Here is this week's article from the Vegetarian site at BellaOnline.com.

Orange Mincemeat Recipe
If you're looking for something new this holiday season, why not try this delicious variation of the ubiqitous Christmas mincemeat? Bright with the sunny flavour of orange and fragrant with orange liqueur and brandy, this just might become a staple in your holiday cooking repertoire.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47272.asp

Some tips for using mincemeat:

* Store-bought mincemeat can be very good, but it can also be very sweet. You can cut the sweetness by grating in a couple of tart fresh apples or adding some brandy. If you make your own mincemeat, you can quite easily cut down on the amount of sugar in the recipe to suit your own taste. Don't worry, you won't ruin the recipe. I often omit the sugar entirely!

* When using a sweet mincemeat in a recipe, you can also cut down the sugar in the recipe itself. In baking, I generally use about 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups of flour. This produces a baked good that is nicely sweet but not cloying.

* Mincemeat can star in many different desserts, not just pie! Use it as a topping for vanilla ice cream or cheesecake, a filling for spicy, crumbly squares or coffee cake, in thumbprint cookies instead of jam, spread on the bottom of a Bakewell tart [not traditional, but still delicious!], etc.

This week's question is ... Do you have a favorite Christmas dish, one that you look forward to all year? Do you buy it or make it yourself? ... Stop by the forum and let me know. We'll have a chat.

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=55

I hope you enjoy the new article. If there are any Christmas foods you would like me to feature this month, if you are looking for a special recipe or a gift idea, or if you need helping veganizing a favorite dish, please let me know. In the meantime, have a terrific week!

Shona Porteous, Vegetarian Editor
http://vegetarian.bellaonline.com

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