• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Full Helping

Vegan Recipes | Made to Nourish

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Getting Started
  • Recipes
  • Books
  • Shop
  • Contact

Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe (Review + Giveaway!)

December 11, 2014 Uncategorized

Pier_Vegan-Holiday-Cooking

It is no great secret that I am a great big fan of the Candle restaurants here in New York: Candle Cafe, Candle 79, and Candle Cafe West. These three extraordinary dining destinations offer healthful, hearty, and celebratory vegan fare, year in and year out. Candle Cafe has been in business since 1994, serving organic, vegan food that continually wins over plant based eaters and omnis alike. I’ve taken so many friends and family members to the restaurants, and the food always wins over new diners.

Candle food is a perfect combination of comforting and innovative. Many of the dishes, from the famous sandwiches to the seitan picatta or the spaghetti with wheatballs, evoke familiar textures and tastes and recipes. But they all feature unique and creative twists: a dusting of tapioca or cashew cheese here, a unique poblano tahini dressing there. The seitan is made in house, and it’s spectacular. The vegetable dishes are consistently cooked to perfection, never overdone or underdone. The dressings are all amazing (every single one of them). And the desserts? Totally authentic.

It has always seemed to me that the Candle restaurants evoke a spirit of celebration and festivity. It’s clear that the restaurants are on a mission to make vegan fare feel special, and of course the restaurant is famous for its holiday meals (check out my post on a Candle 79 Thanksgiving a few years back). So it’s wonderful news that the Candle team has finally published a holiday cookbook: Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe.

I’ve had this book for a few months now, and I’m already in love with it. It features so many of the restaurant’s classic holiday dishes, like its signature pumpkin cheesecake with apple reduction:

RX-HE_VHCC Pumpkin Cheesecake with Apple Cider Reduction image p 125.jpg.rend.sni18col

Or its stuffed avocados with chipotle vinaigrette:

143-83071-stuffed-avocado-salad-chipotle-vinaigrette-1415057865

Its wheat ball heroes (presented as a Super Bowl party dish):

VHCC Wheat Ball Heroes image p 13

And some of the restaurant’s fabulous cocktails. Right now, I’m ogling the Christmas Pomegranate Punch!

VHCC Christmas Pomegranate Punch image p 128_0

And who could forget indulgent desserts? The molten chocolate cake with raspberry coulis, a Valentine’s day option, looks amazing.

vhcc-molten-chocolate-cake-with-raspberry-coulis-image-p-44-copy

One of the best things about the book is the fact that it doesn’t only focus on the winter holiday season: it includes Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Passover, Easter, Cinco de Mayo, and the 4th of July. Of course Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve are rich chapters, but one doesn’t feel that the book is dominated by pumpkin, cranberry, or Hoppin’ John, the way that some holiday collections are.

I also appreciate the book’s variety. You’ll find hearty entrees and rich desserts, but you’ll also find side dishes, salads, grain pilafs, and more. The book will walk you through all of the dishes you need to prepare a fulsome, well rounded holiday feast. Or, if you prefer, you can simply dip into its pages to find foolproof, seasonally appropriate recipes that are destined to be crowd pleasers.

There are so many recipes I could have honed in on for this review; the molten chocolate cake was calling my name, as was the kale and polenta casserole (presented as a Christmas recipe). But the cookbook states that Chef Angel Ramos’ nut cheeses are works of art, and I took the book at its word. As a nut cheese fanatic, I couldn’t resist trying the macadamia nut cheese and cashew cheese (both included as part of a gorgeous spread for Christmas):

Pier_Vegan-Holiday-Cooking

If you’d like to prepare the gorgeous, herbed cashew cheese at home, here is the recipe.

