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
Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011
Vegan Savory Spiral Bread
Yield: appetizer servings for approximately 6-8
When our close friends Randy and Yvette Hetrick lived here, we enjoyed many fantastic meals together. My favorites were at their house after a long walk with our dogs in the state park behind their house. Sometimes Yvette did all the honors and sometimes we pooled our resources. She is in the top .5% of home cooks I know.
One of my favorite appetizers that she made in many wonderful variations was what I referred to as “Yvette’s Spiral Bread.” It’s a simple dough–I use my go-to pizza dough which is very similar to what she used–filled with whatever your heart desires, as long as it’s not so moist that it makes the dough soggy.
She and I have created so many permutations that it would be difficult to recall them all. My favorites have at least two, even three, very thin layers with the ingredients chopped small or thinly sliced. If you overstuff the bread or leave pieces of the filling ingredients too large–which is easy to want to do–the bread is difficult to slice and falls apart. So avoid the temptation.
I made the version depicted above when I was at my family’s home for the holidays (and presented it on my favorite serving platter: a gorgeous pink ceramic one that belonged to my my mother’s mother). Mama had three jars of unopened savory condiments that she’d picked up a long time ago thinking they looked too good to pass up, but not having anything specific to do with them: olive tapenade, caramelized onions and fennel, and roasted yellow and red Italian peppers. I knew exactly what to do with them! And they made a spectacular version of Spiral Bread.
For your iterations, let your imagination run wild. In addition to tapenades, caramelized onion/root veggies, and roasted peppers, consider vegan cheeses, sauteed mushrooms (with most of the moisture evaporated), olive and other pastes, finely chopped and drained artichoke hearts, vegan pestos, chutneys, sundried tomatoes, flavored hummus and more.
For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:
The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes
Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011
Vegan "Pulled" Spaghetti Squash Barbecue with Vegan Cole Slaw on Vegan Creamed Corn and Chive Cakes–Appetizer Version
Vegan Creamed Corn Cakes with Chives
Yield: 8 corn cakes
You’ll love these creamed corn cakes for their ease and their “buttery” richness. Chives take them right over the top by imparting a subtle onion-y flavor and adding appealing little flecks of green goodness.
1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup self-rising flour
pinch garlic powder
1-15 ounce can creamed corn
about 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (plain would be good too, just a little sweeter)
1 tablespoon fresh snipped chives
2 scant tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 scant tablespoon of the butter. Meanwhile, place first three ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in creamed corn, soy milk and melted butter. Sprinkle in chives. Stir together until well combined, but avoid over-mixing. Return skillet to heat and add about a half tablespoon of butter. When melted, swirl to coat pan. Using a 1/4 cup measure, make three corn cakes, spreading ever so slightly if needed just to flatten tops. Cook a couple of minutes on the first side or until just a few bubbles appear, you get a nice rise, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Avoid overcrowding. This batter is fairly thick, but if corn cakes look like they are going to run together, just cook a couple at a time. Add butter to keep skillet greased as needed. If corn cakes are cooking too quickly, lower heat slightly. When cooked through, remove corn cakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter and corn cake batter.
Vegan Double Corn Fingers
Yield: 8 fingers (one 8 x 8″ pan)
As a child, I loved my mom, Sallie’s, Double Corn Fingers. When my dad occasionally went out of town, she would make a batch and we would eat them warm out of the oven with a glass of milk, calling it dinner. As an adult, they were a cinch to veganize, allowing me to indulge in some nostalgic noshing.
Generous 1/4 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons self-rising flour (plus extra for dusting work surface) or same amount plain flour plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal mix or same amount regular cornmeal plus 3/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup creamed corn
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place butter in an 8-inch square metal baking pan and slide into oven just until butter melts. Remove pan and set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium size mixing bowl, combine self-rising flour and cornmeal. Make a well in center and pour in creamed corn and about half of melted butter. Stir together with a fork until completely combined. Dough will be a little sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and turn ball of dough once or twice to make sure surface won’t stick. (Too much flour will toughen and dry out the corn fingers.) With lightly floured fingers, pat dough into about a 6-inch square. Cut in half crosswise, and then cut each half vertically into four fingers. Swirl butter around pan and then, working with one corn finger at a time, place it into the butter and then gently flip it over to coat both sides. Place corn fingers close together in two rows in pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top. For extra decadence, you can brush a little vegan butter on the tops while they are still hot.
Note: This recipe easily doubles. Just double all ingredients and bake in a 9 x 13-inch pan.
