Vegan Coconut Dal with Tomatoes and Funengreek (Methi)

Yield: 6 servings

I have been absolutely wild for Indian food ever since I discovered it while living in Nashville in the late 1980s.  I treated myself to a huge Indian buffet for lunch on more Sundays than I can count.  My heart would start beating faster at the first whiff of those heady aromas, heck, at the first glimpse of the restaurant’s sign.  Ever since, I’ve sought out my beloved Indian cuisine from New York to London and points in between.

It’s unthinkable now, but when we first moved to Virginia, there were no Indian restaurants, so I taught myself how to cook some of my favorite dishes using one of Julie Sahni’s cookbooks.  Now I feel confident enough to create my own recipes, and this sumptuous rendition of Coconut Dal is my newest creation, just a week or so old.  Enjoy!

1 pound orange lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained

4 cups water or vegetable stock

1-15.5 ounce can coconut milk

Pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 of an Annaheim pepper, seeds and pulp removed, finely diced

2 medium cloves garlic, finely diced

1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, and very finely chopped

1 tablespoon vegan buter (I like Earth Balance)

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons funengreek (methi) seeds, ground (I use a coffee grinder devoted to spices)

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 small-medium fresh tomatoes, diced (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Sea salt to taste

Accompaniment: cooked basmati rice, roasted and lightly salted cashew halves and pieces, cilantro sprigs

In a two-quart saucepan combine, dal, water, cocont milk, and a pinch of salt.  Cover and bring to a gentl boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until tender.   Lentils will break down and become creamy.    The ideal consistency should be a little “soupy,” rather than porridge-like, so add additional water or vegetable stock if desired.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add the cinnamon stick and cumin seeds and saute, stirring, for about 30 seconds.  Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until transluscent.   Add the Annaheim pepper, garlic, ginger, and vegan butter, and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.   Stir in coriander, funengreek, and turmeric and saute, stirring, for about a minute.

When lentils are tender, remove the cinnamon stick from the onion mixture, and stir the latter into the lentils.  Turn off the heat, adjust the seasoning with ground spices and/or salt if desired (not cumin seeds at this point, as they need to toast), and gently stir in tomatoes and cilantro.  Serve immediately over basmati rice, sprinkle with cashews and cilantro, and serve immediately.  Alternatively, I like to serve a shallow bowl of the dal with a scoop of rice in the center like an island, garnished with cashews and cilantro.

One Green Planet’s “Superfood of the Month” Spotlight Includes The Blooming Platter’s “Cornmeal and Nooch Croustades”

This month, the good folks at One Green Planet launched their “Superfood of the Month” program, choosing to include my favorite superfood of all time as their inaugural spotlight: nutritional yeast, fondly known as “nooch.”

That’s all the encouragement I needed to develop a new recipe that showcases my beloved nooch.  This golden powder (or flakes) is the food of the gods.  Rich and “cheesy” in flavor and aroma, this deactivated yeast is loaded with protein and vitamins, especially the B complex ones.  Some brands even fortify it with B-12.  It is also low in fat, calories, and sodium, and free of sugar, dairy, and gluten.

The recipe I developed is for Cornmeal and Nooch Croustades,

Just follow the link for my easy recipe for these homemade crusts that can be topped with anything you fancy.  However, they are so flavorful that they can be gobbled up alone.

You won’t find this recipe in The Blooming Platter Cookbook, but you will find 150+ other recipes for spring and every season of the year.

 

 

Blooming Platter Cookbook Indian Saag Dip Featured in One Green Planet’s Inaugural “Green of the Month” Series

This month, One Green Planet (OGP), launched its new “Green of the Month” series.  First up: Spinach!

As a blogger for OGP, I received an announcement of the series, and the Indian Saag Dip from my Blooming Platter Cookbook jumped immediately to mind.  So I submitted it for review yesterday and, much to my delight, Team OGP published it today!

This fresh, beautiful, and spicy dip was a hit at my all girls “Christmas, Chanukkah, Curry & Cakes” party in December, and I think it will be a hit with you whenever fresh spinach is in season.   And since it’s green and since St. Patty’s Day is next Saturday…maybe a little cross-cultural Indian and Irish celebration is in order!

Just follow THIS LINK for the scrumptious recipe.

Happy Cow Features a New Blooming Platter Recipe for Meatless Mondays: Vegan Southern Style Cashew Cheese Grits with Kicked-Up Kale

Yes, I know, it’s not Monday.  So sorry.  Eric Brent and the good folks at Happy Cow published my recipe for Vegan Southern Style Cashew Cheese Grits with Kicked-Up Kale  this past Monday, but we are dealing with dog drama, so I hope you’ll forgive my tardiness.

Our 14 year old Auzzie Shepherd broke her toe and, though it’s a long story, suffice it to say that our lives have been disrupted in the extreme.  We live in a sea of baby gates, a huge crate, new runners on our tile and hardwood floors so that she can stay upright, and an inflatable bed in front of our fireplace (the one up-side) so that I can sleep downstairs with her.  My poor back couldn’t take sleeping on the floor another night AND carrying her almost 60 pounds self up and down, 5 stairs to do her business (our house is on pilings and there is no way in or out without negotiating stairs).

But I digress.  I hope you’ll follow this link to access the recipe and that you’ll enjoy my cheese grits-and-greens any day of the week!

While you’re at the Happy Cow, I encourage you to spend some time; it’s a terrific site.

Thanks Happy Cow!

Vegan Kale, Toasted Hazelnut and Orange Pesto

Yield: approximately 2 cups

I almost don’t want to see winter end because its departure signals the end of the season of kale.  (And the truth is that I actually enjoy cold, gray days…just not every day.)  True, plenty of spring delicacies will sprout from the ground to replace kale, but it is undoubtedly my favorite leafy green.

Although,  I have to say, some genius brought collards to a girls’ night potluck recently that were to die for.  Thick ribbons about the width of pappardelle pasta were lightly sauteed in a little olive oil and salt just until barely tender.  I couldn’t stop nibbling on them.  And then my friend Brent, who had been on a trip to Nashville, told me about a sandwich that he’d enjoyed at The Hermitage.  I’d love to veganize and miniaturize it because it haunts me: fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and sauteed collard greens.  Are you kidding me?!

Anyway, before the last of the kale is gone, I can’t stop creating new ways to enjoy it, like this pesto which is ridiculously simple to make–like all pesto–and deliciously different.  It is a great recipe to keep in your culinary bag of tricks because it lends itself to the small bites that are one of my favorite ways to enjoy almost any food.  But it is also luscious thinned with a little pasta water or soy creamer, tossed with whole wheat pasta, and sprinkled with my Vegan Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.  On a recent Saturday night, our friends Pat and Ronn Ives joined us for dinner so, as you can see in the photo, I spread grilled baguette slices with a little of the pesto and then topped it with my Savory Dried Cherry and Walnut Chutney.

Don’t you agree that that color combination of rich, bright green and shimmering ruby red is hard to beat?

4 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh kale, thick stems removed

1 cup lightly toasted chopped hazelnuts, cooled to room temperature (I dry toast them in a large skillet over medium-high heat for just a few minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted

Zest of one medium naval orange

Approximately 3/4 cup olive oil (I love Trader Joe’s brand–it’s an outstanding value with balanced flavor and a pour spout)

Sea salt to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse kale until finely chopped.  Add hazelnuts and pulse until finely chopped.  Kale will be almost minced.   With motor running, drizzle in olive oil, adding more or less until the desired consistency is achieved.  Turn off motor, check for seasoning, and add a pinch of sea salt if necessary.  Then add the orange zest and pulse just a couple of times just to combine.  Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Go Dairy Free Publishes Blooming Platter Vegan Orange-Scented Olive, Parsley, and Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

I originally created this deliciously different, colorful, nutritious, and flavorful tapenade especially to dollop atop my Moroccan Soup with White Beans and Kale, recently published on Go Dairy Free (GDF).  But, the two go together so beautifully that GDF founder and creator, Alisa Fleming, published the tapenade today..

It has a multitude of applications beyond a soup topper: serve it on crostini, as in the photo; toss it with whole grain pasta; or dollop some on a baked sweet potato…just use your imagination!

So, before winter oranges are all gone, whip up a batch  to nibble on this week, as it won’t spoil quickly.  You will be glad to have plenty of this colorful, tangy, and simultaneously rich, yet bright, spread on hand.

Check out THIS LINK for the recipe and the back story to find out why in the world I would serve something so sophisticated it in a stainless steel dog bowl!

Thanks, as always, to Alisa Fleming, creator and founder of Go Dairy Free!

Go Dairy Free Publishes “Vegan Moroccan White Bean and Kale Soup” from Blooming Platter Cookbook Author

Before the mercury climbs and this winter’s kale is all gone, be kind to yourself with my healthy brand of tasty comfort food as published on Go Dairy Free.

Just click HERE for the recipe, nutritional information, and a little of the back story involving a Superbowl party, a dog named Huff, and a million dollar-winning commercial!

Thanks, as always to Alisa Fleming, creator and founder of Go Dairy Free!

For 150+ additional seasonal recipes, see The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

 

Vegan Ginger-Streusel Pear Pie from The Blooming Platter Cookbook is Now Available on One Green Planet! And there’s a bonus: My Vegan Cinnamon Stick-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Before the last of the winter pears are gone, I bet you might like to bake some up in this special pie from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

It was recently published by the good folks at One Green Planet and you can access itby clicking HERE.

Its crust has a secret ingredient–now known to be healthy–that yields a perfect flaky, yet tender, crust that’s a cinch even for novice bakers to manage.  And you won’t have to wait very long to have this beautyon the table because of my stove top pre-cooking method.

Make it a la mode:  As a bonus, you can also access my Cinnamon Stick-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe which was created especially for this pie, but is delicious on its own.
Thanks to Team One Green Planet!  Enjoy, everyone!

