August 23, 2017August 24, 2017 by betsy

Easy, Fast, Intoxicating Vegan Dan Dan Noodles
with 0 Calorie Noodles(!)

Yield: 2 servings (easily multiplies)

Vegan friends, prepare to have your pasta-loving lives changed.

Recently, I fell in love with vegan Dan Dan Noodles, both at V Street in Philadelphia and at Forbidden Bistro, our favorite Chinese restaurant here in Virginia Beach.

The problem for me and the reason I had probably never ordered Dan-Dan before is not finding vegan noodles, but all of the calories in any kind of noodle. The dish at V Street was the perfect “gateway” though, as it was a dimuntive tapas portion. So when I noticed them on the Forbidden Bistro menu, I talked myself into ordering them, but I made more than one meal out of their dinner entree.

As for solving the problem of noodles and all of their calories, enter the amazing No-oodles, a thin, slightly curly, tofu-free shirataki. They have O CALORIES. That’s right. None. Nada. Zip. Feel free to use any brand of shirataki in this recipe, including the type made with tofu, which has a few calories. But I prefer the No-oodles, as their size and shape seems more Dan Dan-like than fetuccine-like.

Locally, I found No-oodles last weekend at a small, niche natural market called Organic Depot. After you read the list of what No-oodles don’t include–dairy, gluten, carbs, calories, etc.–you will wonder what they do include. And that is simple: water, yam flour, and lime. Somehow, they are delicious and don’t break down when simmered. But they lack nutrition of any kind, so you obviously have to be sure to enjoy them with accompaniments that are full of vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Dan Dan is traditionally served with julienne cucumbers, scallions, and lime. But I subbed other ingredients that I had on had for the cuke: tricolor pear tomatoes and a delicious naturally fermented curry-flavored sauerkraut from Whole Foods that included cabbage, carrots, and cauliflower. A vegan Kimchi would be really nice too.

I researched recipes and ultimately decided to tweak one I found online from Food and Wine. It, and the others, called for frying the peanuts for the sauce, which sounds delicious ut messy. So I simply chose already roasted peanuts, the same amount of oil, and skipped the frying step because oil isn’t a problem for me when the noodles have no calories. Though I put peanuts in the sauce, as called for by tradition, I garnished tge dish with a few cashews because I love them so.

Honestly, I could eat this dish every day. And it’s so easy, quick, and healthful that there’s no reason not to. Hmm…

Note: if you want to make Dan Dan Noodles with Tofu, cut 14 ounces of firm or extra firm tofu into cubes and marinate in sauce for an hour or so before removing with a slotted spoon, sauteing in an oiled skillet–or baking/broiling–and spooning over the completed dish.

low

Dan Dan No-oodles

1/4 cup peanut oil (vegetable oil will work in a pinch)
1/2 cup roasted and lightly salted peanuts (or cashews)
1 small jalapeño, stem, ribs, and seeds removed (wash hands after) or 1 teaspoon Asian fire oil (hot, spicy oil)
1 large garlic clove, halved
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (optional)
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon sugar (I like coconut sugar in this dish)
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
Sea salt to taste if needed (I don’t feel the dish needs extra salt, but it depends on your peanuts)
2-8 ounce packages No-oodles or Shirataki (if the latter is made with tofu, some calories will be involved), drained
Garnish (choose any or all): Julienne cucumber, Asian-compatible sauerkraut (I use a curry variety with cabbage, carrot, and cauliflower from Whole Foods) or Kimchi, sliced scallions, lime wedges, sesame seeds, lightly roasted and salted cashews, sprigs of mint or cilantro

Simply place all ingredients except pasta and garnishes in a food processor–I used my small processor for one recipe–and process until smooth. Scrape into skillet and warm over low or medium heat. Add No-oodles, stir gently, and simmer until noodles are heated through. Serve in bowls topped with the garnishes of your choice; go for contrasts in color and texture. Enjoy with chopsticks.

August 17, 2017August 17, 2017 by betsy

Vegan GLUTEN-FREE Chocolate Cookies
with White Chocolate Chips

Yield: 1 dozen cookies (recipe easily multiplies)

I am not sensitive to gluten–at least not in any noticeable way–so I created these cookies for two reasons: 1) for folks who are, and 2) because I have a summer crush that is quickly turning into a long-term affair with brown rice flour. It lends to these cookies and, presumably, other baked goods, an ever-so-slight “sandy” texture that reminds me of the commercial Pecan Sandy cookies of my childhood.

To create this recipe, I started with my late mother, Sallie Gough’s, recipe for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. I adored both my mother and her cookies. The recipe scribed in her distinctive hand-writing on a badly stained file card is a testament to the central role Chocolate Crinkles played in my young culinary life. When my cousin, Dan, would make his annual summer visit from Texas to our home in Mississippi, baking these cookies–dark, almost black, balls rolled in powdered sugar that baked up into flat-ish white cookies with dark rivulets through them–was always on the itinerary along with box sliding on Sewer Hill and epic neighborhood games of Kick the Can.

Note that, since I am not gluten-sensitive, the “trace” of gluten that “may” have been present in my vegan white chocolate chips did not pose a problem for me. If you are baking for gluten-free cookie lovers, make sure a possible trace is not an issue or look for a brand “without a trace.”