Candle Cafe's Cashew Cheese
Print
Serves: Serves 8-10
Ingredients
  • 2 cups raw cashews
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
  1. To make the cashew cheese, the day before serving, put the cashews in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover them. Cover and let soak overnight in the refrigerator.
  2. Drain and rinse the cashews and transfer to a food processor. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, oil, and salt and blend until smooth, 10 to 12 minutes. If you find that there is not enough liquid in the food processor to blend the nuts, add a bit of water [note from Gena: I added a whole half cup].
  3. Transfer the cashew paste to a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm. Remove and pack the paste into a 4-inch ring mold. Remove the mold and press into the outer edges a mixture of parsley and chives.
  4. To serve, arrange the cheeses on a platter and garnish with your favorite assortment of crackers and fruits.
  5. This recipe is courtesy of Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe, (c) 2014 by Candle Family Foods, LLC.
3.5.3251

It’s a perfect cheese, especially to serve in a mold form: it’s dense and thick and is really reminiscent of a goat cheese. Feel free to add garlic, extra nooch, or whatever serves your fancy.

I’ve had such a fun time exploring this special holiday collection, and in honor of the holiday season, the folks from Candle are offering one lucky US or Canadian CR reader a copy of Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe. This giveaway will run for one week–enter below to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As always, I wish all of my readers a happy holiday season. See you back here tomorrow with a special Green Recovery post!

xo

All photos copyright (c) 2014 by Jim Franco.

Don't miss a post- subscribe SUBSCRIBE

Categories: Uncategorized Tags: candle cafe, cookbooks, giveaways, holidays

More Recipes

  • Tess Masters’ Chai Tai Smoothie from The Blender Girl Smoothies CookbookTess Masters’ Chai Tai Smoothie from The Blender Girl Smoothies Cookbook
  • Jess Nadel’s Brussels Sprout Latkes with Tofu Sour CreamJess Nadel’s Brussels Sprout Latkes with Tofu Sour Cream
  • Giving Thanks for Candle 79: A Holiday DinnerGiving Thanks for Candle 79: A Holiday Dinner
  • Strawberry Mache Salad from Kathy Patalsky’s Health Happy Vegan KitchenStrawberry Mache Salad from Kathy Patalsky’s Health Happy Vegan Kitchen
  • The Toronto Sandwich, and Ricki Heller’s Living Candida FreeThe Toronto Sandwich, and Ricki Heller’s Living Candida Free
Previous Post: « Ginger Citrus Chia Cups with Pistachios and Goji Berries
Next Post: “Something in Me Was Set Free”: Maike’s Green Recovery Story »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sassygirl says

    December 14, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    love mushroom stuffing and vegan pumpkin pie with whipped coconut cream. yum!

    Reply
  2. Tyffanie says

    December 14, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Vegan eggnog like the one you posted on food52.com!

    Reply
  3. Logan Abel says

    December 14, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    My fav. Vegan holiday dish is cashew cheesecake! 😀 with raspberry sorbet on top!

    Reply
  4. rachel says

    December 14, 2014 at 4:53 pm

    My new favorite vegan holiday dish is that root vegetable pie from food52. It was awesome!

    Reply
  5. Melissa K. says

    December 14, 2014 at 5:18 pm

    vegan potato latkes!

    Reply
  6. Becky says

    December 14, 2014 at 5:23 pm

    Sweet potato casserole with coconut milk. There is literally nothing more delicious than that.

    Reply
  7. E.B. Russell says

    December 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    Looks like a great cookbook!

    Reply
  8. Keri says

    December 14, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    vegan fudge is my fave

    Reply
  9. Terri Cole says

    December 14, 2014 at 6:43 pm

    Do Christmas cookies count?

    Reply
  10. Crystal says

    December 14, 2014 at 7:12 pm

    My brother made me this awesome stuffed seitan roast with a nutritional yeast based gravy! Super delicious.

    Reply
  11. Chris says

    December 14, 2014 at 10:41 pm

    I love stuffing. I only have it for Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas too.

