September 27, 2015September 27, 2015 by betsy

Vegan Pumpkin, Kale, and Cannelini Bean Bisque

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Contrary to my best intentions, I am not posting as much as I’d hoped since my husband passed away–suddenly and unexpectedly–on July 30…

…but I hope when I do, the recipes are worth waiting for.

As those of you who have experienced a loss such as this know, it’s a game-changer. And, while we basically understand the rules of the game, we don’t know–and can’t necessarily anticipate–how they will play out, both in positive and negative ways.

I knew I would be busy with schoo, once it started on September 8, and my freelance work. But, add to the mix a pair of 8 1/2 month old puppies (my dear, dear Minnie passed away less than a month after Joe); the administration of Joe’s estate; and a fuller, more diverse, and less predictable social life than I was accustomed to (I’m “trending,” don’t you know–ha!), and time has a way of ticking past, albeit in very meaningful ways, though sometimes with a steep learning curve.

However, I deeply value this blog and the opportunity to, not only share recipes with all of you but to connect with you arouond food, so I hope you will forgive me the infrequency of posts as I figure out how to achieve balance.

Speaking of that less predictable social life…last night, I served this impromptu soup–inspired by a recipe in my latest Southern Living Magazine (worth the subscription just to read Rick Bragg’s “Southern Journal” essay in the back of each issue)–to two girlfriends, one of whom brought her guitar, played a mini-concert in my breakfast room, and spent the night. What a beautiful, beautiful gift. This woman’s spirit is infused with magic.

The soup was a hit. So, as the weather begins to turn colder, nourish body, mind, and soul with a cup of this nutritious deliciousness. On the side, I like to serve a rice cake topped with one of my vegan cheese spreads (search this website for lots of tastt options) and a dab of my friend Rich’s chimichurri. It’s the perfect mini-meal and, remember, I have proclaimed this the Year of the Mini-Meal.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1/8th teaspoon salt + more to taste

2 large gloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sugar (I use demerara)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder (I love its sweetness)

1/2 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1-15 ounce can pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

4 1/2 cups vegetable broth or stock (I use one called a “no-chicken” broth that tastes richer to me) OR 4 1/4 cups vegetable broth and 1/4 cup red wine

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 to 3 cups chopped fresh kale

1-15.5 ounce can rinsed and drained cannelini beans

Optional garnish: dollops of vegan sour cream or crema

In a 4 quart soup pot, heat olive oil over medium high. Add onion and salt and saute, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until softened and beginning to show color around the edges. Add garlic and sugar and saute, stirring, until nicely caramelized. (This only takes a few minutes because of sugar.) Stir in spices, followed by pumpkin, and slowly stir in liquid and nutritional yeast. Add kale, a handful at a time, and let it begin to wilt before adding the next handful. Stir in beans and heat through, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Lower heat if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning, as you might choose to add more salt–since pumpkin is naturally sweet–cumin, and smoked paprika. Serve topped with vegan sour cream or crema.

September 17, 2015September 18, 2015 by betsy

Vegan Pasta with Smoky Corn Cream Sauce, Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Dulce

Yield: 4 servings

Ever since my husband suddenly passed away on July 30, friends have thought of the loveliest ways to nurture me, mind, body and soul.

Janie Jacobson Craig, known for her healthy cooking classes once taught out of the Kitchen Barn and now out of her stylish contemporary beach home, wanted me to join her to make this cleaned-up carbonara using corn cream.

I was intrigued, but I asked her if she would come to our house because leaving home some days made me feel untethered in an unplesant way. So, she loaded up her basket with the ingredients and over she came.

The idea for the “cream” is a sensation; thank you Tim Maslow! As for the rest of the recipe, which called for bacon and crab, we substituted vegan bacon and pinenuts for their pale color and sweetness. To suggest a briny hint of the sea, we chose a sprinkling of dulce flakes.

I will definitely be makign this easy, elegant dish again and I hope you will.

1 pound pasta (we used a quinoa variety from Whole Foods)

7 ears corn, uncooked

2 tablespoons vegan butter

1/4 pound vegan bacon, chopped and cooked or crisped according to package directions; set aside

2 shallots, minced

2 large cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Olive oil

1/2 pound pine nuts

approximately 2 teaspoons dulce flakes

In a large stock pot over medium high, heat generously salted water to boiling. Add pasta, return to a gently boil, lower heat, partially cover, and cook until al dente (time will vary depending on the type of pasta). Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.

Meanwhile, make sauce. Slice kernels from cobs and place in a food processor. Run the blade of the knife along the cob over the food processor bowl to remove any remaining milk. Process corn until smooth and then pass through a seive, pressing on solids. Reserve cream and save pulp for another use. In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, melt butter. Add shallot and saute, stirring, for a couple of minutes or until softened. Add garlic and continue sauteeing and stirring for another 30 seconds. Add cooked pasta, corn “cream,” 1 1/4 cups water, and lemon juice. Cook 3 to 5 minutes or until creamy and thickened. Add more of the pasta water if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Fold in vegan bacon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve lightly drizzled with olive oil and garnished with pine nuts, lemon zest and dulce flakes.

September 9, 2015September 9, 2015 by betsy

Vegan BLT Chickpea Salad

Yield: 4 servings

Back in the day, I loved a BLT. But, these days, I love cruelty-free BLTs even better. I mix up all the traditional ingredients using my favorite bacon subsititute and serve a mound atop a rice cake–this is the self-proclaimed Year of the Mini-Meal after all–with a garnish of homegrown basil for freshness.

1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas

4 slices cooked vegan bacon (choose your favorite brand or make your own from tempeh)

6 Romaine heart leaves, stacked and cut into 1/2″ slices

1 medium tomato, cored and diced

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 rice cakes

4 sprigs fresh basil

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except rice cakes. Drizzle some of the dressing that will collect at the bottom over the cakes to slightly soften. Then, mound one-fourth of mixture atop each cake and garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Serve immediately with a sharp knife and fork.

September 7, 2015September 9, 2015 by betsy

Vegan Tri-Pepper Chickpea Salad Stack (with Sunflower Seeds, Tomato, and Chimichurri) and Farewell to Miss Minnie

Yield: 4 servings

Once again, I must apologize for my second hiatus of the summer…

As most of you know, my life-force of a husband of 25 years (our anniversary is 9/15) suddenly and unexpectedly passed away on July 30 from acute cardiac arrest. With more love and support from our intersecting circles than anyone has a right to expect–a veritable wellspring of grace and goodness and a true embarrassment of riches–I was beginning the next phase of my journey and trying to imagine a new normal with my beloved Minnie the Great Dane. Both of us were now without our mates as her Huffie passed away on December 13.

Then, on August 24, my beautiful girl was claimed by the sudden enslaught of a take-no-prisoners auto-immune disease in which the body destroys its own red blood cells as fast as they can be transfused, causing extreme anemia and then a seizure accompanied by nystagmus, from which she wasn’t going to recover. I was shattered for many reasons, including that Minnie and I were going to make it through this first year together. My friend, Mary Beth, held me as I held Minnie telling her how much I love her, what a good dog she was, and how much I would miss her until well after she was gone.

As a friend wrote, my home had been emptied of my Virginia Beach family in a mere 9 months. When I realized that there was no one who cared if I got up in the morning or came home in the evening, the overwhelming emotion was of being untethered. So, the next day–I think Minnie would understand–the first order of business was to adopt two new dogs: Urban and Patsy. They had just come from an ASPCA in TN to our VA Beach SPCA where my husband was on the board and had served as president, as well as current treasurer. I believe their country music star names were part of their branding. But, Joe and I went to graduate school, met, and married in Nashville, so the names stuck.

This pair of 8-month old dolls have been acclimating beautifully to their new home for the last 10 days, including healing from their spay and neuter surgeries with cones on their heads 24-7. But we have been a No-Cone Zone for 5 days and life is good, full, and busy. Now that we have become a pack, the second order of business is the return to this, my beloved blog.

I have half-jokingly proclaimed this the Year of the Mini-Meal because, for over a month now, food–at least not in the robust quantities I consumed it before–has not only not been my obsession, but has been largely rejected by my body in its adrenlaine-powered fight or flight mode.

But when I do eat, as I have mentioned previously, my food needs to be more beautiful, simple, and nutritious than ever before. And if I can eat it on a rice cake, all the better. So, enjoy this tasty stack as a snack, first course, or as your own mini-meal.

1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup finely minced tri-color bell peppers (e.g. red, yellow, and green)

1/4 cup shredded carrot

2 tablespoons lightly salted and roasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 rice cakes

4 thick tomato slices

1/2 cup chimichurri or vegan pesto

In a medium bowl, combine chickpeas, peppers, carrot, seeds, mayo, and salt and pepper, lightly mashing chickpeas. Spread each rice cake with 1 tablespoon of chimichurri or pesto. Top each cake with one-fourth of the salad and a tomato slice. Dollop one more tablespoon of chimichurri or pesto on top of each tomato slice and serve immediately with a sharp knife and fork.