1 cup brown rice flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup apple sauce (this flavor is not detectable)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (canola or sunflower is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup vegan, gluten-free white chocolate chips (may subsitute vegan, gluten-free chocolate chips)

12 pecan halves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except white chocolate chips and pecan halves. Make a well in the center and pour in applesauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Whisk together wet and dry ingredients until completely combined and the consistency of any other cookie dough. Stir in chips. With a small scoop or tablespoon, scoop up rounded tablespoons of dough and place about 3 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Top each with a pecan half, pressing down gently to ever-so-slightly flatten the cookie. Bake 12 minutes or until completely set. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on cookie sheet placed on wire rack. Store in airtight container.

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 by betsy

Best Vegan “Tuna” Salad
that Actually Tastes of the Sea

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Let’s be honest: chickpeas do not taste like tuna. They simply don’t.

Maybe it’s been so long since we all tasted tuna that something vaguely the same color and texture mashed up in mayo will do the trick for some.

Not for this gal.

I have made chickpea tuna on several occasions before and been unimpressed with my efforts. But I had made an (exquisite!) aquafaba chocolate mousse on Saturday for a party that evening and had two cans of chickpeas left over. I also had a craving. So I got to work. Though, in truth, this mock tuna salad is really no work.

In the process, I discovered 5 “secrets”:

Nori powder and soy sauce are critical for that briney hint of the sea. Dulce flakes simply don’t pack enough ocean punch.

Tartar sauce in place of mayo tricks the brain into thinking “sea.” (I prefer tartar–with fresh dill, tarragon, sweet pickle relish and juice, and rice wine vinegar–made from my low calorie/ high flavor Blooming Platter Mayo, but a commercial brand of tartar, like Vegenaise–or commercial mayo made into tartar–would also be great in flavor)

Pickle relish lends that tuna sandwich-of-my-youth flavor.

Green onion provides a toned down reference to the diced white onion I loved in tuna salad as a kid. And it also somehow hints at the ocean.

Well-mashed chickpeas are a must for a close texture approximation.

And there you have it. As for serving, I haven’t eaten much bread in years, but if nothing other than a sandwich will do, go for it. I love the salad, instead, piled on a rice cake even though I am not gluten sensitive. I crave that low-calorie texture.

And, though I certainly didn’t eat tuna salad with fresh baby spinach as a child, I really love the color that the spinach leaves add to the whole presentation, as well as the flavor, texture, and nutrition.

For garnish, dill is a favorite flavor regardless, but it is especially delightful with tuna, so a little dab of additional mayo and a sprig of dill crowns this jewel. I just happened to have the baby tricolor pear tomatoes, so I popped a couple of those on the side for the most satisfying dinner on every level.

2-15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, very well drained but unrinsed, and coarsely mased with a fork

4 to 5 tablespoons vegan tartar sauce (you can use mayo, but tartar tricks the brain)

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (dill relish is fine if you don’t care for sweet)

2 large green onions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts

1 teaspoon soy sauce or Tamari

I teaspoon Nori powder (purchased or place 1 broken sheet Nori in spice or coffee grinder and pulverize)

Sea salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

August 14, 2017August 14, 2017 by betsy

Best Vegan Watermelon-Tomato-Bell Pepper Gazpacho

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For a long time, I thought I didn’t care for gazpacho. And I don’t like the rich, tomato-y kind that tastes like a Bloody Mary.

But this ain’t that! I adore my quick, light version that combines watermelon, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, onion, and garlic with some delicious spices and a bit of lime juice for that needed little zip.

If you grew up in the South, you might be familiar with salting the flesh of a watermelon before eating it. Somehow it makes the fruit taste even sweeter. So, avoid skimping on the salt. But at the same time, don’t over-salt. Finding that sweet spot, no pun intended, is essential to a soup with lively flavors.

Food scarcely gets more beautiful, more nutritious, or more easy to put together than this one-processor meal. It is low-calorie, includes no added fat, and is filling without being heavy. It is low in protein, however, so you might pair it with chickpea salad or marinated and grilled tofu or tempeh.

And it is great stand-up cocktail party food because, served in glasses, guests can sip as they mingle.

1.5 pounds seeded watermelon cubes

1 large cored tomato, cut into chunks (I like a gnarly heirloom variety)

1 large seeded orange or yellow bell pepper (red would be fine too)

1-8 inch cucumber, cut into chunks (I leave peel on and seeds in for nutrition)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks

3 to 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved

Juice of one large lime

Optional: 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Optional garnishes: roasted or grilled corn kernels; diced tomato, bell pepper, or cucumber; minced jalapeno; pine nuts, toasted or not; vegan sour cream; sprigs of cilantro; a sprinkling of smoked paprika; and/or slices of lime, cut from edge to center, and hung on rim of martini glass, if using.

Place half of fruit and vegetable chunks and all of lime juice, spices, and optional cilantro in the bowl of a large food processor and process until as smooth as you want. Pour into a large bowl. Process remaining fruit and vegetables to the same consistency, pour into bowl, and stir well to completely combine. Chill for at least a couple of hours and serve in cups, bowls, or glasses for spooning or sipping, garnished as desired.