    Reply
  12. Emilia says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:14 am

    I already love Candle Cafe and I have yet to make it to NYC and visit for myself!!! I appreciate all they do to make vegan fare shine and pallet able 🙂 Hope to win!!

    Reply
  13. Margaret says

    December 15, 2014 at 7:36 am

    Growing up we always had biscuits and gravy on christmas morning. Now my parents and I are vegan so we veganized it and it’s still delicious!

    Reply
  14. Julie says

    December 15, 2014 at 9:46 am

    My favorite holiday dish is gingerbread cake, and I finally found a vegan gluten-free recipe that is amazingly good.

    Reply
  15. Rachel Keranen says

    December 15, 2014 at 9:56 am

    At Thanksgiving I love pumpkin pie and at Christmas I look forward to gingerbread cookies. The savory dishes don’t matter as much, though I always am happy to have roasted brussels sprouts and a leafy green salad.

    Reply
  16. Marlene says

    December 15, 2014 at 11:33 am

    I don’t have a favorite holiday dish. I love reading blogs like yours and trying something new!

    Reply
  17. Jessica says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:12 pm

    The vegan stuffing recipe I recently just tried from the Vegetarian Times magazine 🙂

    Reply
  18. Melissa says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:56 pm

    I’m really loving homemade cranberry sauce these days. I had actually never made my own before this year, and now that I’ve done it, I want to eat it on everything.

    Reply
  19. Sarah Stewart says

    December 15, 2014 at 2:21 pm

    Wow, that cashew cheese looks so nice! My favourite holiday dish is probably roasted root vegetables – I especially like sweet potato and parsnip!

    Reply
  20. Carissa says

    December 15, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    I love apple cranberry crisp! And most anything pumpkin…

    Reply
  21. BYOL says

    December 15, 2014 at 3:50 pm

    Love Candle! Thanks for sharing this. I think I need the book just so I can make that molten cake!

    Reply
  22. Marissa says

    December 15, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Stuffing is my favorite, hands down.

    Reply
  23. Jess says

    December 15, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    My favourite holiday dish is a classic – a flavourful lentil loaf with vegan gravy and cranberry sauce!

    Reply
  24. Ashley Mauceri says

    December 15, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Pumpkin pie!! 🙂

    Reply
  25. Sheelagh says

    December 15, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    I love vegan pumpkin pie!!

    Reply
  26. Josiane says

    December 16, 2014 at 12:26 am

    My seitan pot pie is one of my favorite holiday dishes.

    Reply
  27. brittany says

    December 16, 2014 at 4:35 am

    I love Candle food! It’s impossible to pick one favourite holiday dish, but I love lentil and mushroom shepherd’s pie. And sweet potato pie!

    Reply
  28. Valerie says

    December 16, 2014 at 9:36 am

    Good Morning….excellent giveaway…VEGAN food is expanding it’s awesomeness!!!! Thanks, and cheers Valerie 🙂

    Reply
  29. EVA says

    December 16, 2014 at 9:56 am

    ROASTED ACORN SQUASH! I don’t even top it with oil or sugar. Just straight up squash. It gets a lil’ char around the edges and holy (no) cow….I’m missing the taste already!

    Reply
  30. Bethany says

    December 16, 2014 at 11:41 am

    I make a vegan pumpkin gingerbread with a vegan cream cheese frosting. So decadent and so good!

    Reply
  31. Irina says

    December 16, 2014 at 1:41 pm

    vegan chocolate pumpkin pie!

    Reply
  32. Laura says

    December 16, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    Mashed potatoes are my favorite holiday dish. I tend to make them the whole season long 🙂

    Reply
  33. priya says

    December 16, 2014 at 11:57 pm

    this would be awesome! I love fall spices- nutmeg cinnamon cumin ginger, and roasted veggies 🙂

    Reply
  34. coco says

    December 17, 2014 at 7:17 am

    the best part about holiday cooking? it’s the fact that you know that the food was made with love.
    that said, i love me some moroccan spiced veggies (butternut squash, sweet potato, tomato, zucchini, kale & chickpeas) and a nice slice of (pumpkin or apple) pie for dessert!

