I received such rave reviews on my recently created Bloomin’ Best Vegan Peanut Butter and Apple Muffins that I decided to try my luck with a sweet potato version. 

I know, I know…for a seasonal cook to be using sweet potatoes in May seems anethma.  But, our farmer’s market leaves their spuds in a cold cellar over the winter so that once the market opens again in the spring, its customers are treated to beautiful golden sweet potatoes.

I planned to make the sweet potato version of the muffins exactly like the peanut butter and apple inspiration, but I needed a substitute for the creamy moisture of the peanut butter.  Fortunately I remembered a gift of some unopened pumpkin butter (which contains no dairy despite the name) from my sister-in-law.  Its moisture content is even higher than peanut butter, though both are thick and creamy, so these muffins are  more delectably moist than their forebears.  Both are delicious.

Enjoy whenever sweet potatoes are in season–or brought out of the cold cellar–in your neck of the woods!

1/2 cup pumpkin butter

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (you can use plain, but you might want to slightly decrease the sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup natural sugar

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch ground allspice

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves

3 cups finely grated sweet potatoes, skin on (fine like food processor-fine)

Line muffin cups with papers or oil well with nonstick spray.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together pumpkin butter, canola oil, soy milk and vanilla until well combined.  Stir in sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda just until a smooth batter forms.  Then stir in grated sweet potatoes only until incorporated.  Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely or to enjoy while warm.

Just follow the link to this recipe which Nava calls “beautiful and nutritious” because, now that warm weather is here again–at least for many of us–chard will be showing up in gardens and farm markets across the country.  And, as Nava also says, this dish is at least as good if not better the next day…thanks so much, Nava for your ongoing support!

If you don’t already receive the VegKitchen Newsletter, you will want to.  Just click HERE to subscribe.

And be sure to heck out one of Nava’s latest projects: the Vegan Minute Channel on YouTube.

During our email correspondence following the lively interview–Laura has energy to burn!–she asked if she could post the recipe I shared on air on her blog.  I didn’t even have to think about that…the answer was, of course, “Are you kidding?  Absolutely!”  You can find my easy and beautiful spring recipe for Fresh Pea and Tarragon Hummus from The Blooming Platter Cookbook right HERE.

Check out the Jazzy Vegetarian blog, radio and TV shows, recipes and more.  Plus “JV” is also on FB…I hope everyone will “lick” it or “like” it…your choice!

Thanks again, Laura!

This new dish was inspired by a delicious-sounding recipe in a recent issue of a culinary magazine.

I don’t create a lot of pasta recipes for the warm months, as it can seem a bit heavy.  But this combination seemed light and springy.  Icould just imagine the warmy toasty flavor of the walnuts playing off the appealing “grassiness” of the parsley, and the bright freshness of the lemon.  And, indeed, it is exactly right for a spring evening or even a weekend brunch, say, for Mother’s Day in just a few days.

The non-vegan inspiration recipe called for ricotta cheese for which I knew I could easily substitute mashed tofu.  The remaining ingredients were all vegan, but the garlic chips sprinkled over the top seemed unnecessary and time-consuming.  So, my version omits them, yet contains plenty of garlic, and it is only cooked enough to add a mellow pungency to the beautifully balanced dish.

I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think!

8 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used rotini)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces soft regular tofu (not Silken)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Zest of one large lemon + extra for garnish

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley + extra for garnish

1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces + extra for garnish (I dry toast them in a skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally)

Red pepper flakes to taste

Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling over medium-high heat  with the lid slightly ajar.  Add the pasta, stir once, and simmer, reducing heat if necessary, for approximately 9 minutes or until al dente.    Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat and very gently simmer for 2 to 3 minuts or until the garlic is softened and just barely begins to turn golden.  Then, in a small bowl gently mash together with your fingers the tofu, nutritional yeast, sea salt and pepper to taste (it’s important to season every layer), adding the lemon zest toward the end.  The tofu should be broken down into fluffy “chunks” about the size of peas.  When the pasta is done, drain it well and return to the pot.  Drizzle the olive oil over, sprinkle with parsely and gently combine.  Add the mashed tofu, walnuts and a few red pepper flakes; gently combine.  Check for seasoning, adjust as necessary, and serve warm garnished as desired.

What a fun 25 minute break from my already fun drawing and painting class!  Today I was the invited guest of the inimitable and accomplished Laura Theodore and  Jazzy Vegetarian on Blog Talk Radio, and you can read all about it HERE.  What an honor!

While my dear friend and colleague David Prescott worked with my class–he is our choral director, but has a great ear AND eye–I slipped down the hall into an administrator’s office for the live phone interview.

The articulate and engaging Laura Theodore is the most energetic and delightful host.  Her advance preparation and her wealth of knowledge (as a vegan chef, T.V. and radio host, AND award-winning jazz singer/actor) made the interview flow naturally and conversationally.  She moves with ease between a range of topics, manages the time perfectly, and exudes warmth, vibrancy and charm.

And you can catch her and The Jazzy Vegetarian later this month on Create, an invaluable public television network for, well, creative people and those who aspire to be.

Thanks to Laura for all her generous praise for The Blooming Platter Cookbook, including its “beauty”!  (To an art teacher, that’s no small thing!)  High praise from anyone fills me with gratitude, but when it comes from someone like her, it has the added bonus of the stamp of approval from a talented and influential professional in the field.  Best wishes to her in all her jazzy endeavors!

Chunky natural peanut butter spread on apple wedges is one of my favorite snacks from childhood.  So, this week when I was craving a  wholesome and nostalgic baked good, I figured the combination would be scrumptious in a moist muffin.  And it is!

Normally, I would load up an apple batter with warm spices, but I didn’t want them to overpower the peanut butter flavor and aroma.  So I just used a pinch of allspice, cinnamon and cloves.   But feel free to adjust to suit your taste.

Not too dense, but not light like a cupcake either these muffins are the epitome of balance in every way.

I know apples are not typically a spring fruit, but our farm market does have Virginia-grown ones in the warm months.  You’ll love this recipe whenever apples are in season in your area.

1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter warmed slightly in the microwave or in a saucepan on top of the stove (smooth would probably work just great as well)

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (you can use plain, but you might want to slightly decrease the sugar)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup natural sugar

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch ground allspice

Pinch ground cinnamon

Pinch ground cloves

2 large apples, cored and very finely chopped; approximately 3 cups (fine like food processor-fine)

Line muffin cups with papers or oil well with nonstick spray.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, canola oil, soy milk and vanilla until well combined.  Stir in sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda just until a smooth batter forms.  Then stir in chopped apples only until incorporated.  Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely or to enjoy while warm.

View from our bedroom window, Casa Luna Bed & Breakfast, San Miguel Allende

When we were in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, recently for our friends’ art gallery opening over Spring Break (how lucky was that timing!) we stayed at the beautiful Casa Luna Bed & Breakfast.

Each morning, we were served the most delicious marmalades with our fruit, frijoles negro, bread, fresh squeezed oranged juice, coffee/tea, and Joe’s huevos.  Pineapple and Nopales (cactus) was a favorite, as was Tamarind Chipotle.  When I learned that the hotel sells them, in addition to a not-too-firey jalapeno marmalade, and a spicy homemade peanut butter–and were making them fresh while we were there–I thought that all four would make a delightful host gift, along with a copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook.  And they did, delivered still warm from the canning process!  Mmm…

Wanting to replicate at least one of them, but not having a lot of time to slice mountains of jalapenos or engage in old-fashioned canning, I decided to try the peanut butter.  When an internet search turned up no recipes, I just winged it.  Casa Luna’s finished product had a rich flavor without a  biting heat, which I rightly or wrongly attributed to reconstituted dried chilies.  Though Casa Luna’s peanut butter didn’t have a smoky flavor, I love chipotles–smoked jalapenos–so I decided to use them, picking up a bag at a local tiende.

Carmen, at Casa Luna, had shared that the list of ingredients was really simple: peanuts, oil, chilies.  So I simply guessed at the proportions, starting with just one chili and adding additional ones, one at a time, until I was satisfied with the flavor and heat, deciding at the last minute to drizzle in a couple of teaspoons of the water in which the chilies were reconstituted for a little more smoky intensity.

It may seem a little odd to add both natural sugar and salt, so feel free to omit the sugar, but I felt that the two together achieved a nice balance.  The only other ingredient I toyed with adding is a hint of lime zest, but I haven’t yet decided, as the peanut butter is delicious as is.  And its beautiful earthy color is irresistable.

Enjoy as you would any peanut butter–only maybe not on your child’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich–or consider swirling some into both Mexican/Southwestern and Thai sauces.  I hope you’ll try it and share what you do with it!

4 dried chipotle chilies stems removed

Boiling water

12 ounces of roasted and lightly salted peanuts

1/4 cup canola oil (or peanut oil)

1 tablespoon natural sugar (optional)

2 teaspoons water that chilies were soaked in

Sea salt to taste

Slit chilies lengthwise and remove and discard seeds.  Place chilies in  a small non-reactive bowl and cover with boiling water.  (I don’t measure; I just boil whatever is left in our kettle.)  Allow chilies to soak for about 20 minutes or until softened somewhat.  Place all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and process for several minutes or until smooth but still textured, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Adjust seasoning if necessary and process a few seconds.  Scrape peanut butter into an airtight container–I like to put it in a small crock–and refrigerate.

Get the skinny…and the recipe for my Indian Black Soy Beans in Coconut-Cardamom-Cashew Sauce at The Happy Cow!

And that’s probably why One Green Planet dropped the reference to Benjamin Rabbit in my title when they graciously published this recipe for spring.

I was merely thinking of Benjamin and the carrots in Mr. McGregor’s garden from the beloved Peter Rabbit stories because, while this Pimento Cheese Spread is guaranteed rabbit-free, it is chock full of shredded carrots.  And they are the perfect lighter, healthier, and vegan alternative to orange shreds of cheddar.

So, while shredded carrots aren’t a cheese clone, the end result is nonetheless packed with cheesy flavor reminiscent of one of my favorite pre-vegan spreads.  Click here for the recipe of “secret” ingredients  just in time for a spring picnic.

Thanks for sharing with your readers, Team OGP!

Be sure to follow the link above to read the entire review in which she writes: “Seasonal and accessible The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio artfully takes advantage of the seasonal cuisine trend.”   Thank you, Wendy!

Petty is a forager, photographer, and wild foods consultant, and you won’t want to miss her blog Hunger and Thirst, even though she openly professes not to be a vegan.  If this that she wrote in a piece about Violet Cardamom Water doesn’t make  you want to seek her out, nothing will:  “If you think that foragers are just a bunch of hippies tripping through the forest, let me set you straight. A forager’s world is full of mysteries, classified information, and confidences…”   It’s a fascinating world and I’m happy to let Petty by my virtual guide.

As a foodie, you’ll want to also check out Zester Daily who describes their online publication thusly:  ”Founded in 2009 by veteran journalist Corie Brown, Zester Daily is an award-winning online publication produced by an international collection of experienced journalists, food writers and wine experts.

Committed to excellent reporting and writing, Zester contributors follow their instincts and interests as they travel the globe in search of stories that matter to our food-obsessed culture. Whether it is wild mushroom foraging, profiles of innovative young chefs, shopping Chiang Mai’s food markets, or tasting the current vintage of California olive oil, Zester’s stories are always entertaining, informed and accessible.

Zester seeks to engage food and drink enthusiasts in the kind of spirited, intelligent dialogue critical to establishing a more delicious, sustainable and just food culture. A team of seven editors supports more than 50 contributors producing breaking news, feature articles, editorials, cartoons and videos. The weekly Zester Daily Soapbox is a provocative, and often controversial, opinion piece written by an outside author or industry leader.”