November 16, 2013November 16, 2013 by betsy

Virtual Vegan Potluck Appetizer Contribution: Vegan Beet Muhummara

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Welcome to the Virtual Vegan Potluck, an international “progressive” potluck meal, and you are one of our special guests!

To begin at the first “house,” visit Lidia at Vegan Bloggers Unite!

I volunteered to bring an appetizer, and I chose one of everyone’s favorites: Beet Muhummara (backstory and recipe follows).

But there are lots of other appetizers being served. Be sure to visit the “houses” on either side of mine and from there, link by link, you can “progress” right on through all of the courses in one of the tastiest and varied meals ever served.

SENSUAL APPEAL is sure to bring something to the feast to delight your senses. And VEGAN SPARKLES will, no doubt, prove that all that glitters is not gold!

So come on along, dinner is served!…

Do you walk right past the beets in your fall market? If so, my advice is to throw it in reverse and back-up! If you think you are a beet-hater, think again!

This jewel-tone beauty–a favorite in my cookbook–is inspired by muhummara, a Turkish roasted red pepper and walnut spread. And it has single-handedly converted many a beet-haters into a beet lover right before my eyes.

Perfect for festive occasions because of its shimmering color–but simple enough for any day of the week (you can “beet” the clock with this one!)–Beet Muhummara is lovely with warmed pita triangles and olives or rolled up in lettuce leaves for “skinny” beet burritos.

Yield: 4 cups

3 large fresh raw beets, peeled and quartered (do not use canned beets)
1 1/3 cups toasted walnut pieces (plus more for garnish, optional)
1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses or mild molasses, not blackstrap
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil

In a food processor, combine the beets, walnuts, bread crumbs, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, molasses, and lemon juice and pulse to a textured paste.

With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil and process until fairly smooth, but still textured. Scrape the mixture into a serving bowl, garnish with walnuts, if using, and serve.

November 14, 2013November 14, 2013 by betsy

Tofutti Features Blooming Platter Vegan Red Velvet Ice Cream on Corporate Home Page

Tofutti Home Page Screen Shot I know what you’re thinking…talk to me about ice cream next summer!

But, wait! With red being “the” color of the winter holidays, and with the winter holidays being just around the corner, maybe you should reconsider.

Festive and delicious to boot–my Vegan Red Velvet Ice Cream tastes JUST like the cake–I’ll bet there is an upcoming occasion where this luscious treat would be just the thing to impress guests and delight your family!

Click HERE to read all about the creation of this special recipe. And be sure to visit the Tofutti website for the latest and greatest on their growing collection of vegan products, from dairy substitutes to heat-and-eat treats like vegan pizza, as well as recipes and the Tofutti blog.

November 10, 2013 by betsy

Word Up! Wall Art Made from Wooden Tea Boxes

Order Wall Art If you are a tea drinker–it seems that veganism/healthy eating and tea drinking go hand-in-hand–and you happen to have a couple of wooden tea boxes in your possession, you are well on your way to making a simple piece of wall art!

If you also love words and have ones you live by–it is “order” for me!–then this project is perfect for you! And perhaps you are fortunate enough to have an extra day this weekend in which to do it.

Get the skinny and easy how-to on this project in my column in the Virginian-Pilot, “DIY Decor.”

If you decide to put your “word up,” I would love for you to share your results!

November 9, 2013November 17, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Maple-Sage Tempeh “Sausage” and Grilled Apple Quesadillas (Also a Great Pizza Topping) + Recipe for Quick Vegan Cashew Cream

DSCN2028 Yield: 8 quesadillas

Different, but not bizarre, this quesadilla celebrates the cozy flavors of fall.

2 large apples, halved, cored and cut into 12 wedges each

Sea salt

Olive oil

8 ounces tempeh (I use Trader Joe’s “3 Grain” variety)

2 teaspoons soy sauce (I use a lite variety with less sodium)

1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage or a tablespoon minced fresh sage

Optional: 1 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 cup Quick Vegan Cashew Cream (Recipe Follows)

1/2 cup water

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 6-inch wheat tortillas

Optional: 1/2 cup caramelized onions

Garnish: dollops of vegan sour cream or additional Quick Vegan Cashew Cream, fresh sage or rosemary sprigs, roasted pepitas

Grill lightly salted apple wedges in well-oiled grill pan over medium high heat until tender and nice grill marks develop, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Crumble tempeh into the skillet, add a pinch of salt, and saute, stirring frequently, until golden brown in some places, adding about a teaspoon of olive oil if it appears to be drying out. Add soy sauce, sage and optional rosemary, and continue sauteing until golden throughout. Stir in balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Cashew Cream, and water, and heat, stirring, until mixture comes together. Remove from heat and add additional salt, if necessary, and black pepper to taste. Transfer filling to a bowl or carton and wipe out skillet.

To make quesadillas, heat another tablespoon of olive oil in skillet over medium high. Place 1/8th of filling on half of each tortilla, top with 3 slices of grilled apple and optional 1/8th of caramelized onions. Fold other half of tortilla up over the filling and toast, 2 quesadillas at a time, in skillet for a couple of minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm. Repeat with more oil as needed and remaining tortillas, filling and apples. Serve garnished as desired.

Quick Vegan Cashew Cream:

2 cups raw cashews

2 cups simmering water (heated stovetop or in microwave)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Place cashews in a heat-safe bowl and pour simmering water over. Let stand, covered, for a half hour. Drain and reserve 1 1/4 cups of water. Process cashews with sea salt and garlic powder until a thick past forms, about a minute or two. Reheat water and, with motor running, stream in 1 1/4 cups or enough to reach desired consistency. Serve as is, flavor as desired, or cover and refrigerate for use at a later date.

November 7, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Cookbook Review: “Vegan Desserts in Jars” by Kris Holechek Peters

Vegan Desserts in Jars 2 If you don’t have time to read this review, I’ll cut to the chase: I would certainly purchase for myself or as a gift this colorful little book of diminutive treats baked and served in canning jars. But, lucky me, I received a complimentary review copy. Available as a paperback or on Kindle, it will delight all the bakers on your holiday list.

Perhaps known best for her blog, www.nomnomnomblog.com, Peters is also the author of four cookbooks, including Have Your Cake and Vegan Too. Her casual, peppy, and conversational writing style makes for a fun, quick read of Vegan Desserts in Jars front material and both its chapter and individual recipe introductions.

Don’t be surprised by how thin this little paperback is. At only 124 pages, it nonetheless serves up some 75 tempting recipes and lots of tantalizing color photos. I, for one, appreciate a small focused cookbook. Over my years of cooking, I have found that it is the rare cookbook from which I have made more than a handful of recipes. And, other than my Joy of Cooking, which fit the bill as an introductory cookbook covering all the basics when I was a kid, I tend to shy away from encyclopedic tomes.

With nine chapters, from no-bake treats to cakes, pies, pastry and much more, it was difficult to decide what to bake first for this review. Ultimately, I decided to go fairly basic with ingredients I had on hand and chose chocolate cakelettes. Many of the adorable sweets in this book are made with fresh summer ingredients like berries and peaches. Sure, they are available year-round in grocery stores, but as a seasonal cook, I will make myself wait until summer rolls around again.

I found the “Basic Chocolate Cake” recipe to be a keeper. *It makes 6 cakelettes in 4-ounce canning jars that rise up nice and high begging for a swirl of frosting on their perfect little domes. I had recently purchased a set of 12 canning jars for a few dollars at my local Kroger so I was ready to go when the mood struck. I plan on giving this first batch of festive little treats to the office staff at the high school where I teach. BUT I plan on asking for the jars back so that I can reuse them in the future.

If I were serving these individual cakes at home, I would make as is. However, if making them again to give as gifts, I would probably fill the jars half-full–and make a dozen instead of six–so that I could fit the lids on. They would still be ample desserts, but would be more easily transportable, staying fresh to boot.

Also, my oven seems to bake pretty true to temperature, but I found that I needed to cook the cakes just a couple of minutes longer than the longest baking time specified. The simple wooden pick test will make sure yours are perfect. Perhaps, though, I needed to bake mine a bit longer because I can’t leave any recipe alone, including my own! To this batter, I added 1/4 cup of the new PB2 (powdered, lower fat calorie peanut butter that you mix with water) to the batter and a glug of Creme de Cacao (maybe 1 to 2 tablespoons). Though the recipe was just lovely as published–I tasted the batter, of course–my additions were a delicious twist. So you might keep that in mind when you’re making this (or any) chocolate cake recipe!

Under “About the Author” in the back of the book, I read that Peters “practices lots of yoga.” She’d have to in order to “balance” the calorie damage done from testing the tantalizing treats in this book!

*Note that I just used the book cover as a photo to accompany this review because the lighting for photography is catch as catch can this weekend and my cakes baked up just as shown on the back left, only mine puffed up even higher.

November 5, 2013November 5, 2013 by betsy

Blooming Platter “Vegan Q & A Tuesday” with Caryn Hartglass + Caryn’s Vegan Baked Potato Pancakes (Latkes) Recipe

Based on Inside the Actor’s Studio host’s James Lipton’s famous “Q & A”–after the Proust Questionnaire–“Vegan Q & A Tuesday” is The Blooming Platter’s first Tuesday feature on a creative force in the vegan culinary world. Read more about “Q & A Tuesday” HERE.

Featured Force:

Caryn Hartglass

[See below for link to Caryn’s Vegan Baked Potato Pancakes (Latkes) recipe.]

Caryn Hartglass is the founder of Responsible Eating And Living (REAL) a nonprofit organization that combines science with practical knowledge from real life experiences to help people understand the affects of food choices on health and environment. Prior to REAL, Ms. Hartglass was Executive Director of EarthSave International. She has appeared on Dr. Oz, Geraldo At Large, 20-20 and CNN, and hosts the weekly IT’S ALL ABOUT FOOD show on the Progressive Radio Network. Ms. Hartglass, with Bachelor and Masters degrees in Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University, worked in the semiconductor industry for 20 years. A classically trained singer, she has performed in opera and musicals in the United States and abroad and has won two international voice competitions (France, South Africa).

More about Caryn, her nonprofit REAL, her radio show and her newest project The Swingin’ Gourmets can be found at the links below:

http://CarynHartglass.com

http://ResponsibleEatingAndLiving.com

http://prn.fm/shows/lifestyle-shows/its-all-about-food

http://SwinginGourmets.com

1. What is your favorite culinary word?

Aroma. I love returning home and smelling the aroma of the previous meal, the pleasant fragrance of teas, baked goods, soups, whatever has been prepared. I love the delicious smells while cooking – caramelized onions, a whiff of herbs and spices. Our neighbors always tell us they are envious of the aromas coming out from our apartment.

2. What is your least favorite culinary word?

Deboning! As someone who has not eaten animals in over 25 years, this term is unpleasant on so many levels. Just visualizing the process, I wonder how anyone could do it without thinking about who they are doing it to.

3. What about cooking turns you on?

Creating beautiful, delicious, nourishing, health-promoting dishes that people enjoy eating.

4. What about cooking turns you off?

Appliances that are supposed to be convenient with bad tasting results, like the Keurig Coffee and Tea Makers. I’ll take a French press and a tea pot any day.

5. What sound or noise in the kitchen or around the dinner table do you love?

The silence of people focused on eating something delicious. It’s best when there has been a lot of wonderful conversation, a dish is served and everything goes quiet.

6. What sound or noise in the kitchen or around the dinner table do you hate?

Complaining. I don’t like hearing people complain – about anything.

7. What makes you curse in the kitchen?

I move quickly in the kitchen, sometimes too quickly. I am very annoyed with myself when I skip a step or leave out an ingredient.

8. What cooking profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Food manufacturing. My partner Gary and I are always talking about vegan products we would like to manufacture.

9. What cooking profession would you not like to do?

Working in a fast food, chain restaurant, (not vegan of course!) serving burgers, soda, greasy fries, junk food.

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?

“You were right, it is all about food!”

Vegan Baked Potato Pancakes (Latkes), gluten-free

Just in time for Chanukah or “Thanksgivikah” since Chanukah and Thanksgiving fall on the same day this year, I offer one of my very favorite recipes, Baked Potato Pancakes. I am not a religious person but I love holidays and holiday foods. We’ve been making potato pancakes in my family for decades. First I figured out how to make them vegan, without eggs. Then I learned how to make them gluten-free. And finally I came up with a great way to may them without frying them and using all that oil! This recipe is so good I made a food show on how to make them. Recipe and food show video can be found HERE.

November 3, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale (with Sweet Potato Stack Option!)

Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale (with Sweet Potato Stack Option) Yield: 6 servings

This Indian stew-like melange is so flavorful and satisfying that it is absolutely divine on its own, perhaps served with basmati rice, some cashews and maybe a little fresh cilantro. However, I can attest to it being luscious eaten cold right out of a carton!

For an exquisite–but super-easy presentation–use it as the filling in my Sweet Potato Stack. Though drizzling an Indian dish with maple syrup may seem out of character, there is something about the hint of maple combined with the other ingredients that is absolute autumnal perfection!

Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale :

6 cups water

Sea salt

2 cups mung beans (rinse, pick over, bring to a boil, let sit for 30 minutes and then simmer 45 minutes more)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed, and leaves torn into bite size pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon Amchur (dried mango) powder (optional; you may substitute lemon zest, but it’s not quite the same)

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (or mace)

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 large Roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup thick coconut milk

In a covered 4-quart saucepan, bring water and salt to simmering over medium-high heat. Add mung beans, turn off heat, let sit for 30 minutes, and then return heat to medium-high, place lid ajar, and simmer beans for about 45 minutes or until almost all of liquid is evaporated, but beans are still very moist.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet over medium-high. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Add kale by handfuls, stirring and sauteeing until slightly wilted before adding the next handful. Stir in garlic and all remaining ingredients except tomatoes and coconut milk and saute, stirring, until heated through. Stir this mixture thoroughly into the mung beans followed by tomatoes and coconut milk. Heat through, stirring often, and serve immediately as is or in the Sweet Potato Stack.

Sweet Potato Stack:

Yield: 4 appetizer servings of 2 stack per person

2 slender sweet potatoes, baked (in a conventional oven or microwaved), cooled enough to handle, skin removed, and each sliced into about 8 1/2-inch slices

Generous 1/2 cup Maharaja Mung Beans and Kale, heated

4 teaspoons maple syrup

Garnish: 4 tablespoons chutney or the topping of your choice (I used 4 teaspoons prepared mint chutney plus 8 teaspoons chopped grilled apples because I had both on hand)

Optional: tiny pinches of sea salt as a “finishing salt”

Place 2 sweet potato slices on each plate. Top with rounded tablespoons of mung bean mixture and remaining 8 sweet potato slices. Drizzle each stack with about 1/2 teaspoon of maple syrup and then top with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of chutney or 1/2 teaspoon of prepared mint chutney and a teaspoon of chopped grilled apples as in the photograph.