Author: betsy

by betsy

Vegan Prosecco Vinaigrette

Champagne VinaigretteYield: almost 2 cups

You know, I haven’t created a lot of new recipes lately, as I have felt sort of caught between seasons: a winter that seemed bent on never ending and a spring that had several false starts.  I have certainly been eating good food, but my favorite farm market hasn’t yet opened, so I haven’t had local produce to inspire me.

But now, I do believe that spring has sprung and new ideas are emerging along with tender shoots of dormant plants and blossoms on the earliest spring-blooming trees like Bradford Pears and pink Magnolias.

Like everyone else I’m sure, I’m finding that I am craving lightened and brightened dishes, so I created this champagne vinaigrette using my beloved Italian variety known as Prosecco.  It is inexpensive and compatible with virtually everything.  Even my husband, a devoted Cab drinker, loves it.

Remember that, especially in recipes with just a few ingredients like a vinaigrette, balance is everything, so feel free to tweak the proportions until they suit your palate.

3 generous tablespoons grainy mustard

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/2 cup dry/extra dry Prosecco or your favorite dry/extra dry champagne

1 cup olive oil

Sea salt to taste (avoid skimping; it needs a salt to bring out subtle layers of flavors)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a jar or carton with a tight-fitting lid, whisk garlic and onion powders, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and Prosecco into mustard.  Drizzle in olive oil, whisking continually, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Tweak any of the flavors for balance and store, covered, in refrigerator.  I like to transfer vinaigrette to a squeeze bottle with a cap.  Before serving, hold container under warm water for a few minutes to soften partially-solidified oil, and then whisk or shake vigorously.  For guests, I like to serve the dressing in a clear glass container with a spout or a spoon like the miniature sundae glass in the photo.

by betsy

Vegan Maple-Molasses Roll-and-Cut Sugar-free Sugar Cookies with Sugar-free “Frosting”

Sugar-Free Maple Molassess Roll and Cut CookiesOne of my favorite yoga instructors, Angela Phillips, avoids sugar.  Feeling spring in the air and having recently purchased cute little flower-shaped cookie cutters, I wanted to take her a  “happy” to class this morning.  So, I searched online for some sugar-free roll-and-cut cookies made with maple-syrup and/or molasses, but didn’t find what I was looking for, so I had to wing it which, honestly, is more fun anyway.

Knowing that granulated sugar aerates (vegan) butter as you beat it together, I figured that the absence of sugar might make for a heavier cookie.  So, I incorporated a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to lighten the dough–lovely!  A bit of baking soda provided extra insurance that the texture would be perfect.  Other than that, I found that 2 tablespoons of molasses to 6 tablespoons of maple syrup was an ideal proportion to prevent the molasses from hogging the limelight.  And that a little vanilla and almond extracts rounded out the flavor.  In winter months, you can spice these cookies up with cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and so forth.  But, for April, I didn’t really want those warm spices and the cookies are delicious without.

Feeling very proud of myself, as I got ready to decorate them, I suddenly realized that the only frostings I know how to make are made with sugar, most frequently, confectioner’s sugar.  Wracking my brain, I ultimately decided on whipped (vegan) cream cheese sweetened with a little maple syrup and flavored with a little vanilla and almond extracts plus lemon zest was perfect.  Sort of like cream cheese on a bagel.  And the consistency still allowed me to use my piping bag for an extra-pretty touch.  

Enjoy these sugar-free beauties all year…starting now!

Cookies:

1 cup vegan butter

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons unsulphered molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons baking soda

Pinch salt

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I actually prefer white whole wheat)

Optional: ground spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.  Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy.  Add maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla and almond extracts, and continue creaming until thoroughly incorporated.  Add cornstarch, baking soda, a pinch of salt and 1 cup of flour and incorporate on lowest speed of mixer or by hand.  Add remaining flour (and spices if using any), 1 cup at a time.  Flour work surface and, using about one-quarter of dough at a time, roll to a 1/4 to 1/3-inch thickness.  Cut out with cookie cutters, arrange on prepared cookie sheets, and bake for 10 minutes.  Cool completely on wire racks and frost as desired.  If using the cream cheese “frosting” below, store frosting cookies covered in refrigerator.  I like to store them in a shallow container so that the plastic wrap doesn’t smear the frosting.

Sugar-Free “Frosting”

8 ounces vegan cream cheese

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Zest of 1 lemon

Optional: Food coloring/dye if desired, natural preferred and dragees

Using an electric mixer, cream all ingredients together until fluffy and pipe onto cookies as desired.  Cover and refrigerate any leftover frosting.

by betsy

Vegan Red Wine Poached Pears with Cream Cheese-Orange Filling and Red Wine Reduction

Poached Pears 3The weather has been like no other winter here in Eastern, VA, so, while I made these pears quite a while ago, sunshine and my schedule did not coalesce until yesterday for me to photograph or I would have posted well before now so that if you, too, were gifted with a box of Harry & David Pears, you would have a new and delicious way to serve them.

It was a gift of these pears sent also to my parents by my cousin (he sent mine much later due to a snafu of some sort) and my mom’s craving that resulted in this recipe.  The cream-cheese orange filling makes them extra special and extra pretty.

Hopefully, now that the winter holidays are well behind us, you can enjoy this recipe with the crop of summer pears.

Hey, did you know those Harry & David pear crates make ideal tree ornament storage boxes?

Pears and Red Wine Reduction:

6 large pears (about 8 ounces each), halved lengthwise, stemmed and cored using a melon-baller or small spoon

2 cups Burgundy wine

1/4 cup sugar

1 large orange, zested (reserve zest), halved, and then sliced into 1/2-inch slices

3 cinnamon sticks

Combine wine and sugar in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pears, cut side down, and then tuck orange slices and cinnamon sticks between them.  Bring to a simmer and poach for 10 minutes on one side; gently flip, and poach 10 minutes on the other side.   Arrange in a serving dish or on individual plates or bowls, cut side up.  Place a dollop of filling in the hollow left when the core was removed, drizzle with Red Wine Reduction, and serve.

 

Vegan Cream Cheese-Orange Filling:

8 ounces vegan cream cheese such as *Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reserved orange zest

In  small bowl using a fork, mash together cream cheese and sugar.  When almost smooth, incorporate vanilla extract and zest.

 

*You can also find this recipe HERE on the Tofutti website!

 

 

by betsy

My Article “Four Simple Strategies for Keeping the Creative Culinary Juices Flowing” Published on Vegan Mainstream!

Baked Apples Baklava is an example of “Switching Courses”, one of the creativity strategies named in this article. This recipe is a switch from Dessert to Breakfast, as a sweet nutty filling is tucked inside the depression left when the apple core was removed, and then the stuffed apple half is wrapped in phyllo and baked before being drizzled with an apple cider reduction.
Baked Apples Baklava is an example of “Switching Courses.” This recipe is a switch from Dessert to Breakfast, as a sweet nutty filling is tucked inside the depression left when the apple core was removed, and then the stuffed apple half is wrapped in phyllo and baked before being drizzled with an apple cider reduction.

Recently, the folks at Vegan Mainstream asked me to submit an article/blog post on the topic of my choice.

If there is one thing I hear more frequently than anything else about my approach to cooking, it is that it is “creative.”  I am humbled by such a generous assessment.  So, lest the well ever run dry, I decided not too long ago to try to become more conscious and deliberate about what, until then, had been just a natural inclination.

The result of my self-reflection was four simple strategies that I had been inadvertently returning to again and again.  And I am delighted to share them with readers in “Four Simple Strategies for Keeping the Creative Culinary Juices Flowing,” published just today:

  1. Color Substitution
  2. Crossing Cultures
  3. Switching Courses
  4. Trading Textures

Click on over to the article to find out how you too can adopt these same strategies for a near endless flow of kitchen inspiration!

by betsy

Blooming Platter Vegan Kale Pierogi with Sweet Potato Filling Published on Go Dairy Free

Kale PierogiMy delish Vegan Kale Pierogi with Sweet Potato Filling was published today on Go Dairy Free–and with it’s green filling, it’s perfect for St. Pat’s Day.

After a brief warm spell, we have winter storms here again in VA, so the kale and sweet potato combo–two of my cold weather favorites–will warm you from the inside out!

by betsy

Blooming Platter Vegan (natural) Coca-Cola Cake with Fudgy Frosting–Reformulated!

011Yield: 1-8 inch square sheet cake (a 9 inch pan will make a cake that is too thin)

To make a 9 x 13 inch cake, double recipe and add a few minutes onto cooking time if necessary; avoid overbaking.)

I was introduced to the original version (vegetarian) of this cake at an Oscar’s party when I lived in Nashville.  It is a winner for sure, to be enjoyed in moderation for the occasional splurge…of course. 🙂

My first attempt at veganizing the recipe was quite tasty.  But the new and improved version is even more so: moister and fudgier.

