Apple Cranberry Relish

(recipe from Saveur magazine)

1/8 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh or frozen and defrosted cranberries
1 sweet apple, cored, peeled, and roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups unsweetened apple juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Cook garlic and onion until soft, 6-8 minutes.  Add cranberries and apples; cook until cranberries burst and apples are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add apple juice, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly dry, about 45 minutes.  Let cool slightly and transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

Cashew Sour Cream

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw cashews
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt

Place cashews in a small bowl and cover by about 1/2-inch with boiling water.  Let soak for 30 minutes.

Drain cashews, reserving the liquid.  Place cashews in a blender with the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid.  Blend until very smooth, adding more soaking liquid as required to puree the mixture.  Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

(This was fairly good as a sour cream alternative - just making note of it.)

Salsa Con Otra Cosas

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped finely
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped or sliced black olives
1/8 cup vinegar
3 small cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ripe avocado, chopped

Mix all ingredients at least one hour prior to serving.

(I brought this to a party and everyone asked for the recipe.  Quite tasty!)

Tofu Mayo

(recipe from Christina Cooks)

8 oz. firm tofu
3 Tbsp. stoneground mustard
2 tsp. umeboshi vinegar
3 tsp. brown rice syrup
sea salt
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 Tbsp. corn oil (I used 2 Tbsp. canola oil)

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook tofu for 5 minutes.  Drain well.  Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy.