July 4, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Quinoa, Corn, Peach and Boiled Peanut Salad with Sweet Tea Dressing

Yield: 4-6 servings

Salads don’t get any more southern or more tasty than this one, not to mention beautiful and nutritious. Do yourself a favor and the salad justice by using only farm-fresh produce because the taste of the salad is largely dependent on that of the corn and peaches. If boiled peanuts sound odd in a salad, you’ll be so surprised. Their mouth feel is similar to beans, but their flavor is distinctive and delicious. I purchased mine at a farmer’s market, but they are sold in cans in the veggie sections of grocery stores. For a formal ‘south’ren touch, serve the salad in teacups like the one in the photo which I inherited from my late Nana. A sprig of mint or parsley completes the pretty picture.

For this recipe and some 170+ more,

I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:

A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press

Spring 2011

July 4, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Caramelized Banana-Macadamia Nut-Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

Wheeler del Torro’s The Vegan Scoop rules! His basic formula combined with my friend Shelley’s recommendation for banana-nut ice cream and my penchant for anything caramelized led to this concoction. As a child, I was “mad” for Brennan’s Restaurant’s Banana’s Foster on pre-vegan trips to New Orleans: bananas caramelized and flamed tableside and served over rich vanilla ice cream. Out of the fire and into the freezer comes this vegan-approved almost guilt-free pleasure with a bow to Sin City.

1-14.5 ounce can coconut milk, with 1/4 cup poured into a small cup or bowl
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
3/4 brown sugar
2-3 bananas, sliced about 3/4-1″ thick
1 1/4 cups plain soy creamer
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted macadamia nuts (if macdamia nuts would break the bank, your favorite nut will do nicely)

In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup coconut milk and arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and cook until dissolved. Lower heat just slightly if mixture is cooking too fast. Add banana slices and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 3-5 minutes or until bananas soften and begin to caramelize. remove from heat and mash right in the skillet with a potato masher. (If you use a non-stick skillet, remove bananas before mashing, or you will scratch the surface.) Place the remaining coconut milk, soy creamer, cinnamon stick and mashed bananas into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil over medium-high, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in coconut milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth followed by the vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Whisk to remove any remaining lumps and then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I use a Cusinart electric ice cream maker.) When ice cream is almost frozen, pour in chopped nuts and continue freezing so that they are well distributed. Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer.

July 2, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Fancy Franks–Perfect for the Fourth of July

Yield: 8 hot dogs

You’ll love my “twist” on the traditional hot dog just in time for Independence Day in the U.S. Think “Pigs in a Blanket” kicked up a notch with the help of puff pastry dough. Once baked, they look really cute served upright in a wine glass, but they didn’t photograph too well like that. Regardless of how you serve them, guests of all ages will salute you. For adults only, I recommend accompanying them with Margarita Mayo and Pina Colada Catsup. It’s true that mayonnaise isn’t a traditional condiment for dogz, but something about the buttery “bun” contrasting with the tart lime makes for a delicious combination in this case. I also tried a Mojito Mustard, but lime, never mind mint, isn’t too tasty with mustard. A Mango Mustard, however, sounds marvelous. If you experiment with sauces, please share your results. Happy Fourth of July!

8 vegan hot dogs
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat sheet or apply nonstick spray sparingly. Slice puff pastry into 8 equal strips. Working with one dog at a time, wind and spiral the dough down the length of the frank making sure to gently press the ends of the strip of dough against the underside of the dog at both ends. You may need to slice about an inch off of each piece of dough, depending on the size of your hot dogs. Place the dog on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining franks and dough, leaving a couple of inches between each one. Bake for approximately 22 minutes or until golden, but start checking after about 15. Serve warm or at room temperature with the condiments of your choice. I particularly like the following:

Pina Colada Catsup

1/4 cup catsup
2 teaspoons Cream of Coconut
2 teaspoons pineapple juice
2 teaspoons rum (I used a golden variety)

Whisk all ingredients together and serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Margarita Mayo

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons tequila
2 teaspoons VERY loosely packed lime zest (approximately the zest of one small lime)
pinch salt

Whisk all ingredients together and serve or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Note: for a pretty and authentic Margarita presentation, you can dip the rim of a small glass or glass bowl in fresh lime juice and then in salt before filling with the mayo.