When this year’s Oscar’s rolled around, I found myself craving this old-school favorite.  Remembering that I had decided my recipe could use a good tweak, I looked up photos of the non-vegan original online and compared them to the photo of my first iteration.  Yep, just based on appearance alone, I knew I needed to do better…and I did.  I’m pretty sure this one can’t be improved upon!

Note: while you are welcome to use Coca-Cola or your favorite brand of traditional root beer, you might enjoy one of the natural brands.

Ingredients

Cake:
    • 1 cup natural sugar
    • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I like white whole wheat)
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 1/4 cup dairy-free margarine (such as Earth Balance)
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
    • 1/2 cup Coca-Cola, root beer (not diet) or a natural cola/root beer brand
    • 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttermilk (5 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk, e.g. So Delicious Dairy Free Original Coconut Milk Beverage + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar whisked together to curdle)
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting:
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (plus extra, if needed, to yield the consistency you desire, but more sugar makes it lighter in color and less fudgey)
  • 1/4 cup dairy-free margarine
  • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 3 tablespoons Coca-Cola, root beer (not diet) or a natural cola/root beer brand
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans + more for garnish, optional (omit for nut-free)

Instructions

For the Cake:
    1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease and lightly flour an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
    2. In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.
    3. In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the margarine and oil. Bring just to a boil and pour over dry ingredients.
    4. Add the cola to the batter, and whisk well to combine.
    5. Dissolve the baking soda in the vegan buttermilk and add it to the batter along with the vanilla extract. Whisk just until combined. The batter will seem a bit thin.
    6. Pour the batter into your prepared ban and bake 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean; avoid overbaking.
    7. Remove from the oven to a wire rack and frost immediately.
For the Frosting:
  1. While the cake bakes, place the confectioner’s sugar in a medium bowl.
  2. In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the dairy-free margarine, cocoa powder and Coca-Cola; bring just to a boil.
  3. Pour the liquid over the sugar, and whisk to combine until smooth.  Whisk in more confectioner’s sugar if necessary.
  4. Add the vanilla extract and pecans (if using), and stir to distribute.
  5. Spread frosting over warm cake. Garnish with pecans if desired.  When cool, cut into squares and serve.  Store, covered, in refrigerator.

 

DSCN0758This is the previous version…see the difference?!

 

by betsy

Vegan Middle Eastern Migas

Middle Eastern MigasYield: 4 to 6 servings

This long, snowy winter here at the beach finds me loving the weather, actually, and hungry for warming and hearty, but still healthy, fare.

After a recent trip to Organic Depot, I found myself with three different kinds of Tofurky Sausage, including Spinach Pesto.  How did that happen?  I rolled around a number of ideas, none of which sounded just right until I thought of a Middle Eastern take on my beloved migas, substituting pita bread for the tortillas, chick peas for the black beans, etc.

Plus, these days,I seem to slip bitter winter greens into almost everything, and this dish was no different.  Packed full of vitamins, pungent mustard greens turned out to be the perfect flavor and color counterpoint.

And don’t leave out the lemon zest!  The complex depth of the spices in this dish and the slightly sweet peppadew sauce needs it for brightness and a little tangy zip.

Sauce:

12 peppadew peppers, drained (I purchase them on the “olive bar” at a chain grocery store, Kroger to be specific)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons tahini

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Zest of 1/2 large lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Set aside 4 tablespoons for garnish and reserve remainder for migas.

 

Migas:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

Sea salt

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 whole piece pita bread, plain or whole wheat, torn into bite-size pieces

8 ounces vegan link sausage, sliced (homemade or prepared; I use Tofurky brand Spinach Pesto flavored)

4 ounces mustard greens, coarsely torn or chopped

1/4 cup whole pistachios

Zest of 1/2 of large lemon

Topping: unsweetened vegan yogurt (or sour cream, in a pinch), and the 1/4 cup sauce set aside

Optional garnish(es):  lemon slices, pistachios, paprika

Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high.  Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and spices and saute, stirring, for 3o seconds.  Add bell pepper, and saute, again stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until pepper is slightly softened.  Add pita bread, and saute, stirring, for a couple of minutes.  Then add sausage and saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until it starts to brown in spots.  Add mustard greens on top and gradually fold in, allowing them to wilt as they heat.  Once incorporated, add reserved sauce (still leaving 1/4 cup for garnish), pistachios and lemon zest, stirring well to incorporate and heat through.  Serve topped with a dollop of vegan yogurt on each serving and a drizzle of the remaining 1/4 cup of sauce, divided evenly among plates.  Garnish each serving, if desired, with a lemon slice, a few pistachios and/or  a sprinkle of paprika.

by betsy

Take a Stand…A Vegan Stuffed Standing Rib Roast, That Is!

DSCN2380You will love my whimsical and novel take on a standing rib roast.

When I got the idea–in response to my aunt serving an actual standing rib roast for her holiday meal–I could find no other vegan standing rib roasts online, so I had fun creating my own.

Baked in a bundt pan with rosemary sprig “bones,” my version was just featured on the inimitable Nava Atlas’s Veg Kitchen website.   “Like” VK on Facebook HERE.

It takes just a little more time in the kitchen than what most of us would prepare for a weekday meal, but it is perfect for a holiday–say, Easter or, of course the winter holidays–or a dinner party.

Just follow the link to my tasty and easy, but impressive, recipe for Vegan Standing Rib Roast with Shiitake and Kale Filling and Shiitake Gravy with your tongue firmly in your cheek!

 

 

by betsy

Creamy Vegan Green Chili Rice Casserole (my first “commissioned” recipe–thanks Tofutti!)

Green Chili Rice CasseroleI have some exciting news that I haven’t been able to share until now because I’ve had to be so neglectful of The Blooming Platter since just before Valentine’s Day.

Though it and you are never far from my mind, our school district decided we would make up snow days on three Saturdays, with the first one being February 15.  I made sure my students and I had a great day–they are the best!–but that full day of school on the weekend created a domino effect of scrambling to re-prioritize.  Not only did I host a Valentine’s dinner party that night–with a different (but delicious) menu than I’d originally planned since I had only a few hours to get it all together–but three major freelance writing projects to juggle this past week.  I am NOT complaining–I feel very grateful–but I am explaining why even my Blooming Platter Facebook page sent a message saying basically, “Hey, where are you?”

Here’s the news:  recently, the good folks atTofutti hired me to develop a recipe made with one of their products!  They explained that, unlike with my other guest posts/recipes on their sites, my name wouldn’t appear with it, as they would own it, but that was fine with me.  I am just happy for them to share this tasty and easy recipe with their customers/readers.  

After scanning their recipe files, they determined that they were a little low on rice dishes.  I actually don’t make, order out, or even eat many rice “dishes,” though I serve and order Basmati rice with, say, Indian food or Jasmine rice with Thai.  But when I do prepare rice dishes, it has to be either a salad (like my Thai-inspired black rice salad) or something warm and creamy.  Since it is February, I chose the latter.  

Of the company’s products that are widely available in our area–namely Better Than Cream Cheese and Better Than Sour Cream–I chose the former which, along with the rice, seemed the perfect match-up for something Mexican/Southwestern inspired.  These days, with time at a premium (see aforementioned Saturday School among other things), I also wanted something virtually hands-free.  After a lot of brainstorming. some research, and a little experimentation with cooking method and time, voila!, this Creamy Vegan Green Chili Rice Casserole was born.

Though this spicy side dish spends an hour in the oven–it is made with slower cooking brown rice–all of that time, except for uncovering it and a quick stir, is completely hands-free.

I would love it if you would visit the Tofutti site and “like” the recipe HERE though I’ve included it below.  Olé!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup long grain brown rice

1-4 ounce can diced mild green chilies, drained (about 1/3 cup if you prefer to roast and dice your own chilies)

1/3 cup pitted, sliced black olives

1 cup diced tomatoes (or 1-10 ounce can diced tomatoes, plain or spicy, such as a lime and cilantro variety)

1/2 cup (4 ounces) Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 vegetable bouillon cube

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Oil a 7 to 8-inch souffle dish or the equivalent and set aside.  Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add onion and salt and saute, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and saute, stirring, for another minute.  Add rice and cook, stirring very frequently, for 3 minutes or until rice begins to turn golden brown.  Lower heat if cooking too quickly.  Add green chilies, olives, and tomatoes, stir to combine and heat through.  Add Better Than Cream Cheese, nutritional yeast, cumin, and crumbled bouillon cube.  Stir until cream cheese is melted and completely incorporated; then stir in water until completely incorporated.  Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, stirring well halfway through.  Serve immediately as a side dish.  It is also delicious as a filling for stuffed bell peppers.

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