Native American Christmas Recipes

American Indian Cold Christmas Cake Recipe
1 lb pecans or walnuts, chopped
1 lb shredded moist coconut
1 lb raisins
1 lb vanilla wafers
1 regular can sweetened condensed milk


Combine dry ingredients well. Pour in sweetened condensed milk and
work through with hands so that dry ingredients are thoroughly
saturated. Press into spring foam pan. Refrigerate for 2 days. My
Cherokee ancestors used hazelnuts, dates and thick goats milk, then
wrapped the cake in watertight leaves bound with vine and placed in
cold running stream for several days. This is delicious and easy.
Yield: 4 servings

Mom's Christmas Sausage Coffee Cake
1 lb bulk sausage
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cup bisquick
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg beaten
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon tabasco
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown sausage and onions; drain. Add next 6 ingredients. Make batter
of Bisquick, milk and mayonnaise. Spread half of batter in 9 x 9 x 2-
inch greased pan. Pour in sausage mixture, then spread remaining
batter on top. Mix egg yolk and water and brush top. Bake at 400
degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until cake leaves edges of pan. Cool
5 minutes before cutting into 3-inch squares. This recipe doubles
easily in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Enjoy!!
From: "Manyfeathers1"
Yield: 4 servings

Kolab Christmas Salad
1/2 cup cider vinegar
7 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno chili, seeded, minced
1 teaspoon white sage dried, crumbled
6 prickly pears ripe, sliced
1 head red leaf lettuce or boston lettuce
3 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 small red onion, thinly sliced, rings separated

Combine vinegar, jalapeno and white sage in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be
made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
Peel and cut lengthwise the pears then slice crosswise into half rounds.Line platter with lettuce. Arrange pear slices in center of
platter, overlapping slices. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and
chill.) Arrange avocado slices around pear slices, overlapping slices.
Top with nuts. Arrange onions over all. Drizzle dressing over.

Holiday Rump Roast
4 lb venison rump roast
1/2 teaspoon sage or several sprigs fresh sage
1 teaspoon juniper berries crushed fine
1 clove garlic, slivered
1/2 cup cooking oil
salt
pepper

Cut slits in top of roast and insert sliver of garlic and sage in the pockets. Rub the roast with cooking oil that has in it the juniper berries, salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the roast in a baking dish. Roast in a preheated 450 degree (F) oven for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be 155 degrees for medium rare. For a larger roast, cook for about 18 minutes per pound at the 350 degree temperature. Allow roast to rest 10 minutes before carving. Serve with fresh cranberry sauce.
Yield: 5 servings

Native Holiday Cake
1 cup flour
1 cup corn flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 apple, peeled, finely chopped
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
maple syrup icing
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs confectioners sugar
2 1/2 tbs maple syrup

Heat oven to 350 degrees.* Butter a bundt pan. Whisk first 7 ingredients in a bowl to blend. Beat butter and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beat well. Beat in vanilla, pumpkin and apple. Add flour mixture, beat until blended. Stir in cranberries and pecans. Scrape into pan. Bake 70 min. or until done. Cool in pan 10 min. before inverting. ICING---Stir
confectioners sugar and maple syrup in a bowl until icing runs off tip of the spoon, adding more syrup if needed. Put cake on wax paper, drizzle with icing. SPRINKLE WITH COARSELY CHOPPED PECANS, LET ICING SET.
Yield: makes 12 servin

(Chickasaw) Pumpkin Cookies
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
2 1/2 cup flour, less 2 tsp
4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisin or dates
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs, pumpkin and spices. Blend well. Sift dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture. Blend until smooth. Stir in raisins, nuts and flavoring. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Yield: approximately 3

Pueblo Feast Pinion Cookies
2/3 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup lard or vegetable shortening
1 egg
2 cups unbleached flour, sifted
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp anise seed
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup pinon nuts (pignoli),; chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon

The Pueblo Indians give much attention to food, especially on Feast Days, when they must feed their families, a circle of friends and even casual visitors. Field parties for planting or harvesting, kiva parties, a Kachina or Corn Dance, an initiation or wedding, the pueblo's Saint's Day - all require elaborate food preparation. In the Pueblo world, the households of men engaged in any ceremonial activity are the busiest, and at the conclusion of the feast, leftovers are distributed and carried home. Pueblo hospitality is identified, as everywhere, with food; under no circumstances may one refuse food or, asking for it, be refused. To a caller from the vicinity, watermelon, pinon, or peaches will be offered, and it is proper to eat before announcing the reason for the visit. For visitors from far away, whenever they arrive, a regular meal will be served. To be stingy with food is unacceptable. Visitors on Feast Days might be offered these special cookies, but we doubt there are ever any leftovers to be carried home. Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream 2/3 cup sugar and lard. Add egg and blend thoroughly. Stir in flour, baking powder, vanilla, and anise seed, blending thoroughly. Gradually add milk until a stiff dough is formed. Mix in the pinon nuts. Roll dough out on a lightly floured board to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch cookies with cookie cutter. Sprinkle tops with mixture of the remaining sugar and cinnamon. Bake cookies on a well-greased baking sheet for about 15 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack.