May 15, 2011May 15, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Indian Roasted Vegetables and Chickpeas in Cilantro-Mint Chutney Sauce

Yield: 4 salad, side dish or light main dish servings (easily doubles)

A heck of a multi-purpose dish–salad, side dish or even main dish–this new Indian inspired favorite goes together quickly and with few ingredients. It’s inspiration came from several sources.

After the VEER Magazine cover photo shoot for The Blooming Platter Cookbook, there were lots of veggies to cook and enjoy. So before the photographer was barely out of the driveway, I was roasting the asparagus and broccoli together. It was still in the fridge today, and still good, but I had almost forgotten about it.

Then yesterday, on a Hampton Roads Magazine reconnaissance mission for our “Best Of” issue, I came home with a couple of jars of different Indian chutney: a cilantro and a mint, not sure how I was going to use them, but knowing they would give something an extra special flavor boost. Some prepared foods are so good that I can’t make them better at home, and these are two examples.

And finally, I had purchased some poppadom on the International aisle of my local Kroger–another prepared item that I wouldn’t even try to make at home–to accompany a dish that I ended up popping in my freezer a week ago when I realized that there wasn’t time for a photo shoot. Stay tuned for that one!

With all of those tasty ingredients in my larder, I went for a pre-lunch dog walk, fantasizing all the way about what my mid-day repast would be. I decided to toss the roasted vegetables and a can of chick peas together with a dressing made of both of the chutneys and a small dollop of vegan sour cream (or yogurt), and serve the dish room temperature over a poppadom, tostato style.

Oh my goodness. This is a keeper for sure: so quick, so pretty, intensely flavorful and highly nutritious. Plus, it ‘s fun to serve and eat. Enjoy!

1 tablespoon vegan sour cream or vegan plain yogurt (I think the latter can sometimes be too runny and too sweet)

1 tablespoon prepared Indian cilantro chutney

1 tablespoon prepared Indian mint chutney

(or you can use 2 tablespoons of either type of chutney)

1 tablespoon vegan sour cream or plain yogurt

2 cup roasted vegetables (virtually anything would work, but I like asparagus and broccoli; I also like a lot of caramelization, so I roasted a small bunch of each with a little olive oil and sea salt for about 25-30 minutes at 450 degrees, and had twice as much as I needed)

1-15.5 ounce can chick peas, rinsed and drained

Optional Garnish: small slices or wedges of tomato and sprigs of cilantro

Accompaniment: one o per person, microwaved for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes

In a medium bowl, combine chutneys with vegan sour cream or yogurt. Add roasted vegetables and chickpeas and toss well to evenly coat. Serve one-fourth of hte vegetable mixture mounded on top of a poppadum, garnished as desired with tomato slices or wedges and cilantro sprigs. Wait until just before serving to heap the mixture on the poppadum to prevent them from getting soggy.

You may alternatively serve this dish slightly heated to open up the flavors a bit. Heat the vegetable mixture separately from the poppadum and mound it on top just before serving.

May 14, 2011June 19, 2014 by betsy

Vegan Cook Likes Keurig But Only with Reusable Adapter

Recently, my sister-in-law, who had built up so many points with Keurig that she was entitled to some free purchases, generously sent a single-serving “on demand” coffee maker to Joe and me.

I love the idea of making coffee–whatever type you prefer (hopefully fair trade)–one cup at a time and almost instantly.

However, I HATE the idea of all of those NON-recyclable K-Cups ending up in the landfills. Though I would love to see what the “Visual Team” from Anthropologie would create with them since they are utter “recycled art” geniuses.

I hope this doesn’t sound harsh, but I feel that it is socially irresponsible for companies who manufacture the K-Cups not to do so with recyclable plastic. I just don’t understand.

At any rate, I did a little research and mine seems to be a prevailing sentiment. But my research also turned up Green Mountain’s refillable/recyclable K-cup adapter and filter, so I just placed an order. Yes, it takes a tiny bit more time to scoop, but I can enjoy my cuppa with a clearer conscience. Hope you will too! (For coupons generously offered by Green Mountain, click here.)

May 14, 2011May 14, 2011 by betsy

The Blooming Platter (Vegan) Cookbook Book-Signing Party One Week Away!

I’m so excited! Exactly one week from day, Mayer Fine Art Gallery is hosting “Incredible Edibles,” the official launch party, book signing and food-in-art exhibition for my new cookbook, The Blooming Platter: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes!

Click on the ‘Incredible Edibles” link above to go right to the Facebook event page with all the details.

Gallery owner, Sheila Giolitti, has generously made special arrangements with the publisher, Vegan Heritage Press, to have books for sale that night, so please plan to buy your book–or additional books!–at the party. I would love to personalize your book(s) for you. I’m even having special “bloomin’ bookplates” designed by my talented designer friend, Cae Hyrskanich.

Hope to see all of you folks in the local area at the party–it is free and open to the public!

Note: Sheila invited me to create an artwork for the show and for her to feature on the invitation, so the piece on the left-hand side is a painting I made entitled “Fertile Ground.” I’m picking it up from the framer today and can’t wait to see it.

