June 6, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Yield: approximately 1 quart

If you follow this blog, you know that I am a huge fan of Wheeler del Torro’s vegan ice cream. This founder and owner of Wheeler’s Frozen Dessert Company in Boston and author of The Vegan Scoop is a culinary genius. I’ve tried several vegan ice creams, with and without tofu, but wasn’t completely satisfied until I experimented with his formula.

The base for many, if not most, of Wheeler’s ice creams is a cup of soy or other vegan milk, 2 cups of soy creamer, 2 tablespoons of arrowroot (a natural starchy thickener) and 3/4 cup of sugar. You will scarcely believe how smooth and creamy the end results will be because the arrowroot thickens the base and, more importantly, reduces the formation of ice crystals.

Last summer I made lots of varieties and would hate to have to choose a favorite. This summer, with my first ever full-blown herb garden in full bloom, I decided to inaugurate ice cream season with Vegan Lemon Verbena. And, boy, am I glad I did. It was 97 here on Saturday. If you’re a frequent visitor, you know that lemon verbena is one of my favorite new herbs. The amount called for sounds like a lot, but it was really just about 3-4 nice-size stems.

If you don’t grow this plant, run, don’t walk, to your nearest garden center or farmer’s market and buy yourself a lemon verbena plant. It is unbelievably versatile for both savory and sweet dishes.

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons arrow root powder
3/4 cup sugar
approximately 70 lemon verbena leaves, rinsed and completely dried (about 3-4 stems)
3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be nice)
2 cups soy creamer
Optional garnish: sprigs of fresh lemon verbena

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk with arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place sugar and lemon verbena leaves until leaves are finely minced. Pour remaining soymilk, soy creamer and sugar mixture into a small to medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. At this point, you may simply freeze the mixture according to your manufacturer’s directions. Or, if you prefer not to have the actual leaves in your ice cream, simply strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids, and then freeze. Scrape the finished ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer. Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh lemon verbena.

June 6, 2010April 16, 2015 by betsy

Vegan Ginger-Ale Pancakes with Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney

Yield: 8 pancakes

As promised, here are my Vegan Giner-Ale Pancakes with a fresh peach topping. I raided my favorite outdoor market on Saturday, so I was all set to make these this morning. Believe it or not, I had pancakes for breakfast and dinner! In the morning, I tried the chutney uncooked and without the beer and in the evening I gently simmered it with the beer. I loved it both ways, but I think the flavors are better married in the cooked version and the beer adds a delicious layer of flavor. Plus, using beer in the topping means that you don’t have a partial bottle of flat beer leftover.

Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney

2 medium peaches, seeded and medium-finely diced (I leave the skin on for more color and nutrition)
1 cup “ale” (use your favorite ale or beer)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
8 large basil leaves, stacked, rolled, and very thinly sliced to make chiffonade
2 tablespoon natural sugar (or substitute an additional tablespoon of maple syrup)
4 tablespoons maple syrup

Stir together all ingredients in a small or medium saucepan and simmer over medium-high. uncovered, while you make the pancakes or until the juice has reduced.

Vegan Ginger-Ale Pancakes

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons natural or brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or to taste (or 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup “ale” (basically, the remainder of a 12 ounce bottle after using a cup in the chutney)
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla, lite or regular, would also be good
Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying
Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney
Sprigs of fresh basil

Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 6 dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in ale and soymilk. 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 scant 1/4 cup measure, make pancakes, two at a time. Cook two to 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 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 or oil and pancake batter. Serve each short stack with Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney spooned over the top and a sprig of fresh basil.

June 4, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Black Bean, Roated Corn and Orange Salad with Vegan Cumin-Citrus Dressing and Vegan Sweet and Spicy Paprika Pecans

Yield: 10-12 servings

I created this salad last Sunday for a potluck dinner party that night. All of the food that our friends brought was so beautiful and summery. My contribution of veggies and black beans lightly tossed with a citrusy dressing flecked with herbs from our garden was one of two vegan dishes. The other was a pineapple-mango salsa (which I’ll post soon), and both were crowd-pleasers.

I don’t typically like to create work for myself, but it really was worth roasting the fresh corn for a deeper flavor even though that meant cutting it off the cob which can be messy. (However, I learned a trick somewhere that should have been quite obvious: instead of holding the cob upright to slice off the kernels, lie it down horizontally. It prevents the kernels from popping off in every direction. Why hadn’t I ever thought of that?) Plus, using fresh corn means you will have cobs left over for making stock.

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

June 1, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Lemon Verbena and Blueberry Pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

Just in time for your weekend breakfast is my latest pancake iteration…

I really did eat something besides pancakes last weekend. In fact, I have a delicious black bean salad to post soon and I would post my Vegan Lemon Verbena Meltaway cookies, only I forgot to photograph them before they were all eaten (we had a party Sunday night). I’ll make them again soon, though, as they were so perfect for summer and there is a lot of lemon verbena growing in our garden.

You could certainly substitute some lemon zest, but I wouldn’t know how much; just to taste I suppose. But lemon verbena imparts a little different taste. I think it’s a little earthier somehow and not as astringent (though there’s nothing wrong with a little astringency!).

So, if you can get hold of a lemon verbena plant, I would highly recommend it, as it has many tasty uses. This weekend alone, I made both hot and iced tea with it in addition to the cookies and these pancakes. Plus, I have all kinds of other things in mind, including salad dressings and savory dishes.

For now, though, back to the Vegan Lemon Verbena and Blueberry Pancakes: