Chunky natural peanut butter spread on apple wedges is one of my favorite snacks from childhood. So, this week when I was craving a wholesome and nostalgic baked good, I figured the combination would be scrumptious in a moist muffin. And it is!
Normally, I would load up an apple batter with warm spices, but I didn’t want them to overpower the peanut butter flavor and aroma. So I just used a pinch of allspice, cinnamon and cloves. But feel free to adjust to suit your taste.
Not too dense, but not light like a cupcake either these muffins are the epitome of balance in every way.
I know apples are not typically a spring fruit, but our farm market does have Virginia-grown ones in the warm months. You’ll love this recipe whenever apples are in season in your area.
1/2 cup chunky natural peanut butter warmed slightly in the microwave or in a saucepan on top of the stove (smooth would probably work just great as well)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (you can use plain, but you might want to slightly decrease the sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup natural sugar
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch ground allspice
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
2 large apples, cored and very finely chopped; approximately 3 cups (fine like food processor-fine)
Line muffin cups with papers or oil well with nonstick spray. In a large mixing bowl, stir together peanut butter, canola oil, soy milk and vanilla until well combined. Stir in sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda just until a smooth batter forms. Then stir in chopped apples only until incorporated. Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minute or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one comes out clean. Allow to cool about 10 minutes in the pan and then remove to cool completely or to enjoy while warm.
A big thank you is in order to Isa and all the good folks who are the driving force behind Vegan MoFo. Thank you so much for continuing to feed this fire and for making it so easy, not to mention gratifying, for all of us vegan bloggers and many, many readers to participate. What a beautiful thing.
Though MoFo officially ends today, I will still be here offering new recipes several times a week to Blooming Platter readers and subscribers. So I invite you to subscribe if you haven’t already. It’s now easier than ever and you can do it via email, no rss feed necessary. Just look over at the top of the right-hand sidebar and follow the simple prompts.
This version features a split pumpkin biscuit.
And now a sweet for the sweet, but, not so sweet that you couldn’t serve this warming dish for a fall breakfast or brunch, which is how I first enjoyed it.
I grew up loving my mother’s biscuit-style Strawberry Shortcake which, incidentally, she would sometimes allow my sister and me to enjoy for breakfast. So, my fall version of this treat is based on a sweetened pumpkin biscuit.
And it’s topped with a quick and spicy apple and walnut saute. Your kitchen will be perfumed with some of the best fragrances of fall.
Yield: 4 Servings
Note: the following is the Herbed Biscuit recipe from my new Blooming Platter vegan cookbook without the herbs, but with the addition of dehydrated pumpkin powder and a little natural sugar. Just click here to order the dehydrated pumpkin from Barry Farm. I am partial to it rather than pumpkin puree, as it adds lots of flavor and golden color, but no additional un-needed nor unwanted moisture which requires additional flour and, hence, a heavy biscuit. However, if you have a vegan pumpkin biscuit recipe you like, feel free to substitute. Just add about 2 tablespoons of natural sugar to a cup of flour.
My special biscuit method requires freezing the vegan butter and shortening, so don’t forget to pop it in the freezer the night before you plan to make them. And I highly encourage taking the tiny bit of extra time to employ my modified french puff pastry folding method. You won’t believe how buttery and flaky the two together will make your biscuit-shortcakes.
This version features an unsplit pumpkin biscuit.
Pumpkin Shortcakes
Note: this recipe makes about 10 biscuit-shortcakes, more than you need, but they are delicious plain and reheat nicely, so I predict you’ll be glad to have them on hand.
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup plain or unsweetened soy milk
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (or 1 1/2 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour + 1 tablespoon baking powder)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder (add only if using the self-rising flour)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or your own mix of ground cinnamon, clove and nutmeg to taste)
1/4 cup natural sugar
4 tablespoons frozen vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons frozen vegan butter + 2 tablespoons refrigerated vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
Warm Spiced Apple Filling (recipe below)
About 1/4 cup of your favorite vegan whipped topping, sweetened cashew cream, or even vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of ground cinnamon
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar into the soy milk and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder (3/4 teaspoon if using the self-rising flour and 1 tablespoon if using all purpose or white whole wheat), pumpkin powder, pumpkin pie spice, and natural sugar, and stir with a fork to combine. Make a well in the center. Spray your box grater very lightly with nonstick spray for easier clean up and then grate the frozen shortening and frozen vegan butter into the well. Whisk the soy milk mixture and add it to the well.
2. Incorporate the wet into the dry ingredients by stirring with a fork so that the warmth of your hands doesn’t melt the shortening and butter. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a 9-inch square pan and place it in the oven to melt the butter. Remove the pan as soon as the butter has melted.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, pat or roll the dough to about 1-inch thick (1/4-inch thicker than for my biscuits). Fold it like a business letter: fold one side two-thirds of the way across and fold the remaining 1/3 back across. Pat or gently roll the dough out to a 1-inch thickness again, turn it a quarter turn and repeat about 4 more times. Do this fairly quickly so that the dough doesn’t warm up.
4. Lightly flour the work surface as necessary. The last time you pa the dough to a 1-inch, cut out biscuits wih a 2-inch biscuit, cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place each biscuit in the prepared pan and flip to coat both sides with melted butter. Bake the biscuits for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. While biscuits bake, make filling (recipe below).
5. When cool enough to handle, either place a biscuit on each of 4 plates; top with 1/4th of the Warm Spiced Apple Filling; garnish each serving with a tablespoon of vegan whipped topping, sweetened cashew cream, or vegan sour cream and a light dusting of ground cinnamon; and serve warm. Or, split the biscuits and place 1/8th of the filling inside and another 1/8th of the filling on top, garnish, and serve. Save the remaining 6 biscuits in an airtight container for another use.
Warm Spiced Apple Filling
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons chopped walnuts
2 medium apples (I like our local Winesaps), cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup natural sugar
1/4 cup ground cinnamon or to taste
1/4 cup ground ginger or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground clove or to taste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add walnuts and toast, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove nuts to a paper towel-lined saucer. Add apple, natural sugar, and spices. Saute for about 3 minutes or until apples soften. Add maple syrup and cook another minute or two until apples are very tender. Add all but 1 tablespoon of walnuts, stir, and heat through. Remove from heat and use as directed above.
What does one do when Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree, asks if you have a recipe for Halloween to share with readers of her website? You get busy!
I have created quite a few recipes for pumpkin dishes, which are here on my blog and in my new cookbook. But I really didn’t have anything fun, different and delicious in traditional Halloween colors.
My first attempt was a bust. Those dry and flavorless bad boys–and I do mean bad–ended up out in the woods on our property! But after some brainstorming, it occurred to me that I could use super flavorful salsa for both flavor and moisture and that did the trick–yum!
Sound odd? Well, this recipe is a little out of the ordinary, but Alisa and I think the cupcakes are so good it’s “scary” (sorry, I couldn’t resist the corny Halloween reference.) She writes:
“I’m very excited for the recipe feature we have today from the talented cookbook author, Betsy DiJulio. Betsy’s creativity is second only to her ability to create appealing, healthy, comfort food recipes. She never fails to surprise with unique ideas, but they are always very doable and delicious. Today’s recipe is certainly no exception. It pairs simple everyday dinner ingredients with an unexpected format, cupcakes! Since they are savory, and made without any sugar, Betsy uses salsa to add extra moisture and flavor …”
Just follow this link for the simple recipe. And Happy Halloween!
Alisa Fleming, creator of “Go Dairy Free,” posted a lovely review of The Blooming Platter Cookbook just a little while back. Her endorsement is very flattering for, through her work, she’s seen more than her fair share of wonderful cookbooks.
But, with the change in seasons, she felt herself returning again to “The Platter” in search of what she calls “that depth of flavor that I love this time of year.” What she found and dubbed “perfect fall comfort food” was my Farmstand Fruit Muffins. Follow the link for her intro, favorite apples recommendations, and the recipe.
Thank you, Alisa, for the post and for calling my cookbook a “creative collection of recipes”~enjoy everyone!
This pairing was inspired by those old-fashioned cheddar shortbread crackers kicked up with a little cayenne and served with pepper jelly in kitchens across the South.
With tomatoes and blackberries at the peak of freshness at a local farm market, I created this glistening marmalade to showcase them both in place of the pepper jelly. Thinking of Chinese dishes with tomatoey and fruit-infused sauces, I decided to combine the two with some hints of Asia to transform my farm market haul.
My take on the ubiquitous cheddar shortbread gets its rich flavor from smoked almonds and nutritional yeast, which may seem a little odd given the Asian direction of the marmalade, but there was a method to my madness, namely that almonds are frequently used in Chinese cooking. What about the smokiness? I have an answer for that too: smoked tofu sometimes seen on Chinese menus. Does it work? My lunch guest and I think so, but you be your own judge.
Vegan Smoky “Cheddar” Shortbread Crackers
1/2 cup smoked almonds (feel free to use plain almonds–or any nut really–if you prefer not to have a smoky taste)
2 cups white whole wheat flour or 1 cup unbleached all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can also try using all whole wheat flour, though I’ve not tested it that way)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4-1/2 cayenne pepper or to taste
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup vegan butter, broken into small pieces
Accompaniment: Vegan Asian-Scented Tomato-Blackberry Marmalade or your favorite marmalade, pepper jelly, or chutney.
Place almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and pulse a few times until coarsely chopped. Add remaining ingredients, in order, and then continue pulsing until dough pulls away from the sides and starts to come together in a ball. Divide dough into quarters, knead each one a few times in your palms, and then roll into a cylinder 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap and set on a plate or baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to 3 days. (May alternatively be frozen for a month and thawed before slicing and cooking.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line one or two baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper. (If one, bake in two batches.) With a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/3-inch slices and place coins 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on the sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers. Serve with desired accompaniment.
Vegan Asian-Scented Tomato-Blackberry Marmalade
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, but into 1/4-inch dice
pinch of sea salt
generous 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, rinsed, drained, and quartered
2 large garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated (I use a microplane grater)
1/2 cup red table wine (or a non-alcoholic variety)
1/4 cup natural sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese mustard (I like the “extra hot”)
1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce (sold as vegetarian fish sauce in Asian markets)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (I use a low sodium variety)
1/4 teaspoon sweet Paprika
generous 1 1/2 cup fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained
2 star anise pods
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, until some color develops, approximately 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and saute, stirring frequently, until tomato begins to break down, approximately another 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except blackberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, an additional 3 minutes. Add blackberries and simmer, stirring occasionally for another 15 mnutes or until blackberries break down and mixture becomes pulpy. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent from sticking or scorching. Remove the skillet from the heat and cool to room temperature. Serve about 1 teaspoon dolloped on each cracker. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Okay, there is no way to justify this indulgence except to say that I had a powerful craving for some kind of sweet roll. This irrepressible urge was precipitated, in part, by “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network.
It’s difficult to describe my attraction to that show because some of the food–much of the food–absolutely disgusts me; I sometimes have to turn away. And the portion sizes are shameful.
Still, I do appreciate that all of the food is made from scratch, often from whole foods and fresh ingredients, sometimes based on family recipes and, when not, frequently very creative. I find many of the combinations of ingredients truly inspired.
So I love the challenge of veganizing some of the dishes that I see. One of my favorite soups–a pot pie soup with pie crust croutons which will be in my new cookbook–was inspired by one I saw on “Triple D,” as was a new skillet chili–my latest obsession–which I will post soon.
The rolls that inspired these were kind of a sticky bun, but without the ginger (or, at least it wasn’t mentioned on the show). However, I had just purchased a new bottle of ginger this morning and the aroma was so enchanting as I was “decanting” it into its jar that I decided to incorporate it into the rolls.
What I loved about the look of the inspiration rolls was how soft and pliable the dough was. I often think sweet rolls are too dry and “bready.” So I set about to create a rich, soft dough. Since I couldn’t use eggs, I used all soymilk and no water–including replacing the moisture of an egg with an additional 1/4 cup of soymilk–plus I added both cinnamon and ginger to the dough itself, something that isn’t often done, but should be! Then I repeated the cinnamon in the filling and the ginger in the caramel topping to tie it all together.
One trick to that delectable tenderness is to incorporate only enough flour to make the dough manageable. The other is not to overbake the rolls. Twenty minutes is perfect.
Finally, I wanted to be able to put these together fairly quickly so I used a quick or instant yeast. For additional leavening, since I couldn’t use an egg, I added a little baking powder. I think the results rock (and roll!) and I hope you agree!
Dough:
3/4 cup soymilk
1/4 cup vegan butter
3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1-.25 ounce package instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soymilk
Filling:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup softened vegan butter
Ginger-Pecan Caramel:
1/2 cup vegan butter
3/4 cup packed brown suagar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup pecan pieces
To make dough, in a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the first 3/4 cup soymilk to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Set aside. Preheat the oven to warm or 170 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine just 2 1/4 cups of the flour, and all remaining dough ingredients. Gradually stir in the remaining flour until fully incorporated and then knead the dough for about 5 minutes. I knead it directly in the bowl, but you can do it on a work surface. Use as little flour as possible to prevent sticking. I actually like to use non-stick spray in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel, place it in the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, begin filling by combining the brown sugar and cinnamon. Make caramel by melting the butter and brown sugar together in a large oven-proof skillet (I like cast iron) over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ginger and pecans and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat.
Again, using as little flour, non-stick spray, or a combination as possible, roll out the dough into a 9 x 12-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with the softened butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Beginning on one long side, roll it up fairly tightly and pinch the seam. Lay the roll seam side down and, using a serrated knife, cut it into 8 equal pieces. Place each piece, cut side down, on top of the caramel. Position one in the center and surround it with the other 7. They won’t touch until they have had a chance to rise. Cover and place in the warm oven for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Remove the pan from the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. For a thinner caramel, serve immediately. For a thicker caramel, allow the rolls to cool slightly before serving.
