Yield: 2 generous servings
A little tangy, a tiny bit sweet, and just a touch spicy, this well-balanced bright green and orange dish of contrasting textures goes together in a snap and is as pretty as it is nutritious. I think it would be really nice paired with baked or sauteed sesame-crusted tofu.
With the Super Bowl fast approaching, I wanted to direct everyone to a post from about this time last year for my finger-licking “no harm, no fowl” Vegan Buffalo Wings. Game on!
Yield: 8 pancakes
If you follow this blog, you know by now that I love the occasional stack of pancakes on weekend mornings, and that I also love to translate some of my favorite dessert cakes–carrot, red velvet, gingerbread, pineapple upside-down–into their breakfast cousins. These scrumptious coconut ones are my latest iteration. I’m so glad I had coconut left over from a curry dinner. The only thing better would be if my Papa were here to grate a fresh coconut for me!
Like many people, I am a fan of vegan cream cheese frosting on coconut cake, so I top the pancakes with a syrup into which I incorporate vegan sour cream and a hint of lemon juice in order to capture some of that irresistible tang in a form that is easy to blend.
½ cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup self-rising flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsweetened soy milk (plain or vanilla soy milk would also be good–regular or lite; I chose soy milk over coconut milk because of the former’s thicker body)
1/2 cup flaked coconut (fresh or packaged–sweetened or unsweetened)
Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying
Vegan Coconut Sour Cream-Maple Syrup (recipe follows)
Optional Garnish: additional flaked coconut (fresh or packaged, sweetened or unsweetened, raw or toasted)
Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 5 ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in soy milk. Stir together with a fork until well combined. Stir in coconut. 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 a couple of minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise and the edges appear set. (These pancakes will not develop many bubbles to indicate doneness.) 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 plates or a serving platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter. Serve warm with Vegan Coconut Sour Cream-Maple Syrup and a sprinkling of coconut or toasted coconut if desired.
Vegan Coconut Sour Cream-Maple Syrup:
4 tablespoon vegan sour cream
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
4 tablespoons coconut or lite coconut milk (unsweetened, plain or vanilla soy milk would also be good–regular or lite)
4 tablespoons flaked coconut (fresh or packaged–sweetened or unsweetened
2 squirts of lemon juice (or to taste in order to bring out tang of vegan sour cream)
Whisk together and, if desired, heat gently in microwave for a few seconds. Note: you can make as much syrup as you like; just whisk together equal parts of first 4 ingredients and adjust lemon juice accordingly.
Yield: 20 small tarts
Why not serve these savory heart-smart tarts to your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? They are simple, special, quick and delicious, and they only look and taste like you labored for hours.
When I realized that Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, I began brainstorming brunch ideas for my vegan column, “The Veggie Table,” in The Virginian-Pilot. For it, I ultimately decided on unforgettable Red Velvet Pancakes. (I’ve posted a teaser with a photo, but will post the recipe as soon as it appears in the Pilot, as per my agreement with them.)
But these little morsels were one of my ideas and they are scrumptious. So if you prefer a savory to a semi-sweet breakfast, then I encourage you to whip up a platter of these heart tarts and serve them with a side of fruit for a very beautiful and satisfying start to the day.
The flecks of red bell pepper make them especially fitting for any of the “red” holidays, so you might cut the pastry out in the shape of stars and make tarts for a Christmas breakfast or brunch. But simple squares or circles would make them suitable for any day of the year.
Though they are especially fitting in the morning, they would also make delicious hors d’oeuvres on an afternoon or evening buffet.
Vegan Pastry:
1 box Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (removed from box and thawed 40 minutes on counter)
Vegan “Sausage” and Red Pepper Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, sliced
8 ounces tempeh (I used the “garden” variety–no pun intended–with flecks of vegetables)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Amino Acids
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 “squirt” of lemon juice
1 “squirt” of Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour (white would also work)
4 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk (plain would also work)
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add bell pepper and saute for about a minute or two until it starts to soften. Add garlic and saute another couple of minutes or until garlic softens and just barely begins to develop golden color. Crumble tempeh into skillet, stir well and add next 8 ingredients, sauteing and stirring until tempeh is uniform in color, fennel seeds release fragrance, and mixture is warmed through. Sprinkle with flour and immediately add milk, cooking and stirring until flour no longer tastes raw and mixture begins to bind together. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and remove from heat.
Cut puff pastry into 20 hearts, 10 per sheet and place on a lightly oiled or Silpat-lined baking sheet. Using a spoon or small scoop, place approximately 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each heart. Bake on the center oven rack for approximately 16-17 minutes. Remove from oven and serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Those of you who follow this blog know that the marvelous Minnie, a one year old rescued stray, entered our lives in early December following the death of our wonderful Webster at age 16. From time to time, I can’t resist posting photos of the dogs assuming that virtually all vegans are animal lovers.
Can I tell you how frightened I was? Chocolate and dogs are a potentially lethal combination. A mere 4 ounces is toxic for a dog of her size. If your dog should ingest chocolate, he or she must vomit it up before it is metabolized. Hydrogen peroxide may do the trick, but it didn’t for Minnie. The prescribed Rx was an injection to induce vomiting followed by a charcoal slurry to bind any remaining chocolate in her system (though the vet was quite sure, based on the floor of the hospital, that there was none left).
With MLK Day off from school, I had some time for morning experimentation in the kitchen. For my February “Veggie Table” column in The Virginian-Pilot, I thought I would make a special Valentine’s Breakfast since the holiday falls on a Sunday. My aunt, Bessie Weed’s, red velvet cake has long inspired my love of Red Velvet everything causing me to transform her cake into cookies, shortcakes and, now, pancakes.
They were so pretty that I had to post the photo and a brief enticement. As soon as The Virginian-Pilot publishes my February column, I will post the complete recipe. So stay tuned!
Yield: 2 servings (easily doubles)
Vegan Curried Couscous:
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup couscous
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse sea or kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Yield: 4 servings with a side salad (includes two palmiers per serving)
This recipe was my answer to the desire for a warm, comforting meal that tasted decadent, but was actually quite healthy, and that would go together quickly on a frigid Sunday night. Though delicious on its own, the dish seemed to need something else. However, since it was ready to eat when I realized that I wanted something to take it “over the top,” and since I was hungry to boot, the “something else” couldn’t take very long to prepare.
I remembered that I had vegan puff pastry in the freezer and thought about some kind of “bread” sticks, but the dough takes 40 minutes to thaw. So, I wondered what would happen if I thawed it in the microwave. What happens is it sticks together. So, then, out of necessity, I simply left the sheet of dough double folded (like a business letter) as it comes out of the package, sliced it into inch-wide sections and baked them. To my delight, my method resulted in the cutest and world’s easiest palmiers that were ready in little more than 15 minutes! A sprinkling of paprika before baking made them extra-special. And they are the perfect accompaniment to the dish…and to my husband’s steak (ugh).
Yield: 2 salads with leftover dressing (dressing recipe makes 8 servings)Featuring Recent Posts WordPress Widget development by YD
