by betsy

Vegan Guacamole (or Vegan Knock-offamole) with Homemade Vegan Flour Tortilla Chips

Yield: approximately 2 cups

There is nothing “unvegan” about traditional guacamole but, unfortunately, I developed either a food sensitivity or an allergy to avocados in my 20s. It was a sad day, as I was born in Texas and loved my mom’s “guac.” But, recently, when I was making my Vegan Pea, Pistachio and Fresh Tarragon Hummus, I was struck by how similar the color and texture of the pureed peas was to mashed avocado.

So, with May peas still in season, I bought a pint at Stoney’s outdoor market, pureed them, and folded in all the traditional quacamole ingredients. I don’t think the resulting dip would fool anyone, but it is really delicious and very pretty with ruby red tomatoes dotting the creamy green puree.

Even if you can eat avocados with no ill effect, I think you’ll enjoy having this recipe in your repertoire for a little something different or when fresh peas are in season. It’s delicious plain and in quesadillas.

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

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by betsy

Vegan Lemon Verbena Ice Cream

Yield: approximately 1 quart

If you follow this blog, you know that I am a huge fan of Wheeler del Torro’s vegan ice cream. This founder and owner of Wheeler’s Frozen Dessert Company in Boston and author of The Vegan Scoop is a culinary genius. I’ve tried several vegan ice creams, with and without tofu, but wasn’t completely satisfied until I experimented with his formula.

The base for many, if not most, of Wheeler’s ice creams is a cup of soy or other vegan milk, 2 cups of soy creamer, 2 tablespoons of arrowroot (a natural starchy thickener) and 3/4 cup of sugar. You will scarcely believe how smooth and creamy the end results will be because the arrowroot thickens the base and, more importantly, reduces the formation of ice crystals.

Last summer I made lots of varieties and would hate to have to choose a favorite. This summer, with my first ever full-blown herb garden in full bloom, I decided to inaugurate ice cream season with Vegan Lemon Verbena. And, boy, am I glad I did. It was 97 here on Saturday. If you’re a frequent visitor, you know that lemon verbena is one of my favorite new herbs. The amount called for sounds like a lot, but it was really just about 3-4 nice-size stems.

If you don’t grow this plant, run, don’t walk, to your nearest garden center or farmer’s market and buy yourself a lemon verbena plant. It is unbelievably versatile for both savory and sweet dishes.

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 tablespoons arrow root powder
3/4 cup sugar
approximately 70 lemon verbena leaves, rinsed and completely dried (about 3-4 stems)
3/4 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be nice)
2 cups soy creamer
Optional garnish: sprigs of fresh lemon verbena

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup soy milk with arrowroot powder until smooth. Set aside. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, place sugar and lemon verbena leaves until leaves are finely minced. Pour remaining soymilk, soy creamer and sugar mixture into a small to medium saucepan and stir to combine. Place over medium heat and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and quickly whisk in soy milk-arrowroot mixture until very smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature, whisk again if lumps remain, and then cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. At this point, you may simply freeze the mixture according to your manufacturer’s directions. Or, if you prefer not to have the actual leaves in your ice cream, simply strain the mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids, and then freeze. Scrape the finished ice cream into an airtight container and store in freezer. Serve garnished with a sprig of fresh lemon verbena.

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by betsy

Vegan Ginger-Ale Pancakes with Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney

Yield: 8 pancakes

As promised, here are my Vegan Giner-Ale Pancakes with a fresh peach topping. I raided my favorite outdoor market on Saturday, so I was all set to make these this morning. Believe it or not, I had pancakes for breakfast and dinner! In the morning, I tried the chutney uncooked and without the beer and in the evening I gently simmered it with the beer. I loved it both ways, but I think the flavors are better married in the cooked version and the beer adds a delicious layer of flavor. Plus, using beer in the topping means that you don’t have a partial bottle of flat beer leftover.

Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney

2 medium peaches, seeded and medium-finely diced (I leave the skin on for more color and nutrition)
1 cup “ale” (use your favorite ale or beer)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
8 large basil leaves, stacked, rolled, and very thinly sliced to make chiffonade
2 tablespoon natural sugar (or substitute an additional tablespoon of maple syrup)
4 tablespoons maple syrup

Stir together all ingredients in a small or medium saucepan and simmer over medium-high. uncovered, while you make the pancakes or until the juice has reduced.