Note: Lisa from Sweet as Sugar Cookies stopped by last week and invited me to her “Linky Party” to post a link to these Vegan Ginger-Spice Caramel Pecan Rolls. Since I love a good party–especially one with tasty treats–it was my pleasure. And I found that, though her website isn’t vegan, it boasts loads of ideas to indulge your sweetest fantasies, all just waiting to be veganized.
Last Tuesday, I came down with a ferocious bug, the same one to which everyone, adults and children, has been succumbing in our area. You know the one: fever, body aches, congestion, cough, yaddi, yaddi.
For two days, all I wanted to eat was canned No-Chicken Noodle soup. I never ate dinner on Friday night because all I wanted by then, inexplicably, was buttery, garlicky breadsticks with marinara sauce, and the restaurant where my husband went for carry-out, didn’t have them.
On Saturday morning, I woke up still craving them and, having started taking some prescription meds the night before, was feeling slightly better. So, since most restaurants overdo breadsticks in that classically American “Supersize Me” style anyway, I decided to make my own. They were still generous in size, but somewhat more modestly proportioned. And boy-oh-boy were they worth waiting for!
For my special dough recipe (and about 175 more!), I encourage you to preorder my brand new cookbook, The Blooming Platter: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes which will be available in May, though you can certainly use your favorite dough.
Here’s what I did to my recipe which calls for about 2 cups of flour:
To the dry ingredients, add:
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano extra sea salt
Make the dough according to directions, letting it rise, etc. While the dough rises, make Rosemary-Garlic Oil so that it can be steeping:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large clove crushed garlic several 4 to 5-inch sprigs of rosemary (I used quite brown sprigs from my frostbitten rosemary shrub, so it was more like using dried than fresh)
Pinch of sea salt plus more for sprinkling on breadsticks
Combine all ingredients and set aside. Preheat the oven to 45o degrees. Beginning with a ball of dough, pat and shape it into an 8-inch square on an oiled work surface. Cut it into 8 equal strips, twist each strip into a spiral, and place them on an oiled baking stone or sheet. Brush them liberally with Rosemary-Garlic Oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 11 minutes or until tender and golden, brush with more oil, sprinkle with more salt, and serve warm.
This recipe telescopes me right back to childhood and my Mama’s Double Corn Fingers made with creamed corn. She would make a big pan–crusty on the outside and tender on the inside–and we would have nothing but them and a glass of milk, calling it dinner as a special treat when my dad was out of town.
Though “creamed” corn hardly sounds vegan, the canned version actually is, the natural starch in the corn helping impart a luscious creaminess. I love it mostly to cook and bake with. Mama baked her corn fingers, but in my iteration, I fry them up as skillet cakes.
And, though this recipe isn’t in my new cookbook, The Blooming Platter: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes (175 other delicious recipes are!), I add a mound of fresh baby spinach to the corncake batter for a nutritious burst of seasonal freshness. and flecks of green goodness. In summer, just substitute 1/2 cup fresh corn for the chopped spinach.
These cakes are addicting served as a combined bread-side dish or as the main event for breakfast or brunch. But I also love them topped with chili or my Vegan Spinach-Three Bean Dip. Make them silver dollar sized and serve them as appetizers, topped or not. Use your imagination!
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance) + additional for frying
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal
pinch of garlic powder
2 cups loosely packed fresh stemmed spinach, finely chopped (should yield about 1/2 cup)
1-15 ounce can creamed corn (I like the yellow variety for rich color)
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk
Optional garnish: vegan sour cream and cilantro sprigs
Preheat the oven to warm. Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together, flour, cornmeal, garlic powder and chopped spinach. Whisk in creamed corn and soymilk until well combined. Make cakes, two at a time, using a 1/4 cup measure. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flip and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining batter, keeping skillet greased with additional butter as needed. Garnish as desired and serve warm.
Yield: 4 servings with a side salad (includes two palmiers per serving)
This recipe was my answer to the desire for a warm, comforting meal that tasted decadent, but was actually quite healthy, and that would go together quickly on a frigid Sunday night. Though delicious on its own, the dish seemed to need something else. However, since it was ready to eat when I realized that I wanted something to take it “over the top,” and since I was hungry to boot, the “something else” couldn’t take very long to prepare.
I remembered that I had vegan puff pastry in the freezer and thought about some kind of “bread” sticks, but the dough takes 40 minutes to thaw. So, I wondered what would happen if I thawed it in the microwave. What happens is it sticks together. So, then, out of necessity, I simply left the sheet of dough double folded (like a business letter) as it comes out of the package, sliced it into inch-wide sections and baked them. To my delight, my method resulted in the cutest and world’s easiest palmiers that were ready in little more than 15 minutes! A sprinkling of paprika before baking made them extra-special. And they are the perfect accompaniment to the dish…and to my husband’s steak (ugh).
For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:
The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes
Yield:12 regular size (not super size!) muffins