July 2, 2009February 8, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Beet Muhammara (Middle Eastern Spread)

Yield: approximately 4 cups

If you think you hate beets, that’s all about to change. If you actually like beets, this recipe will deepen your relationship with this most misunderstood of root vegetables. My stunning and addicting spread is perfect for a number of festive occasions or any regular day or night of the week. It is based on Muhammara, a Turkish spread typically made from red peppers and walnuts that happens to be on my “best seller” list. Here in Virginia Beach one of our favorite restaurants, Garrison’s, serves a beet and walnut spread that I find mesmerizing on their Mediterranean Plate. I wondered if I could come close to it by substituting raw red beets for the red peppers in my Muhammara recipe and playing around fairly significantly with the proportions of the other ingredients. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” My concoction is to die for and even prettier than its inspiration. If you’re thinking, “Beets? Ick.” Please think again. True confession: I am not a huge beet fan. I have tried to love them; really I have. But they can be tricky. I think they are lovely and appealingly earthy. And, while I have roasted them and really liked them–provided I used enough acid to dress them–for the most part, as my father would say, “I don’t wake up screaming for them.” That is until I tried Garrison’s spread and, now, my own version which is a bit different but dare I say it, maybe even better??? Thinking of substituting canned ones? Don’t do it! Have you ever read the label? They have NO nutrition nor, to my way of thinking, anything else to recommend them. Make this spread with raw ones and you will be a fan for life.

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

July 1, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Coconut Curried Mustard Greens with Apples and Chick Peas over Cinnamon-Cardamom Rice

Yield: approximately 4 servings

They don’t call them “bitter greens” for nothing! I love mustard greens, but only with the bitterness dialed back. Coconut milk, apples and chick peas do the trick in this recipe, especially when served with Cinnamon-Cardamom rice.

Coconut Curried Mustard Greens with Apples and Chick Peas:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, slivered
2 Fugi apples, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ wedges (use whatever kind of apple you like, but Fugis are particularly good with savory dishes)
8 ounces mustard greens, coarsely chopped (I purchase them already chopped and ready-to-eat)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 of a 14.5 ounce can of coconut milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 of a 14.5 ounce can chick peas, drained (add them all if you prefer)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Garnish: approximately 4 tablespoons lightly salted cashew halves and 4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro or 4 cilantro sprigs

In a large wok or Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, until it starts to soften. Add apples, and continue sauteing just until they start to soften. Add the greens and cook for a few minutes or until they wilt and begin to tenderize. Add remaining ingredients, except chick peas and lemon juice, and cook for at least 10 minutes and probably more until greens are tender and have lost most of their bitter bite. (Unfortunately, this means they will lose their brilliant green color.) Stir in chick peas, heat through, and then stir in lemon juice. Serve garnished with cashews and cilantro over or alongside Cinnamon-Cardamom Rice.

Cinnamon-Cardamom Rice:

3 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick cinnamon, broken in half
a few cardamom pods (about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup basmati rice

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all ingredients except rice to a gentle boil. Add rice, stir once, cover loosely with a lid, reduce heat if necessary and simmer for approximately 20 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Watch closely so that rice doesn’t scorch or stick to the bottom of the pan.

July 1, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Cherry, Chocolate, Almond Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

Thanks are due, once again, to Wheeler del Torro, author of The Vegan Scoop, for his vegan ice cream formula that I enjoy endlessly adapting. This flavor combination was inspired by a day trip with my friend Katherine last week to Currituck County in North Carolina. On our way to visit Harbinger Lavender Farm, we stopped at Morris Farm Market where I purchased beautiful ruby-red fresh cherries for a song. Our trip even yielded the little stainless steel ice cream bowl in the photo. I bought two mismatched ones at an antique store for half price.

1 cup unsweetened soy milk, divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 cups plain soy creamer (I used French Vanilla, but plain would be delicious too)
3/4 granulated or raw sugar (you might need 1 cup if cherries are really tart)
2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted, and pureed in a food processor until almost smooth
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
approximately 1/2 cup chopped almonds (lightly toast them if you like)

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk and arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. Place the remaining 3/4 cup of soy milk, soy creamer, sugar and pureed cherries into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth followed by the vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Whisk to remove any remaining lumps and then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I use a Cusinart electric ice cream maker.) When ice cream is almost frozen, pour in chocolate chips and almonds and continue freezing so that they are well distributed. Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer.