I have a special treat for you today. Or rather, I should say that Joni and Celine have an incredible dessert for you today. Fresh from their new cookbook, Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites, comes this drop-dead decadent (yet somewhat wholesome) apple pie, pictured here with the most monsterous "a la mode" scoop of vanilla [dairy-free] ice cream that I have ever seen. These ladies take their desserts seriously.

But what really sets this pie apart from other apple pies is the pecan crust. Sweetened lightly with brown sugar, the pecans are ground to infuse a pecan pie-like flavor into the crust. Two pies in one! How can you go wrong with that? Of course, this is just a sampling of the "Ooey, Gooey, and Downright Sinful Sweets" in Hearty Vegan. And yes, that really is the title of the jam-packed dessert chapter!

Enjoy the following recipe over the holidays or any day that you deserve something sweet ...

Want to win free Dei Fratelli all-natural tomato sauces, salsas and other fabulous tomato products for a year? Simply enter the 4th Annual Ripened Recipe Contest by submitting your favorite tomato-based recipes (great opportunity for dairy-free recipes!) at www.facebook.com/DeiFratelli and you’ll be automatically entered to win! Submit as many recipes as you’d like but hurry the contest ends November 30th, 2011!

Dei Fratelli is a fourth generation, family-owned company based in Toledo, Ohio that makes all-natural, Kosher and gluten-free tomato products. Check out their complete product line here: www.deifratelli.com.

For more details about their recipe contest, see the press release below ...

Alisa Fleming ~ The magical combination of sage and winter squash has such a warm and homey flavor, not unlike the comforting taste of stuffing. Yet, squash is often overlooked around the holidays, making it onto only a small percentage of Thanksgiving tables. I think people feel that baked sweet potatoes fill the "orange vegetable" void, but really, why not slide slightly on the color spectrum and add some tasty yellow-orange squash, too.

I use fresh sage in this recipe (easy to find among the fresh herbs at most major grocers if you don't have your own herb garden), which I find has a gentler taste than concentrated dried sage. My herb-shy husband appreciates this, and thoroughly enjoyed the slightly earthy flavor of this dish.

Though I typically roast squash for that caramelization effect, I must admit that this oven-baked method worked fabulously. It was almost like a steaming technique that locked in the natural flavor. Also, browning the "butter" on the stovetop added some extra depth to the overall dish ...

Periodically, I highlight a popular reader question or FAQ here on Go Dairy Free. I was emailed the following inquiry, and you can read on for my detailed response …

Q: Wendy - T'is the season for whipped cream. Do you know of a good recipe for vegan whipped cream?

A: Alisa – Wendy is right, holiday desserts aren’t quite the same without a creamy topping, but even those non-dairy whipped toppings actually contain milk-based ingredients (see my post on how “non-dairy doesn’t always mean dairy-free” for more information). While I’m still working away on creating the perfect Cool Whip substitute, there are some darn good products and recipes that are already available (and yes, that picture at left is vegan whipped cream - read on!) ...