 

Vegan Ginger-Ale Pancakes

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup self-rising flour
2 tablespoons natural or brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or to taste (or 2 to 3 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup “ale” (basically, the remainder of a 12 ounce bottle after using a cup in the chutney)
1/2 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla, lite or regular, would also be good
Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying
Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney
Sprigs of fresh basil

Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 6 dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in ale and soymilk. Whisk together until well combined. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using a scant 1/4 cup measure, make pancakes, two at a time. Cook two to three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower heat to medium, especially for second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil and pancake batter. Serve each short stack with Fresh Vegan Peach-Basil-Maple-Ale Chutney spooned over the top and a sprig of fresh basil.

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by betsy

Vegan Black Bean, Roated Corn and Orange Salad with Vegan Cumin-Citrus Dressing and Vegan Sweet and Spicy Paprika Pecans

Yield: 10-12 servings

I created this salad last Sunday for a potluck dinner party that night. All of the food that our friends brought was so beautiful and summery. My contribution of veggies and black beans lightly tossed with a citrusy dressing flecked with herbs from our garden was one of two vegan dishes. The other was a pineapple-mango salsa (which I’ll post soon), and both were crowd-pleasers.

I don’t typically like to create work for myself, but it really was worth roasting the fresh corn for a deeper flavor even though that meant cutting it off the cob which can be messy. (However, I learned a trick somewhere that should have been quite obvious: instead of holding the cob upright to slice off the kernels, lie it down horizontally. It prevents the kernels from popping off in every direction. Why hadn’t I ever thought of that?) Plus, using fresh corn means you will have cobs left over for making stock.

 

 

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

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by betsy

Vegan Lemon Verbena and Blueberry Pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

Just in time for your weekend breakfast is my latest pancake iteration…

I really did eat something besides pancakes last weekend. In fact, I have a delicious black bean salad to post soon and I would post my Vegan Lemon Verbena Meltaway cookies, only I forgot to photograph them before they were all eaten (we had a party Sunday night). I’ll make them again soon, though, as they were so perfect for summer and there is a lot of lemon verbena growing in our garden.

You could certainly substitute some lemon zest, but I wouldn’t know how much; just to taste I suppose. But lemon verbena imparts a little different taste. I think it’s a little earthier somehow and not as astringent (though there’s nothing wrong with a little astringency!).

So, if you can get hold of a lemon verbena plant, I would highly recommend it, as it has many tasty uses. This weekend alone, I made both hot and iced tea with it in addition to the cookies and these pancakes. Plus, I have all kinds of other things in mind, including salad dressings and savory dishes.

For now, though, back to the Vegan Lemon Verbena and Blueberry Pancakes:

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

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by betsy

Vegan Oatmeal Ginger-Ale Pancakes

Yield: 8 pancakes

I’m not a beer drinker, so a partial bottle of Heineken Lite leftover from last night’s beer-battered dill pickle slices was “burning a hole” in our fridge. It crossed my mind while making that batter that I bet the beer would make excellent pancakes. I love the way it fizzes and bubbles.

When I woke up this morning quite late and starved–I couldn’t sleep last night for several hours but finally nodded off at around 5 or so–I remembered the beer and decided to give it a try. Thinking of ginger beer, I decided to add some ground ginger to the batter and delicious “Ginger-Ale” pancakes were born.

Ginger and peaches seem made for each other, but peaches are not yet in season here. However, I did have some peach butter, a gift from my sister-in-law, Tina. So, I spread it between the pancakes and drizzled plain maple syrup over the top. Feeling that they needed just a little color, I crowned them with a small dollop of vegan sour cream and a fresh mint sprig from our garden. I loved the end result, especially for the cooler months. Come summer, I will definitely serve my new “Ginger-Ale” pancakes with diced fresh peaches.

Hopefully, with this nice long weekend–at least in the U.S.–you might have an opportunity to try them sooner rather than later. Happy Memorial Day!

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup self-rising cornmeal mix
1/2 cup oatmeal + 8 teaspoons (optional)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2-1 teaspoon ground ginger (start with smaller amount and adjust if desired)
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 generous cup “ale” (I used Heineken Lite, but use your favorite)
Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying
Peach Butter (or diced fresh peaches)
Maple Syrup
Garnish: small dollops of vegan sour cream and sprigs of fresh mint

Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 7 dry ingredients, except for the 8 teaspoons of oatmeal. Make a well in the center and pour in ale. Whisk together until well combined. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using a 1/4 cup measure, make pancakes, two at a time. Cook two-three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. (If desired, while they cook on the first side, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of oatmeal over the top for a little added texture.) Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower heat to medium, especially for second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil and pancake batter. Spread peach butter between 2 pancakes, drizzle with maple syrup and top each stack with vegan sour cream and mint sprigs if desired. If fresh peaches are in season, you may substitute fresh diced peaches for peach butter and/or spoon over the top after drizzling with maple syrup.

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by betsy

Vegan Fried Dill Pickles

Yield: 12 slices

Do you crave bar menu junk food every so often? I do and tonight was one of those nights.

We were low on fresh produce, but I had some bread & butter dill pickle slices on hand. And I remembered that a week ago, the chef at one of our very favorite restaurants had made me an order of vegan fried dill pickle slices–the thin long ones especially for sandwiches–using flour and soymilk. They were delicious.

I decided, just for a change, to try more of a tempura-style beer batter. So, while about a scant 1/2-inch of canola oil heated, I made a batter of roughly equal parts self-rising flour and lite beer. Then I dipped the slices in more self-rising flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper and next into the batter.

After frying them until they were a golden brown, I sprinkled them with a little paprika and devoured them with BBQ dipping sauce and fresh parsley sprigs. I intended for the latter to be a garnish, but I liked their fresh taste with the crisp fried pickles.

I can imagine these vegan fried dill pickles with all kinds of dipping sauces, maybe even an Asian one since the batter is very similar to tempura. I could also imagine seasoning the flour or batter with spices like curry powder for a whole different taste sensation.

I can’t say that I liked my batter-dipped ones better than the restaurant’s, but I liked them just as much. And as you probably know, dredging and battering are two different things, sort of like comparing apples and oranges, with batter-fried foods a bit more filling. Still, the leavening in the flour plus the beer makes for quite a light batter.

Don’t be tempted to try dill pickle spears. I tried a few with the leftover flour and batter, but felt they were too much of a good thing. Stick with the thinner sandwich slices for a superior product, including their pickle to batter ratio.

scant 1/2-inch canola oil in large cast iron skillet
approximately 1/3 cup self-rising flour
pinch salt
a few grinds of fresh black pepper
an additional approximate 1/2 cup self-rising flour
approximately 1/2 cup light beer
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
12 sandwich-style bread & butter pickle slices
Optional garnish: a sprinkling of paprika and fresh parsley sprigs

Heat oil over medium-high until a drop of water sizzles and sputters. Meanwhile, drain pickles between paper towels. Place first 1/3 cup self-rising flour and a pinch of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup self-rising flour and next 3 ingredients. Add more self-rising flour or beer if needed to achieve a pancake batter or slightly thinner consistency. Dredge pickle slices in seasoned flour and then dip in batter before carefully lowering into hot oil. Fry six at a time for a couple of minutes on first side or until golden brown, carefully flip and fry a couple more minutes on second side until the color matches the first. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot with the sauce of your choice optionally garnished with paprika and sprigs of fresh parsley.

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by betsy

Happy Vegan Birthday to Me! (The 9th Anniversary of my 40th Birthday)

My dear, dear friend, Beth Camper, a National Board Certified English teacher at our school, feted me for my birthday today in a way to rival my mother! She emailed me to say she needed to “see me” and asked when she could come down. I was in a planning block, so I told her to come ahead. A very few minutes later, she appeared in my door with a bakery box full of perfect vegan German chocolate cupcakes and a copy of Bryant Terry’s celebrated new cookbook, Vegan Soul Kitchen!

I was truly overwhelmed by her generosity and cleverness, especially since professionally baked vegan cupcakes are about as rare as polar bears in our area. When I asked her how she managed to procure them, she explained that she had called Yorgo’s Bageldashery in Norfolk, VA, remembering that they employed a vegan pastry chef. It turns out that the pastry chef no longer works there, but they gave Beth her phone number and she tracked her down to ask if she’d bake a custom order, which she was happy to do. They were delicious–not too sweet or too gloppy with frosting. In fact, they were topped with a perfectly restrained amount of the traditional coconut-pecan frosting, veganized. I say “were” because there are none left.

The cookbook Beth had heard about on “The Splendid Table” which airs on Sundays on our public radio station, WHRV. I had heard the same broadcast and was smitten with the idea of the book. Beth told me that her good friend Mary went with her to purchase it and, as they were looking through it, Mary said, “This all looks like something I’d like to have with a pork chop.” We both had a good laugh about that. I’ve never met Mary, but I know her from the stories Beth tells about her; she is one smart and funny woman. Actually, both of them are.

Since my poor husband had emergency oral surgery last night, I doubt we will be going anywhere tonight. But I still have had a wonderful birthday. Thanks to all for the cards, gifts, Facebook posts, and well-wishes, not to mention vegan cupcakes and cookbook. Not necessary, but very much appreciated.
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