    Reply
  35. Marty Krutolow says

    December 17, 2014 at 2:41 pm

    i love their food. Have had great success with the other cookbooks. Can’t wait to try this one!

    Reply
  36. Claire Tucker says

    December 17, 2014 at 10:47 pm

    Looks like a beautiful cookbook!

    Reply
  37. Beth says

    December 18, 2014 at 2:36 am

    A new favorite vegan holiday dish in our house are oven-roasted brussels sprouts with pears! Soo delicious and the savory/sweet action is amazing. Thank you for offering this giveaway! 🙂

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Hi! I’m Gena, voice of The Full Helping, certified nutritionist, cookbook author, and passionate vegan food educator. This space is where I share nourishing plant-based recipes, stories of self-care and self-discovery, and resources to help you explore an informed and compassionate relationship with food.

My Favorites

Footer

Instagram

  • All set for week 20! 💪
〰️
This is a actually a short internship week, thanks to the long weekend, but I’ve got plenty of food. Here’s what’s on the menu:
✔️ My Cuban slow cooker black beans (the last of last week’s batch)
✔️ Roasted cauliflower
✔️ Roasted broccoli
✔️ The tempeh hash from #powerplates
✔️ The second portion from last week’s @purplecarrotxo jambalaya (you’ll see the first portion tomorrow!)
✔️ Stuffed acorn squash (recipe will be on the blog this week!)
✔️ Golden beets
✔️ Leftover Power Plates enchiladas from brunch with friends
✔️ Roasted Brussels sprouts
〰️
Just posted a long weekend reading, with thoughts on two years of being on my own since the end of a long term relationship. Difficult to write about and a very vulnerable topic for me, but writing about it actually reminds me that I’m where I’m supposed to be, which is growing. Always growing.
〰️
Sending you all love—have a great week ahead! 💓
.
.
.
.
#mealprep #veganmealprep #batchcooking #veganbatchcooking #veganfoodshare #veganfoodie #veganfoodlovers #whatveganseat #bestofvegan #veganlife #vegansofig #vegansofinstagram #plantbased #plantpower #plantpowered #poweredbyplants #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedfoods #wfpb #nourish #foodisfuel #nourishyourbody #latergram
  • Have spent this Sunday doing and not doing: soaking up time with family and friends, taking care of my batch cooking, but hitting pause on work so that I can have some idle time, too. Don’t quite have the energy to put thoughts into words for weekend reading today, so that’ll go up tomorrow.
〰️
Didn’t make this butternut chickpea curry over the weekend—I cooked enough for a family gathering that I didn’t need to make extra stuff—but it has been at the top of my list to make soon, so you’ll probably see it one of these days. It’s easy to make, and while it’s pretty mild, it’s packed with flavor. Plus, chickpeas + butternut = 🧡🧡🧡
〰️
Recipe link is in my bio now! Happy Sunday, and happy long weekend, loves.
.
.
.
.
#vegan #veganfood #veganeats #veganfoodshare #whatveganseat #vegansofig #vegansofinstagram #veganlife  #bestofvegan #thefeedfeedvegan @thefeedfeedvegan #healthfood #plantbased #plantpower #plantpowered #poweredbyplants #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedlifestyle #eatplants #ieatplants #wholefoods #wholefood #nourish #nom #instayum 📷: @trinerask
  • This lunch bowl = happy place 😊 Sweet potatoes, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, cucumbers, greens, herbed cashew cheese, and balsamic Dijon tahini dressing. Link to the cashew cheese recipe this is based on (I just pulse in chives) in my bio today 👌
〰️
Power Plate deets:
Complex carbs = chickpeas + sweet taters
Protein = chickpeas
Healthful fat = cashew cheese + dressing
