, egg free, eggnog, holiday, holiday drinks, homemade eggnog recipe, vegan drink, vegan eggnog