May 10, 2011May 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Coconut Cream-Mango Sorbet

If you think the Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes below look scrumptious, you should try them with my Coconut Cream-Mango Sorbet: just a tiny scoop in a Chinese soup spoon!

The dessert display at the party mentioned in the cupcake post was beautiful, clean and modern with a sweep of white ceramic soup spoons filled with golden-orange globes of sorbet playing off the robin’s egg blue cupcake decoration–perfect complementary colors and flavors.

But with its subtle hint of fresh lime and tropical-sweet fruit flavor, this sorbet is luscious on its own or, if you don’t want to go so far as a cupcake, with just a rich chocolate ganache squiggle as in the photograph.

This recipe and over 150 more, plus color photos, fill the pages of my new Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes. Your copy awaits at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Prince Books (both online and in their Norfolk, VA, store)!

May 8, 2011May 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes Bloomed on My Platter

This weekend, my husband hosted an overnight house party for 14 of our closest couple friends including a dear friend from D.C. The beautiful venue was an oceanfront house he rented in Sandbridge, a coastal community in southern VA Beach. The two-story house–with a kitchen on each floor!–accommodated us all very comfortably, with rooms to spare.

The party concept was entirely Joe’s idea, though he turned all of the details over to me. Through the efforts and generosity of many, I have to say that everything was completely perfect, far surpassing my greatest expectations! Thanks to all!

We based virtually the entire catered menu for Saturday night’s dinner on recipes from my new cookbook, including these exquisite cupcakes artfully crafted by Chef Emily de Long of the Gourmet Bake Shoppe in Virginia Beach.

After an initial meeting, I emailed Chef de Long the Chocolate Carrot Cake recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, and she used her own naturally vegan buttercream and sugar artistry to recreate two different cupcake designs I had researched, lending to them her own special touches. Then she wrapped them in scalloped cupcake wrappers I had made using a template I found online and scrapbook paper from a local arts and crafts store.

The end result is my idea of a Blooming Platter!

I ordered far more cupcakes than we needed because I wanted a bountiful display. But I also ordered individual cupcake boxes so that I could send the leftovers home with our guests. They made beautiful Mother’s Day gifts, as several people were meeting their mothers for brunch today.

Stay-tuned for more food-related posts from this lovely party and Happy Mother’s Day to mothers of all kinds wherever you may be.

For this luscious recipe, I hope you’ll consider purchasing a copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook for your collection. It is available at Amazon; Barnes & Noble; and locally at Prince Books, Norfolk’s favorite book store: 109 E. Main Street, Norfolk, 757-622-9223, staff@prince-books.com.

May 6, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Baked Oatmeal with Berries for Mother’s Day

If my dear mama lived in Virginia, I would make this dish bloom on her platter for Mother’s Day. When I served it to a friend while creating recipes for my Blooming Platter Cookbook, she described it as having a texture similar to bread pudding. I agree!

This photo was shot last summer for the book when blueberries were in season. Since it’s early yet for blueberries, at least where we live, why not try strawberries?

The garnish is one of my favorite newly discovered herbs: lemon verbena. It flourished in our garden last year and I noticed recently that it had returned this spring. I can’t wait to infuse pancakes, cookies and much more with it’s complex citrusy flavor and aroma this summer.

Happy Mother’s Day to mothers everywhere!

Yield: 8 servings

6 ounces firm silken tofu
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup natural sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pint of fresh berries, rinsed, drained and patted dry
1. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie pan and set aside. Combine the tofu, soy milk, canola oil, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the oatmeal. Spoon this mixture into the prepared pan, gently smoothing the top. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining sugar and cinnamon, cover with foil, and refrigerate overnight.
2. When ready to bake, remove the dish from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Stud the top surface of the oatmeal with berries, and bake for 35 minutes or until just firm. Serve hot.
Note: The oatmeal may be reheated by covering the baking dish with foil and placing it in a cold oven. Turn the oven temperature to 300ºF. and heat for about 20 minutes, or until warm.

May 5, 2011May 14, 2011 by betsy

Happy (Vegan) Birthday to Me!

May marks, well, let’s just say a fairly significant birthday for me. My husband teases me about my month-long birthday celebrations which have become tradition. But you see, it’s not “all about me;” it’s all about my relationships with my friends and family, so it’s really all about them!

Still, this month is shaping up to be an embarrassment of riches with, most notably, the official launch party, book signing and food-in-art exhibition for The Blooming Platter Cookbook hosted by Sheila Giolitti at Mayer Fine Art Gallery on May 21, 7-9 p.m. If you are in the local area, please come!

But there is much more to be grateful for, including that Jeff Maisey, editor of VEER Magazine, selected me as his May-June cover girl with photos by well-known Hampton Roads photographer, Kathy Keeney, and my cookbook the subject of the cover story written by a similarly well-known writer in our area, Kristen Kirk.

The photo shoot was this past Wednesday right after I got home from school. I had hoped against hope that my braces would be taken off the day before, but it turns out that I have two more weeks to go. Darn. So we took a lot of “closed mouth” shots. When we were finished inside, I sat down on the steps outside just to chat, but Kathy said she liked the pose and grabbed her camera again, snapping some shots like this one.

