October 11, 2011October 11, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Baked Pumpkin-Bourbon French Toast with Pepita Caramel Syrup

I know it’s just Tuesday, but I’m posting this now, so you can gather the ingredients and be all set come the weekend!

I love vegan French toast as it de facto lacks that “egginess” that I found unappealing in the dairy version even as a vegetarian. I similarly prefer baked to pan sauteed French toast, as the former lacks the equally unappealing greasiness of the latter. And, especially in the fall, I am crazy for all things pumpkin.

So my Baked Pumpkin-Bourbon French Toast is about as good as it gets for weekend morning fare at our house. I spike this iteration ’cause I’m a South’ren girl. But you can simply omit the bourbon. Or, you can substitute brandy or a nut-flavored liqueur if you like.

Note that I’m not a big breakfast eater, so these are very moderate portions. If you like to really get your breakfast or brunch on, just make more. Or serve something on the side like, say, some baked fresh and dried fruit.

Oh, and don’t forget the decaffeinated fair-trade coffee. It’s practically a must with this dish, as I find the body of coffee provides better balance with this dish than tea, though I’m usually a devout tea-drinker.

Yield: 4 servings

French Toast:

8 (1-inch thick) bias-cut slices of a long whole grain baguette (if bread is fresh, dry it out by placing it on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes)

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

3/4 cup soymilk (unsweetened or plain)

2 tablespoons chickpea flour

2 tablespoons natural sugar (or maple syrup which is not quite as sweet)

Optional: 1 tablespoon bourbon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or to taste (or a combination of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg)

Pinch sea salt

Vegan Pepita Caramel Syrup (recipe follows)

Optional garnish: a dusting of powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients except bread and syrup in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture into a shallow pan or food carton that will just hold all bread slices in one layer. Add the bread slices and let soak for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil an 8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Flip bread slices and let soak for another 10 minutes. (You make soak each side longer if desired, but a total of 20 minutes should be the minimum amount of time.) Remove bread to baking dish and drizzle each slice with remaining custard. Bake for 20 minutes or just until set. Custard should still be moist. Serve hot drizzled with Vegan Pepita Caramel Syrup and dust with powdered sugar for a nice contrast if desired.

Vegan Pepita Caramel Syrup:

1/4 cup vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup roasted and lightly salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds; I purchase Trader Joe’s brand)

2 tablespoons plain soy creamer

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, combine butter, maple syrup and pepitas. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until thick and caramelized. Lower heat if necessary to prevent mixture from scorching. Add soy creamer–the mixture will bubble up–and cook for about another minute or until well-combined and heated through. Serve immediately over Pumpkin-Bourbon French Toast.

For 150+ additional recipes that celebrate fall, not to mention winter, spring and summer, I invite you to hop on over to Amazon and take a look at my new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

October 2, 2011October 2, 2011 by betsy

Blooming Platter Vegan Cookbook Giveaway AND Baked Apples Baklava with Cider Sauce

In celebration of the first day of the first full week of Vegan MoFo 2011, I wanted to offer a cookbook giveaway for all you MoFos out there. On the block is my brand new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes, published in May 2011 by the good folks at Vegan Heritage Press.

It’s simple to enter! Just add a comment to this post on one of two topics: 1) either share how you “MoFo” (do you blog, subscribe to MoFo headquarters rss feed, read more blogs than usual, cook more than usual, etc.); or 2) share your favorite way to enjoy apples in the fall.

I’d also love it if you checked out the book on Amazon, read one or two of the very generous reviews and, if you like what you see, “like” the book while on the Amazon site.

A winner will be chosen at random (using www.random.org–very cool site), next Sunday, October 9. Deadline to enter is midnight (wherever you are in the world), Saturday, October 8. Make sure your email address is accessible through your comment. The winner will be notified privately via email to provide me with your mailing address.

A quick note: I will respond to the comments at the end of the contest because if I respond as I receive them, it will throw the numbers off for the random calculation of a winner. So, I want you to know in advance that I appreciate you, and don’t want you to think I am being rude by not acknowledging your time and effort!

That’s all there is to it! Please spread the word. But first, check out this sneak preview recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook. I love re-imagining one dish as another, and my Baked Apples Baklava is a perfect and perfectly tasty example of that. And, though the presentation is elegant, the recipe is as simple as can be, provided you purchase the phyllo dough. If you decide to be an over-achiever and make your own, that’s on you!

Baked Apples Baklava with Cider Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Baked apples are one of the wonders of autumn. In this dessert, tender stuffed apple halves are wrapped up like a beautiful package in buttery phyllo dough. They are as scrumptious for breakfast or brunch as they are for dessert.

Apples:

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon natural sugar

1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice

2 teaspoons agave nectar

2 large McIntosh or other sweet-tart red apples, stemmed

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon natural sugar

16 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Cider Sauce:

3/4 cup apple cider

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick, halved

Optional Garnish:

Cinnamon stick halves

Walnut pieces

1. Apples: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar, apple pie spice, and agave nectar and set aside. Cut the apples in half lengthwise. Using a melon baller, remove the core of the apples in two scoops to make a generous void for the filling. Rub the cut surface of the apples with lemon juice. Press one-fourth of walnut filling into each hollowed out void.

2. Combine the vegan butter and olive oil in a small bowl. Unroll the phyllo dough and cover with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Remove one sheet of dough to a flat work surface and brush lightly with butter-oil mixture. Repeat with three more sheets, stacking them.

3. Place the apple half, filling side up, in the center of the stacked phyllo. Bring up one corner of the dough over the filling, then the opposite corner. Repeat with the remaining corners, smoothing as you go, to make a tight package.

4. Brush on a little more butter-oil mixture and place the apples, flat side down, on a baking sheet or stone. Brush the top with a little more of the butter-oil mixture, smoothing down the edges of the dough. Repeat with remaining apple halves, filling and dough. Sprinkle each with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar. Bake for 30 minutes.

5. Cider Sauce: In a 1 quart saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes. Cool slightly to serve. Remove the cinnamon stick halves before serving or use them as two of the garnishes.

6. To assemble: Arrange the baked apples on dessert plates drizzled with the Cider Sauce and garnished with cinnamon sticks and walnuts, if using.

September 24, 2011 by betsy

Go Dairy Free Touts Blooming Platter Vegan Farmstand Fruit Muffins as a Fall Favorite

Alisa Fleming, creator of “Go Dairy Free,” posted a lovely review of The Blooming Platter Cookbook just a little while back. Her endorsement is very flattering for, through her work, she’s seen more than her fair share of wonderful cookbooks.

But, with the change in seasons, she felt herself returning again to “The Platter” in search of what she calls “that depth of flavor that I love this time of year.” What she found and dubbed “perfect fall comfort food” was my Farmstand Fruit Muffins. Follow the link for her intro, favorite apples recommendations, and the recipe.

Thank you, Alisa, for the post and for calling my cookbook a “creative collection of recipes”~enjoy everyone!

September 17, 2011September 17, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Curried Apple-Scallion Fritters with Maple-Chutney Syrup

Y ield: 16 small fritters

Today is gloriously chilly and rainy; it really feels like fall. And with the first hints of fall comes my longing for comfort foods. So by about 11:30 this morning, I found myself feeling a bit peckish, but caught between my desire for something sweetish a la breakfast or more savory a la lunch.

I was leaning toward something with sweet potatoes, but had ideas for them that suited a bigger appetite than I had at the time. So I decided to save them, but spotted a lone Virginia apple in a bowl nearby and instantly decided on savory apple fritters, the pancakey kind, not the deep fried variety.

Fritters are so versatile that it would have been easy to load them up with all manner of finely diced or shredded veggies, but I decided to keep the veggie ingredients simple and use some complex spices. As I inhaled the aroma of the shredded apples, smoked paprika came to mind, so in it went. And I love curry and apple together in a seitan or tempeh salad, so I decided to add a bit of curry powder. I then sprinkled in a little turmeric for color and aroma, but the golden batter–made even more so by my inclusion of both flour and corn meal mix–still seemed to need an infusion of “warm” spices on this cool day. So after perusing my spice carousels, I opted for ground cardamom and mace. Lovely!

As they cooked, I started fantasizing about what I should drizzle over them. I love the flavor of maple with both apple and savory ingredients,–who doesn’t!–so maple syrup would be the base. But what would really tie the syrup to the flavors of the fritters? Ah, chutney! And I offer you two different preparations because if one savory syrup is good, two are better.

If these fritters sound good to you, I hope you have time to gather the ingredients together and whip them up for your Sunday brunch. But, if not, this weekend, then soon while fall apples are bountiful.

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup cornmeal mix (if you use plain cornmeal, you’ll need to adjust the baking powder and soda)

optional: 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground mace

1/8-1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8-1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of sea salt + more to taste

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

2 medium sweet-tart apples, stemmed, cored and grated (I use my food processor with its grater attachment for this task)

4 scallions, thinly sliced (reserve a few of the green slices for garnish)

Canola oil for frying

Maple-Chutney Syrup (recipe follows)

Garnish: vegan sour cream and green scallion rings

Line a platter or plates with paper towel. Preheat oven to its lowest temperature. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in soymilk. Use a form to incorporate the soymilk into the dry ingredients. Fold in apple and scallion. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Heat a thin layer of corn oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Place 8 slightly rounded tablespoons of batter evenly spaced into the skillet and fry a couple of minutes on one side or until golden. Flip and fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes on the reverse. Adjust temperature if necessary so that fritters can fry at least 2-3 minutes on each side without browning because they may look golden on the outside before being fully cooked throughout if not allowed to cook a sufficient amount of time. Remove to the lined platter or plates and place in the warm oven. Repeat with remain batter. Serve fritters, warm, topped with Maple-Chutney Syrup, a tiny dollop of vegan sour cream, and a green scallion ring or two.
Maple-Chutney Syrup

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons prepared chutney (link a mango variety)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

1/2 teaspoon (or more to taste) prepared cilantro chutney (this bright green chutney is sold in a jar at Indian markets)

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined.

July 2, 2011July 2, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Quinoa Pancakes

Yield: 8 small pancakes

Inspired by my Vegan Silver Dollar Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Jelly Pancakes made earlier in the week, I decided to try a different grain and I’m glad I did!

This time I used everyone’s favorite (cooked) grain: Quinoa!

I cooked the quinoa in the microwave, according to the directions on the box, because I was starving and didn’t want to wait longer than I had to. As Goldilocks would say, the results were “just right.”

The topping you see in the photograph I made from fresh plums and, while it was good, it wasn’t perfect enough for Blooming Platterists. So, I’m going to work on it a bit more before I post that recipe. I also dabbed on a little vegan sour cream and garnished the cakes with pineapple sage from my garden. If your garden center carries this herb, I highly recommend it. It makes a large shrub with beautiful red blooms and, where we live, it is a perennial, or at least it was from last summer to this.

Enjoy these quinoa-cakes with whatever your favorite topping happens to be, even savory.

For this recipe, as with the peanut butter-oatmeal cakes, I used a bit more baking powder and baking soda than I usually do for extra lift to counteract what could have been a little heaviness from the grains. The result is light, but still toothsome.

1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour (I am a devout fan of spelt flour)

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

3 tablespoons natural sugar (use just a pinch if making savory cakes)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Optional if making savory cakes: a generous pinch of garlic powder or more to taste

1 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be good–regular or lite)

Vegan butter and canola oil for frying (I like Earth Balance butter)

Accompaniments: Jelly, jam, or a savory chutney, and optional vegan sour cream

Garnishes: sprigs of herbs (I like pineapple sage)

Preheat the oven to warm. Make pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, place both flours, sugar if using, baking powder, and baking soda. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the soymilk mixture. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in the cooked quinoa. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces the chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using about 3 tablespoons of batter, make pancakes, about four at a time. Cook two-three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep the skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower the heat to medium, especially for the second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil and pancake batter. Serve each pancake topped with jelly, jam or chutney, optional vegan sour cream (I highly recommend), and a sprig of fresh herbs.

You’ll find other delicious summer pancakes in The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

June 27, 2011July 2, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Silver Dollar Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, and Jelly Pancakes

Yield: 16 silver dollar-sized pancakes

As much as I love teaching, I also love having the time on weekday mornings in the summer to make pancakes for breakfast, as I did this morning. (I made a half batch which I shared with Minnie, the miniature Great Dane, so that I wouldn’t stuff myself! I know, that’s terrible; but our gal has one heck of a metabolism, and peanut butter is fine for dogs.)

I made these beauties silver dollar-sized and garnished the sparkling plate with a sprig of pineapple sage from my garden. (I love that herb; if anyone has a recipe that calls for it, please share! In the meantime, I’m going to be thinking of a dish to create that will feature it’s slightly tropical-sweet, but distinctly sage-y, earthiness.)

For this recipe, I used a bit more baking powder and baking soda than I usually do for extra lift to counteract what could have been a little heaviness from the oats. The result is light, but still toothsome.

1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour (I am a devout fan of spelt flour)

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/2 cup raw old fashioned oats

3 tablespoons natural sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be good–regular or lite)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter, warmed slightly in microwave

Vegan butter and canola oil for frying (I like Earth Balance butter)

Accompaniments: Jelly or jam (I like apricot “pure fruit”) and optional vegan sour cream

Garnishes: roasted and lightly salted peanuts and sprigs of herbs (I like pineapple sage)

Preheat the oven to warm. Make pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, place both flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together soymilk and warmed peanut butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the soymilk mixture. Whisk together until well combined. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces the chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using 2 tablespoons of batter, make pancakes, about five to six at a time. Cook two-three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep the skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower the heat to medium, especially for the second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil and pancake batter. Serve each pancake topped with jelly or jam, optional vegan sour cream (I highly recommend), and a peanut if desired. (Note: if you think the nut in the photo looks like a pistachio, you’re right! We were out of peanuts.)

May 21, 2011May 21, 2011 by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook Featured Again by Veggie Girl

TBPC_backcover_for_web1 — Back Cover, The Blooming Platter Cookbook

Dianne “Veggie Girl” confesses on her blog that, although she usually doesn’t feature the same cookbook twice in her “Cookbook Project” series, my vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese-Orange Sauce inspired her to break with tradition and feature The Blooming Platter Cookbook for Project 19 and 20. Thank you, Diane!

I commend her substitution of Spelt flour for the whole wheat. I do that myself sometimes and am a fan!

This week, she chose to prepare a total of four recipes from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes. I trust it will always give me a thrill to see my recipes prepared by someone else!

In fact, I would have loved to have eaten at Dianne’s house this week as this was such a busy one for me that my dinner one night was my Vegan Cheddar “Cheese” Spread on Melba toast and nothing at all last night!

This week included, in addition to a two hour appointment after work on Tuesday to have my braces removed and a beautiful closing exhibition reception for my students and their artwork at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Beach Higher Ed Center on Thursday, lots of cooking for the “Incredible Edibles” cookbook launch party that is tonight (so excited!).

So while I practiced poor nutritional habits, at least at night, Veggie Girl, in addition to my carrot cake pancakes, whipped up a batch of my Zucchini-Stuffed Shells with Blooming Marinara Sauce, my Caramelized Onion and Spinach Quesadillas (with White Bean Cheese) and my “White Cheese” Pizza with Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Her addition of a pinwheel garnish of avocado slices on the quesadilla was gorgeous (but, sadly, I’m allergic to them). And her addition of Shitake mushrooms and red onion to the pizza looked like the delicious confetti that I’m sure it was.

It’s barely 5:25 a.m. and my mouth is watering for Italian and Southwestern food!

May 6, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Baked Oatmeal with Berries for Mother’s Day

If my dear mama lived in Virginia, I would make this dish bloom on her platter for Mother’s Day. When I served it to a friend while creating recipes for my Blooming Platter Cookbook, she described it as having a texture similar to bread pudding. I agree!

This photo was shot last summer for the book when blueberries were in season. Since it’s early yet for blueberries, at least where we live, why not try strawberries?

The garnish is one of my favorite newly discovered herbs: lemon verbena. It flourished in our garden last year and I noticed recently that it had returned this spring. I can’t wait to infuse pancakes, cookies and much more with it’s complex citrusy flavor and aroma this summer.

Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere!

Yield: 8 servings

6 ounces firm silken tofu
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup natural sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pint of fresh berries, rinsed, drained and patted dry
1. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan and set aside. Combine the tofu, soy milk, canola oil, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the oatmeal. Spoon this mixture into the prepared pan, gently smoothing the top. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining sugar and cinnamon, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to bake, remove the dish from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stud the top surface of the oatmeal with berries, and bake for 35 minutes or until just firm. Serve hot.
Note: The oatmeal may be reheated by covering the baking dish with foil and placing it in a cold oven. Turn the oven temperature to 300ºF. and heat for about 20 minutes, or until warm.

March 27, 2011June 27, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut-Pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

Nope, “doughnut-pancakes” is not a misprint.

I was inspired to make these scrumptious breakfast treats recently while watching “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” On the program, the chef made a nutmeg-flavored muffin batter and, when the muffins were baked, removed them from the tin, dipped them in butter, and rolled them in cinnamon-sugar.

My mind instantly translated them into my beloved pancakes, going a little easier on the butter and cinnamon-sugar. I started with my go-to pancake batter, added lots of ground nutmeg for that distinctive cake doughnut taste, and then simply brushed the tops of each one with a little vegan butter and a generous sprinkling of natural sugar mixed with ground cinnamon. They need no syrup, as the combination of the tender pancake, silky butter and crunchy topping are all any pancake- or doughnut-lover could ever want.

As they cooked, these doughnut-cakes filled the kitchen with a homey, heady aroma, very welcome on this gray, frigid day in March with sleet audibly pelting against the windows.

Topping:

1/4 cup natural sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2-4 tablespoons vegan butter (I actually like to use 4 tablespoons, as sometimes the pancakes will be more absorbent than others, and use any leftovers for another purpose)

Pancakes:

1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour (I am a new and devout fan of spelt flour)

1/2 cup self-rising flour

3 tablespoons natural sugar

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg (freshly ground, if possible)

1/2 teasopon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be good–regular or lite)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

additional vegan butter and canola oil for frying

Preheat the oven to warm. Line a cookie sheet with waxed or parchment paper. Make topping by mixing together sugar and cinnamon in a small cup. Set aside. In another small cup, melt butter for about 20 seconds in microwave, and set aside. Make pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, place both flours, sugar, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in soymilk and vanilla. Whisk together until well combined. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using a 1/4 cup measure, make pancakes, two at a time. Cook two-three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear around the edges, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower heat to medium, especially for second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to lined baking sheet to brush the tops with butter and sprinkle generously with sugar mixture. Translate to plates or a serving platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil, pancake batter, butter and cinnamon-sugar.