5 Vegan Recipes from the Past with Cozy Fall Vibes

The first official day of fall this year begins with the Autumnal Equinox on September 23rd, 2023. Welcome the changing of the leaves and cooler weather with cozy vegan recipes from the past.

#1 Potato Scones

Scones were thought to have originated in Scotland, the first written work mentioning scones appeared in a 1513 Scottish translation of Virgil’s Aeneid. This 1891 recipe for scones made from a simple combination of flour and potato, make them a good pairing with sweet jam or as accompaniment to savory dishes.

Potato Scones. Mash some boiled potatoes till quite smooth, adding a little salt, and knead with flour to the consistency required; roll, and form the scones, and after pricking them with a fork, bake on a gridle. (p.204)

#2 Carrot Soup

Wild carrots are a native plant to Eurasia and have been domestically cultivated in central Asia since 1000 CE. Prehistoric carrot seeds have been uncovered in archaeological digs, indicating a possible medicinal use before carrots were cultivated as a food crop. This 1899 recipe combines carrots with other roasted vegetables into a rich, caramelized soup that is the essence of fall.

Slice 1 onion, place on an oiled tin, and bake in the oven until of a rich brown color. Place in a stew-pan, add to them 1 sliced carrot and 1 sliced turnip, and cook for an hour. Then add ½ cup of rice, cook one hour more, and press through a sieve. After pressing through the sieve, return to the stove. Add nut milk enough to make of the right consistency and salt to taste. Just before serving, burn a little brown sugar and stir through it. This gives a nice flavor and a rich color. (p.297)

#3 Lentil Rissoles

Rissoles originated in France as savory meat-filled fried pastries, but the recipe evolved over time, meatless versions of rissoles made from beans or lentils appear in vegetarian cookbooks and periodicals like this lentil-based recipe from The Abstainer’s Advocate. Combined with stewed root vegetables, this savory protein packed fritter would make a good entree for a cozy fall dinner.

Lentil Rissoles — (Ingredients: 2 teacupfuls of Lentils, 1 teacupful of Rice, 1 small Onion, 1 Carrot.) — Wash lentils and rice, chop onion, scrape and cut carrot small, put all together in a stewpan, cover with water, and cook gently one hour, adding more water as required, stirring occasionally; the mixture must be stiff. When cooked, turn out to cool, then form into cutlets or rolls. Flour with wholemeal, thinly. Fry till brown. Eggs and breadcrumbs are not necessary. (p.111)

#4 Stuffed Squash

Colorful squashes at the grocery store, farmer’s market or in home decor always herald fall. One of the oldest cultivated food crops, squash was an important dietary staple of indigenous people in North and South America. Yellow squash, also known as summer squash, remains in season for early fall harvests. This recipe from the vegetarian publication Food, Home and Garden makes the most of this fall bumper crop.

Stuffed Squash. –Take a good sized yellow squash; pare and cut in halves across. Place in a baking pan and stuff with a filling made of bread crumbs, herbs and a little chopped tomato. Season as desired. When, stuffed tie together with a fine cord and bake in the oven till the squash is tender. When cooked remove the cord and serve in the dish in which it was baked.

#5 Maple Apples

“No other sweet than honey, maple or cane syrup, nature’s own pure products, should be eaten.” (p.45) Advises an article published in a 1909 issue of The Vegetarian Magazine. This late Edwardian recipe for apples stewed in maple syrup epitomizes fall and fits perfectly with early 20th century vegetarian dietary mores.

Apples, 4. Maple sirup, 1 cup. Water 1 cup. Peel and slice the apples; mix the maple sirup and the water, and pour over the apples; bake under cover in a medium oven, until tender and dark brown.

Enjoy fall flavors and produce by taking some inspiration from history with these recipes.

Thank you for reading!

For more vegetarian, vegan and botanical histories, subscribe to Plant Based Past on Medium.

Next week: From Pannus Corium to Pleather: The Origins of Non-Leather Footwear Part 1