Mincemeatless

In saucepan, (you'll need about a 5 qt. Dutch oven or similar for this) bring apples, juice and rinds of citrus (peeled thin or with the white skived off with a knife) to a boil in the cider, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir in vegan sugar, spices, raisins and currants. When sugar has dissolved, simmer about 20 to 30 minutes, or until enough liquid has steamed off to reduce mixture to a desirable consistency for a pie or tart filler. Remove from heat and stir in cherries (if using) and add rum. Taste when cooled and adjust rum, and/or add a little brandy.
If you're one of those organized people that does this stuff way ahead of time, spoon it into jam jars and seal with paraffin -- not the ski-wax stuff.
Source: nice lady in a bar + natural intuition
Note: I am offering this recipe because I started looking for a meatless substitute for the suet-based commercial mincemeat last year when my vegetarian daughter (for 4 years now) turned down her favorite Christmas dessert. I had not been so surprised since I checked the label of a Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce bottle and found that it contained anchovies. I now do a very decent Caesar salad dressing without anchovies or raw eggs.
I suppose it may be possible I was not able to find a vegetarian mincemeat on any of the Internet search engines because its called something I couldnt think of, but ---if you haven't got this, or something like it, enjoy. It works!
I presume vegans have their own conforming pastry recipes. I customarily used about 3/4 vegetable shortening and 1/4 butter for the fat content, but I've been substituting non-hydrogenated margarine lately without any complaints from diners.