Month: October 2017

by betsy

Vegan Black Bean Pumpkin Casserole

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

There is really not much that needs to be said about this addicting dish, which is even good at room temperature.  I am so busy at school that I don’t have time to leave my classroom to heat my lunch, and this casserole is still a new favorite.  Here’s a tip:  life is too short to wrestle with a butternut squash, so my recommendation is to splurge and purchase pre-cut chunks of the squash.  On the other hand, every family budget is different, so do what makes sense.  I am frugal about MANY things; cutting up a butternut squash is not one of them.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large coves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
16 ounces soy crumbles or diced chicken flavored seitan (or 8 ounces faux meat plus 8 ounces cooked rice)
1/2 cup (4 ounces) vegan cream cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded vegan cheddar or cheddar-jack blend
1 package taco seasoning or 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika or chili powder, and 1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups roasted butternut squash chunks (spray 1-inch chunks with non-stick spray and roast at 450 degrees for 10 minutes on each side)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-15.5 ounce can corn, drained
1/2-15.5 ounce can pureed pumpkin

Topping:
2 cups or so small Fritos
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar or cheddar-jack blend

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and sautee until tender. Add garlic and saute for another minute, adding up to 1/2 cup water if mixture gets too dry. Add soy crumbles and saute until lightly browned. (If using seitan, stir in with beans and corn.) Stir in cheeses, heat until melted, and then stir in all remaining ingredients, combining well. Spoon mixture into an oiled casserole dish, top with Fritos, sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through and top is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Note: Reheat any leftovers in the oven to maintain crunchiness of topping.  You may freeze the recipe before topping. When ready to bake, simply add the topping and bake as directed.

by betsy

Vegan Loaded Mexican Cornbread

Hosting a fiesta at the intersection of Chili Cornbread and Cornbread Casserole is my Loaded Mexican Cornbread. Yes, it is bursting with the unmistakable pungency of Hatch green chilies (I prefer mild over hot), but it stops short of beans and soy crumbles. Instead I load it up with corn kernels, sliced black olives, green onions, sour cream, melted butter, and cheddar-jack blend, all vegan, of course. My first attempt was too dense and moist, if you can believe that’s possible. This version is perfection, redolent of Adobo, cumin, garlic, and oregano. Enjoy it by itself with a glass of cold, non-dairy milk–or a beer–or as a side with a crisp salad or not-too-heavy soup.

I cup naturally vegan cornbread mix (I use Martha White)
1 cup naturally vegan baking mix (I use Bisquick)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
1/3 cup vegan sour cream
1 teaspoon Adobo sauce from can of chilies in Adobo
1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-15.5 ounce can corn, drained
4 ounce can sliced black olives, drained
4 ounce can chopped green chilies, mild, drained
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup shredded vegan cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, divided (I use So Delicious cheddar-jack blend)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch skillet with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix cornbread mix, baking mix, baking powder, spices, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted butter, Adobo, sour cream, non-dairy milk, vinegar, and baking soda. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients, a third at a time. Stir in the corn, black olives, green chiles, green onion, and 2/3 cup shredded cheese. Spoon mixture evenly into prepared skillet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheese.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until top is browned, the center springs back when pressed down, and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or room temp.

by betsy

Vegan Tex-Mex Sweet ‘Tater Skins
(with black beans and a Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream Sauce)

Yield: 8 potato skins

Powerful cravings seem to be inspiring a lot of my recipes lately.  This one was based on a dish spotted on the online menu of The Hound’s Tale in Williamsburg, VA: sweet potato and black bean tacos.

However, not feeling like I wanted the additional calories of taco shelsl, it occured to me that the potato “shells” would be the perfect containers–like cute little boats–and these delicious, spicy, but not-too-firey, potato skin boats were born.  An optional Frito scoop garnish nods in the tortilla direction.

Easy and quick, other than baking the potatoes, you can bulk them up many ways by adding additional ingredients like sauteed onion, garlic, and bell peppers for more of a fajita style.  But I like them just like they are.

Hungry though you may be, I would advise against microwaving the potatoes or skipping the extra 10-minute skin crisping step.  I promise the texture will be worth it.

4 medium-small sweet potatoes, scrubbed and lightly pricked all over with a fork

1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese blend (I use the So Delicious brand cheddar-jack variety) + optional 1/2 cup additional cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

4 cups moderately firmly packed baby kale, lightly steamed (I microwave it for 1 minute in a medium bowl)

1-15.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

6 green onions, thinly sliced (optional: reserve 2 of the sliced onions for garnish)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream Sauce (recipe follows)

Garnishes: cilantro sprigs and optional Frito’s scoops and reserved green onions; roasted pumpkin seeds would also be lovely

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place potatoes on an oiled or Silpat-lined baking sheet and spray them lightly with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake 1 hour.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees.  Let potatoes cool enough to handle and then slice in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, scoop out flesh leaving a 1/8-inch shell. Spray inside of shells lightly with non-stick spray and return to oven for 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, mash potato flesh with 1/2 cup cheese, cumin, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.  Fold in lightly steamed kale, black beans, and green onions.  Season to tasted with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Divide mixture evenly among potato skins, top with optional 1 tablespoon shredded cheese, and bake for 15 minutes.  Serve immediately drizzled with Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream sauce and garnished, as desired, with sprigs of cilantro, Frito’s scoops, reserved green onions, and/or roasted pumpkin seeds.

Chipotle-Lime Sour Cream Sauce

1/2 cup vegan sour creeam

1 teaspoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

Zest of 1/2 medium lime

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients until completely combined.

by betsy

Vegan Buffalo Chickpea Potato Skins

 Yield: 8 potato skins

This recipe is my response to a powerful craving for comfort food during a week that experienced the Las Vegas mass shooting, the death of a friend, the death of a friend’s aunt, and the death of Tom Petty.

Every month, we have gotten together with the Gelpis for two years and counting to cook back and forth at each of our homes, always with a theme. With comfort food this month’s concept, I was fantasizing about all kinds of naughty dishes like fried onion rings, Buffalo Chickpea Dip, potato skins, loaded tater tot nachos, and more.

As the week drew to an end, I had reigned myself in, deciding to make vegan pigs in a blanket with a pepper jelly – ketchup dipping sauce and combining the dip and the skins into one best-of-both-worlds dish: Buffalo Chickpea Potato Skins. The Gelpis contributed a tasty vegetable pizza ring and a vegan apple pie, both with divinely crispy crusts.

Small servings, no seconds, and smarter choices than I was contemplating at the beginning of the week meant that I was very satisfied, but not stuffed and ashamed.

I could make a steady diet of these potato skins and hope you agree.

  • 4 medium-small baking potatoes, scrubbed
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup  + 1/4 cup vegan shredded cheddar cheese or cheddar cheese blend (I used So Delicious brand cheddar-jack blend)
  • 1/2 cup vegan blue cheese or ranch dressing (I used Daiya brand, which makes both)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon non-chicken vegetable soup base (semi-liquid paste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Prick the potatoes a few times with a fork, spray potatoes lightly with non-stick spray, and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Lower temperature to 350 degrees.
  3. Let the potatoes cool slightly, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the flesh leaving about 1/8 inch shell. Place the scooped out potato in a large bowl.
  4. Spray the potato skins with nonstick spray and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
  5. Add all remaining ingredients to the scooped out potato flesh except 1/4 cup shredded cheese and the sliced green onion. Stir well, mash with a potato masher, and stir again until all ingredients are completely combined and the desired texture is reached.
  6. Divide potato and chickpea mixture evenly among potato skins, mounding attractively. Sprinkle with reserved cheese, dividing evenly.
  7. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. (Shredded cheese on top may not look melted.)
  8. Garnish each potato skin with 1/8 of the green onions and serve immediately.
by betsy

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Poundcake

Yield: one 10-inch poundcake

A pumpkin spice lover, not hater–in spite of all the hype–I take my savory and seeet pumpkin seriously. So three attempts and 12 cups of flour later, I finally got it: the perfect Pumpkin Pound Cake in both flavor and luscious moistness and tenderness.

The first two cakes were a little dry and we’ll say “sturdy.”  The secret to my ultimate success is three-fold: two kinds of fat, both vegan butter for flavor and vegetable oil for moistness; molasses also for deep, flavorful moisture; and the combination of curdled soymilk and vegan sour cream for ever-so-slightly-tangy tenderness (though using all curdled soymilk will work nicely too).

Get your pumpkin spice on!

1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
2 1/2 cups demerera sugar or brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
4 teaspoons  baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nondairy milk mixed with
1 tablespoon vinegar, set aside to curdle for a couple of minutes
4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (or another 1/2 cup nondairy milk, but I prefer sour cream)

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the oil, butter, sugar, and molasses for one minute. Then add 1/2 cup of the milk, extracts, flax meal, extracts, spices, baking powder and soda, and salt, and continue to beat for another two minutes until the mixture is quite fluffy.

Add the flour and remaining nondairy milk to the sugar mixture in three batches, alternating and beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula frequently.

Finally, add the pumpkin puree and sour cream (or 1/2 cup nondairy milk) and mix for 20 seconds.

Scrape the batter into an oiled and floured bundt pan.

Bake in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bundt cake comes out clean or with a few crumbs sticking to it.

Set on a rack to cool for 30 minutes, then unmold and continue cooling the cake on a rack covered with a dish towel.

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