It's that time of year again: Our social calendars are filled with occasions to eat, drink, and be merry. Sure, many holiday meals revolve around meat, but there are plenty of ways to buck tradition and still keep mouths watering. Since 1984, the good folks at Candle Café in New York have turned their passion for vegan cuisine into some of the Big Apple’s best eating. Now, master chefs Angel Ramos, Joy Pierson, and Jorge Pineda (above, from left to right) promise to bring their expertise to your table in the new book Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Café : Celebratory Menus and Recipes from New York's Premier Plant-Based Restaurants (Ten Speed Press, 2014). These experts have agreed to share their recipes for three delectable vegan choices that even the pickiest palate will enjoy.  

And while we're bucking tradition, let's start with dessert: 

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Apple Cider Reduction 

Be sure to save room for this fantastic cheesecake, a creative dessert that uses classic Thanksgiving ingredients-pumpkin, apple cider, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The pie and frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Serves 8-10

4 cups vegan cream cheese

2 cups agave nectar or maple syrup

2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 ½ cups (12 ounces) silken tofu

1 cup arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon agar powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Apple Cider Reduction

4 cups apple cider

1 cup unrefined sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Wrap aluminum foil around the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan to prevent any leaking.

Combine the cream cheese, agave, soy milk, pumpkin, tofu, arrowroot, agar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl and stir together. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth and ingredients are fully integrated. This may have to be done in batches. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan.

Put the cheesecake in a large baking pan and fill the pan halfway with hot water. Bake for about 2 hours, until lightly browned. Remove, let cool, cover, and refrigerate. The cheesecake can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.

To make the cider reduction, combine the cider, sugar, and nutmeg in a pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is reduced by half and is syrupy, 1 to 1 ½ hours. The reduction can be made and refrigerated up to 2 hours ahead of time. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To serve, remove the foil from the pan. Run a knife around the outer edge of the cheesecake and release the springform pan clamp. Put the cake on a plate or cake stand. Pipe of spread the top of the cheesecake with the frosting. Drizzle the reduction over the cheesecake. Cut into wedges and serve.

 After the sensation your Pumpkin Cheesecake causes at Thanksgiving, expectations will be high for that December dinner. Don’t worry about pressure, though. Loosen up your guests and whet their appetites with this festive beverage:

 Christmas Pomegranate Punch    

We love to make punch for the holidays. It’s our chance to pull out the big punch bowl that just takes up space the rest of the year. This festive drink blends rum with pomegranate juice and hibiscus tea and resembles a glühwein (German mulled wine), but it is served chilled. Serves 10 to 12

 1 (750 ml) bottle rum

12 ounces (1½ ounces) triple sec

32 ounces (4 cups) pomegranate juice

12 ounces (1½ cups) spicy red wine, such as Malbec or Shiraz

½ cup hibiscus tea leaves

16 ounces (2 cups) hot water

16 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons whole cloves

3 lemons, cut into wedges, to garnish

Ice

Combine the rum, triple sec, pomegranate juice and wine in a punch bowl and stir.

Steep the hibiscus leaves in the hot water for 5 minutes. Strain the tea into a bowl, pressing the leaves until dry. Pour it into the punch bowl and stir. Put 4 of the cinnamon sticks and ½ teaspoon of the cloves in a piece of cheesecloth and tie tightly. Let it sit in the punch for about an hour, then remove.

Stud the lemon wedges with the remaining cloves. Pour the punch into cups or small glasses over ice. Garnish each serving with the remaining cinnamon sticks and the lemon wedges and serve.

The holiday season doesn’t end on New Year’s Day anymore. For millions of Americans, Super Bowl Sunday is a holiday in its own right. And since it's an occasion known for hearty eats, keep your guests happy with these heroes:

 Wheat Ball Heroes 

Wheat Balls are a signature dish at all of our Candle restaurants, and we often stuff them into hero sandwiches topped with a chunky red sauce and vegan mozzarella cheese to make a lighter, vegan version of the Italian classic. Dig into these warm and crunchy sandwiches when they’re just out of the oven. Mangia! Serves 8

Chunky Marinara Sauce

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups diced yellow onions

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 (28-ounce) cans plum tomatoes or 12 large red tomatoes, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Seitan Balls

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped red onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 pounds seitan, drained and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 cups dried bread crumbs

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 baguettes, split lengthwise

12 slices soy or tapioca mozzarella

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat, add the onions, and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes and stir for a minute.

Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil, decrease the heat, and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and thickens up. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Transfer half of the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot and stir together. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, covered for up to 1 week. It can be frozen for a month. Reheat the sauce before serving.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a baking sheet.

To make the wheat balls, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Combine the onion mixture, seitan, bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until incorporated. This may have to be done in batches.

Using 2 tablespoons of the seitan mixture, shape into balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet just far enough apart that they are not touching. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned, turning them after 20 minutes. Set aside.

Increase the oven temperature to 400ºF. Arrange the baguettes on a baking sheet, pressing them open. Layer the bottom halves with the wheat balls, tomato sauce, and cheese. Put the heroes in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the sandwiches are warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes, making sure not to burn the bread. Press the top halves over the bottom halves, cut each baguette into quarters, and serve warm.