July 16, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Almond and Fresh Plum Tart

Yield: 8 servings

My go-to press in savory quiche and tart crust gets the sweet treatment with this elegantly rustic dessert. I simply added a little natural sugar to the dough and filled the partially-baked shell with a silky-smooth almond filling crowned with perfect little domes of fresh plums and a feathery dusting of powdered sugar. It’s the perfect way to end a summer meal or, for that matter, begin a summer day with a cup of tea. (Thanks, Diane and Mike, once again, for the gift of these plums from your tree.)

Vegan Press-in Sweet Pie Crust:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or whole wheat flour (I used all-purpose in the photograph, as I didn’t have enough whole wheat, but you can combine the two to get the benefits of both)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup natural sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened or plain soymilk, lite or regular

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour the oil and milk over the dry ingredient mixture and work around with a fork or fingers until all of the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to an 8-inch tart shell with a removable bottom and press the crust firmly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. The bottom and sides of a glass accomplish this task nicely. Bake for 10-12 minutes, remove from oven, and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Let crust cool for 3 minutes, and then fill evenly with almond filling. Arrange plums, cut side down, in rings on top of filling, placing close together. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until almond filling is set. Let cool to almost room temperature, dust with powdered sugar and serve. Refrigerate leftovers, covered. Note: this crust, made with whole wheat flour, makes beautiful, sturdy 4-inch tart crusts that hold up even when removed from the tart pans and slid off the removable bottoms. Like the larger crust, I bake them 10-12 minutes before filling.

Pie Crust Source: http://www.steptalk.org/

Filling:

1-12 ounce box firm Silken tofu
1-8 ounce can almond paste, broken up into small pieces with fingers
1/2 cup natural sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt

Place all ingredients in bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until very smooth, scraping downsides of bowl as necessary.

Topping:
approximately 20 small fresh plums, halved and pitted

Optional Garnish:
a tiny bit of powdered sugar sifted over the top

April 11, 2010February 8, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Rosemary-Scented Pecan Crumble with Spiked Cranberry-Orange Filling

Yield: 8 servings

I know that a cranberry recipe in April seems odd, especially for a southeastern cook, but I actually have a good explanation:

Each month, as you may or may not know, Better Homes & Garden Magazine runs their “Prize Tested Recipe” competition. I’ve actually won or placed a couple of times in my pre-vegan (though vegetarian) days. The monthly call is for recipes in either of two categories that will be published about 6 months later. Hence, the winners of the “Cranberry Sweets” category that I entered will run next fall.

The recipe I submitted is a favorite that I created for our families’ annual Thanksgiving celebrations a few years back. However, I made a few alterations. For starters, I knew that BH&G would never choose a recipe that called for “vegan butter” as the original version of my crumble does. So, I thought about canola margarine as a substitution, but I wanted something even more widely available; I decided to try good ‘ole canola oil. It worked beautifully!

Knowing, though, that such a change might compromise the flavor, I decided to boost the recipe in that department in several ways. First, I added brandy, orange zest and cinnamon to the filling. Yum. But the real inspiration was what I added to the crumble: fresh rosemary, along with a hint of cinnamon. Double-yum!

If a homespun warm cranberry crumble is not something you find yourself craving this spring, I hope you’ll bookmark it for the fall. It really is already a winner in my (cook) book.

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

February 24, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate, Raspberry and Cream Trifle

Yield: 6-8 servings (easily doubles)

My friend Susan Kaplan made a lovely Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake for me as a holiday gift. I froze it to serve when she and her husband could come for dinner, which was this past Saturday. Joe and I each enjoyed another piece on Sunday, but there was still half of a cake left. So, because several days had passed and it was beginning to get dry, tonight I decided to transform it into a reasonably healthy trifle, eschewing peppermint for raspberries and Soy Whip for a not-too-sweet soy milk pudding. I think you’ll agree that my decision was a sound one.

1/2 recipe Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake, cut into thirds (recipe follows)
*approximately 3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur (or one that would taste good with raspberries)
Vegan Vanilla Pudding (recipe follows), chilled
1 pint raspberries, rinsed and drained (about 36)

One day before serving, crumble 1/3 of cake into the bottom of a small clear glass trifle or other dish (I used a 5-inch square floral container but you may alternatively use individual wine or martini glasses). Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of liqueur, spread with 1/3 of pudding all the way to edges, and top with approximately 12 raspberries. Repeat layers two more times. Cover with plastic wrap and chill over night.

*Note: if you don’t have liqueur on hand or don’t consume alcohol, substitute room temperature strong coffee.