Veggies = always! 💚
〰️
Next week will be my last at my current rotation! The internship gets harder as it goes on, but it’s going. And going. Happy Friday, loves!!
.
.
.
.
#onebowlmeal #veganbowls #powerplates #veganfoodshare #veganfoodie #buddhabowls #cashewcheese #veganeats #whatveganseat #vegansofig #plantbased #wholefoodsplantbased #wfpb #plantpower #plantpowered #poweredbyplants #wholefoodsplantbaseddiet #eatarainbow #bestofvegan #wholefoods #healthfood #nourish #nourishyourbody #veganlunch #latergram
  • How about a little chocolate avocado pudding for Valentine’s Day? 🥑🍫😍
〰️
This is the “chocomole” recipe from my blog, and the first raw food dessert I ever tried. Haven’t stopped loving it all these years later. Just avocado, cocoa powder, vanilla, dates, maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt. I love how the dates make it a little caramel-ly. Link to the recipe in today’s bio!
〰️
Sweets for my sweets! That’s all of you!! 🤗😘
.
.
.
.
#valentinesday #galentinesday #avocadopudding #rawfooddessert #rawfood #vegandessert #chocolatelovers #veganeats #whatveganseat #vegansofig #vegansofinstagram #veganlife #wholefoods #healthfood #glutenfree #bestofvegan #veganfoodshare #veganfoodlovers #iamwellandgood #plantbased #plantbaseddiet #veganttreats #nom #instayum 📷: @trinerask
  • Oh, this tofu scallion black bean scramble 😍
〰️
My go-to scramble of the fall and winter. It’s a perfect make-ahead savory breakfast, and the whole thing comes together in 15 minutes. Plus, it’s got about 20 grams of #plantprotein per serving, which means that it’ll help to keep you sated all morning. Recipe is on the blog now—link in my bio!!
〰️
And here it is with a squeeze of @sirkensingtons spicy ketchup. Yum. Happy hump day!
.
.
.
.
#veganfoodshare #veganbreakfast #veganbreakfastideas #tofuscramble #veganprotein #plantpower #plantpowered #poweredbyplants #plantbaseddiet #wfpb #wholefoodsplantbased #wholefoodsplantbaseddiet #whatveganseat #vegansofig #bestofvegan #idontwantsalad #healthfood #veganeats #veganfoodie #veganfoodlovers #instayum #nourish #breakfastinspo
  • I didn’t make these #vegan zucchini date muffins over the weekend. They were one of a long list of things I’d planned on and didn’t get around to, cause, well, life 🤷🏻‍♀️
〰️
They’re delicious, though, and if I had made them, I’m sure this Monday would be looking a lot brighter! 🌟 Soon. For now, the recipe link is in my bio. Happy #meatlessmonday, loves!
.
.
.
.
#baking #veganbaking #veganmuffins #snack #sneakyvegetables #veganfoodshare #veganfoodie #veganfoodlovers #vegansofig #whatveganseat #vegansofinstagram #veganbreakfast #plantbased #plantpower #plantpowered #poweredbyplants #vegansnack #vegansnacks #plantbaseddiet #nourish #treatyoself 📷: @trinerask #nom #instayum

Unlock the fullness of everything I already share here – and then some.

It’s my goal to help you approach vegan cooking with a sense of ease and confidence. Crafting a thoughtful, practical newsletter is part of that work! Each week, you can expect accessible recipes and links to thought-provoking articles.

When you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll be able to...
  • Explore the best of The Full Helping archives.
  • Discover my digital recipe box and collect your favorites.
  • Explore my one-on-one nutrition counseling services, designed to help you find balance and support.
  • Further your knowledge of vegan cooking through my cookbooks, Food52 Vegan and Choosing Raw.
  • Weekend Reading
  • Eating Disorder / Food and Healing
  • Nutrition Counseling
  • Recipes
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright© 2019 · The Full Helping Theme by Shay Bocks