At one point, she asked me to hold my hand a certain way because she liked my wedding band, a birthday gift to myself (still more of the embarrassment of riches). My husband “bought that ring twice” as he says because the center stone–his birthstone–broke twice in the original gold setting. So I bought a $15 sterling silver band from Express(!) and have been wearing it for about as many years.

Last spring, with Joe’s and my 20th wedding anniversary approaching in September, I looked into having a mold made and the ring cast in platinum since I only wear silver-toned metals now. But, even without a new stone, it was more than I wanted to pay. So then, a few months ago, with this birthday approaching, I got serious about a solution, wondering about a completely new design that incorporated only the diamond baguettes from the original.

I called upon Mary Beth Nixon, my wonderful high school art teacher friend with an MFA in jewelry design from VCU. I described my desire for a sleek, wide, quasi-industrial band with a little sparkle from the baguettes. Together, we created a design that features those elements plus contrasting satin and polished finishes. She, in turn, consulted with her friend Don Elliott who we hired to do the work. And what masterful work he did, don’t you think? You can find him at D.H. Elliott’s in Richmond, VA, 804.222.2806.

Thanks Sheila, Jeff, Kathy, Kristen, Mary Beth, and Don!

Incidentally, the watch I’m wearing is a cherished gift from Joe and his sisters Terri Ann, and Tina. It belonged to their mother, our beloved Terry, who sadly passed away on April 13, losing her fight with brain cancer after several years. They generously gave me her watch the day before her funeral and I find it a comforting symbolic connection to her. Mary Beth and I designed the ring months before Terry died, but doesn’t the watch look uncannily compatible with it’s square face and tiny square diamond “numbers”?

Thank you Joe, Terri Ann, and Tina.

May 5, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

That Bloomin’ Minnie (the Mini-Great Dane)!

Now that’s a face only a “mother” could love!

Yesterday, one of Hampton Roads’ top photographers, Kathy Keeney, arrived at my house bearing the most beautiful array of vegetables for a VEER Magazine photo shoot. Jeff Maisey, the publisher of VEER graciously offered to make me his May-June cover girl and my Blooming Platter Cookbook the subject of the cover story (thank you, Jeff!).

I barricaded the dogs out of the kitchen and dining room with baby gates, but left the deck door open in case they needed to go out, since they couldn’t access their dog door. But that little Miss Minnie (the Mini Great Dane) figured out how to go out the deck door, run through the rock garden, and come in the dog door straight into the dining room.

Fortunately, we were almost finished with the indoor part of the shoot. So I tucked a (vegan) dog biscuit into the bowl of veggies, and Kathy snapped some shots of Minnie looking positively deranged over that bounty! Even without the biscuit, she really does love her vegetables almost as much as our dearly departed Veggie Dog, Webster.

May 2, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

Another Blooming Platter (Vegan) Cookbook Giveaway

It’s your bloomin’ lucky day! With the Vegan Heritage Press giveaway of The Blooming Platter Cookbook ending last night at midnight and VegWeb’s ending tomorrow, yet another opportunity to win has been offered by FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) in this week’s “Meatout Mondays” mini e-newsletter.

Click here to become one of FARM’s 30,000 and counting “Meatout Mondays” subscribers. Each mailing includes recipes, health info, articles of interest and special opportunities like this give-away.

Then, for a chance to win my cookbook, email them at: recipes@meatoutmondays.org with a description of what you experienced when becoming a vegan. Deadline: May 9, 2011.

FARM has generously published several of my recipes since they began their newsletter. This week’s edition features my to-die-for vegan creamed corn cakes with spinach (that they cleverly call Compassionate Corn Cakes) followed by the cookbook give-away and more. Thanks to everyone at FARM for their support of The Blooming Platter.

Now hurry to subscribe, send an email and win!

May 1, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Red Lentil-Pistachio Spread Will Bloom on Your Platter

On the Saturday night before Easter, my husband and I enjoyed a Middle Eastern dinner at the new Azar’s at Hilltop in VA Beach. I savored my lamb-less Lenten, I mean, Lentil Soup, redolent of cardamom, with a wine I had never sampled before, but certainly will again: Ksara Vineyard’s Blanc-de-Blancs from Lebanon. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Chardonnay, this wine is its own breed: fruity, nutty and…hmm…is “spicy” the right world? It tastes delectably “different.” Try it!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — From The Blooming Platter Cookbook

And I happened to think that it would be lovely with my Red Lentil-Pistachio Spread, one of the Starters in The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes. Have you bought your copy yet so that you can get cookin’ on this and some 175 other delectable recipes (if I do say so myself)? The book is available on-line at both Amazon and Barnes & Noble or, locally, at Prince Books, Norfolk’s favorite bookstore.

Remember, you can also enter for three chance to win a copy through the new blog created by my publisher, Vegan Heritage Press. Don’t delay, though, as that contest ends tonight at midnight.

You can also head over to VegWeb’s blog, register, and enter for still another separate chance to win a copy. That give-away ends May 3.

Good luck!