Martha Washington’s Veganized Hoecakes with Savory Dried Cherry and Walnut Chutney for President’s Day and Beyond

My mother always made a cherry pie on President’s Day as a tribute to George Washington and the myth, now thought to be apocryphal, of him chopping down a cherry tree.  So, I had been thinking that I wanted to create some kind of cherry pie-inspired dish, but I wasn’t sure what.

But then, last week on NPR, I learned of a new exhibition of Martha Washington’s kitchen opening at Mount Vernon.   And in the report, they happened to mention her hoecakes being one of “GW’s” favorite recipes.  Field hands are reported to have cooked them on the back of a hoe or shovel over an open fire, hence the name.

Essentially, they are a pancake made with half cornmeal–I use self-rising cornmeal since I don’t use any egg–and half flour with melted butter in the batter.  Evidently, President Washington ate them every morning with more melted butter and honey drizzled over, as if they need more butter!  I veganized a recipe I found online and made them as small “silver dollar” versions so that they could be served as appetizers or tapas.  I also added a pinch of sea salt to offset the sugar nicely.

Joe and I served as judged for Hampton Roads Magazine’s Platinum Plate Awards (what a fun thing to do together!) and so were comped a pair of tickets to the annual Strolling Supper Party last night at the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center.  The winning restaurants set up stations and provided tapas size servings of some of their specialties.  I love eating that way so I had tapas on my mind.  As an aside, the only restaurants that prepared anything vegan were the two Indian establishments, and what they served was delicious: a tiny portion of lentil soup with one plump organic crouton and a cold chick pea and lentil dish topped with pineapple, mango, pomegranate seeds, cilantro, and a sauce they left off because it contained yogurt.  It was DIVINE even without the sauce.

Back to the hoecakes: I didn’t stop with just the hoecakes because I wanted to somehow include my mother’s cherry pie tradition in my new tradition.  Since fresh cherries are hardly available in February, she always used canned cherries or even cherry pie filling and we always loved her pies with their homemade crust.   But, being a seasonal cook, I couldn’t bring myself to use canned cherries, so when I chose dried ones, I decided to take them in a savory direction and make a chutney.

I think the end result is a fitting tribute to George and Mom.  Happy President’s Day!

Start chutney first and set aside:

Savory Dried Cherry and Walnut Chutney

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/3 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or walnut pieces

2 tablespoons maple syrup (note: you may use all maple syrup or all natural sugar)

1 tablespoon natural sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional, but I love the richness it adds)

1/2 teaspoon anise seeds

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Red pepper flakes to taste (start with about 1/4 teaspoon)

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons red wine (I used a Vicious Petite Sirah–someone brought it to a party, probably because it had a dog on the label, but it’s good and spicy!)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Zest of 1/2 of a large naval orange

2 tablespoons minced dill

In a large cast iron skillet placed over medium-high, heat the olive oil to shimmering.  Add the onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.  Add bell pepper and continue sauteeing and stirring for another 2 minutes.  Add garlic and saute, stirring, for another minute; avoid letting the garlic brown, so reduce heat if necessary.  Add all remaining ingredients except orange zest and dill, and simmer, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking, for approximately 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium if necessary and add additional wine, 1 tablespoon at a time if necessary to keep mixture moist and pulpy.  Stir in zest and dill, and serve warm or at room temperature atop hoecakes, toasted bread, crackers, etc.  Dolloped on soup?  Use your imagination!

Martha Washington’s Veganized Hoecakes

Yield: 16 hoecakes

1 cup yellow self-rising cornmeal

1 cup wholewheat or white whole wheat flour (all-purpose is fine if that’s what you have)

1/4 cup natural sugar (you may omit, but I think a little sugar is nice for balance)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup vegan butter, melted (I use Earth Balance)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened soymilk (use plain if that’s what you have, but definitely omit the sugar)

Preheat the oven to low.  In a medium size mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center and add melted butter and soymilk.  Using a fork, whisk the dry and wet ingredients together until well combined.  A few lumps are fine.  In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat about a tablespoon of vegan butter.  Fry hoecakes, about 4 at a time, using a generous tablespoon of batter.  Cook for approximately 2 minutes on each side until a light golden brown, adjusting heat as necessary.  Keep warm in the oven while you make the remaining 3 batches.  For each batch, melt a tablespoon of butter in the skillet before you add the batter.  Serve hoecakes with a dollop of the Savory Dried Cherry and Walnut Chutney.  Note: the hoecakes are delicious plain and/or with a drizzle of maple syrup.  But the chutney dresses them up and makes them extra special.

Photo Note: my hoecakes are perched on a plate atop a pot holder given to me by my good friend Becky Bump and made by our mutual friend, the incredibly talented Tammy Deane, who calls this line made from recycled or “upcycled” fabrics, sECOnd hand.

For 150+ more inspired seasonal recipes, check out a copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

 

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