Vegan Chocolate Bundt Cake:
1 3/4 cups freshly brewed coffee
2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulates sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8- or 10-inch bundt pan. Heat the coffee in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Turn heat down and whisk in the cocoa powder until it has dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to bring to room temperature. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, oil, applesauce, and cornstarch until the sugar and cornstarch dissolve, about 2 minutes. Mix in the extracts. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled a bit, stir that in as well. Sift in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the batter is relatively smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for about 20 minutes. Then invert the pan onto a serving plate to remove the cake, and cool completely. Once the cake is cool, sift the confectioners’ sugar over the top and serve.

Cake Source: Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero as published in Yoga Magazine via Susan Kaplan

Vegan Vanilla Pudding:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch salt
2 cups unsweetened or plain soy milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small or medium saucepan, combine first three ingredients. Gradually whisk in soy milk. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, whisking constantly for 3-4 minutes or until mixture is quite thick. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally. Then chill in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Pudding Source: Jolinda Hackett at About.com who reprinted the recipe with permission from The Compassionate Cook Cookbook.

February 1, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Baked Apples Baklava

Yield: 4 servings

If you love baked apples and baklava (without the honey, of course)–heck, maybe even if you don’t–you will flip over this recipe. It is so warming on a crisp morning or evening and is as good for breakfast as it is for dessert. (It’s not heavy, but it is generously proportioned, so it best follows a meal on the lighter side.) Don’t be tempted to dispense with the sauce, as it adds just the right contrast in texture, temperature and tartness. Similarly, the combination of vegan butter and olive oil is very intentional, as the latter lends an ultra-appealing savory quality to the dish.

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

November 29, 2009November 22, 2024 by betsy

Cranberry Crunch (vegan & plant-based Thanksgiving favorite)

Yield: 8 servings

This is our traditional Thanksgiving dessert; my Mom’s absolute favorite. It’s also really good for breakfast, slightly warmed. This year, however, because of our Thai-inspired Thanksgiving menu, I made a pumpkin-coconut milk dessert for the big feast, but I just had to make this a day or so later.

The crust/crumble part of the recipe, which I veganized, comes from Joy of Cooking. Looking for a Thanksgiving dessert one year, I saw it and thought that the filling I wanted with it was pretty much like whole berry cranberry sauce. So, I made the recipe on the back of the fresh cranberry bag and that’s what I’ve done every year since.

Filling:
1 bag of fresh cranberries, picked over, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

Mix together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool.

Crust and Topping:

½ cup vegan butter or margarine, melted
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup regular or quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all ingredients except pecans with a fork. Spoon half of this mixture into 8 or 9” baking dish. (I use a deep dish pie pan.) Pour filling over to cover; it doesn’t have to come quite to the edges. Mix pecans with remaining pastry mixture and spoon evenly over filling. Bake 30-35 minutes or until nicely browned.

Delicious served warm or at room temperature with vegan vanilla ice cream and/or Soy Whip. Refrigerate leftovers–if there is any!–covered.

Source: adapted from Joy of Cooking

September 14, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Peach Ice Cream and Broiled Peaches

I accidentally let summer pass me by before I posted this link to August’s iteration of my monthly vegan recipe column, “The Veggie Table,” in the Virginian-Pilot:

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

July 1, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Cherry, Chocolate, Almond Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart

Thanks are due, once again, to Wheeler del Torro, author of The Vegan Scoop, for his vegan ice cream formula that I enjoy endlessly adapting. This flavor combination was inspired by a day trip with my friend Katherine last week to Currituck County in North Carolina. On our way to visit Harbinger Lavender Farm, we stopped at Morris Farm Market where I purchased beautiful ruby-red fresh cherries for a song. Our trip even yielded the little stainless steel ice cream bowl in the photo. I bought two mismatched ones at an antique store for half price.

1 cup unsweetened soy milk, divided into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
2 cups plain soy creamer (I used French Vanilla, but plain would be delicious too)
3/4 granulated or raw sugar (you might need 1 cup if cherries are really tart)
2 cups fresh cherries, stemmed, pitted, and pureed in a food processor until almost smooth
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
approximately 1/2 cup chopped almonds (lightly toast them if you like)

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk and arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. Place the remaining 3/4 cup of soy milk, soy creamer, sugar and pureed cherries into a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth followed by the vanilla extract. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Whisk to remove any remaining lumps and then freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. (I use a Cusinart electric ice cream maker.) When ice cream is almost frozen, pour in chocolate chips and almonds and continue freezing so that they are well distributed. Scrape ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer.