by betsy

Vegan Basil, Mint and Cilantro Pesto (The Trifecta of Pestos)

Pesto is one of those things that you almost can’t mess up. Proportions are inexact, so go by texture and taste. I like to freeze mine in little balls made to use to season soups, stews, pasta and more.

1 bunch basil, rinsed, dried and large stems removed (I used Thai basil)

1 bunch mint, rinsed, dried and large stems removed

1 bunch Thai cilantro, rinsed, dried and large stems removed

1/2 cup nuts (I used cashews, but you could use pistachios, pine nuts, etc.)

olive oil to taste and to desired consistency

a squirt of fresh lemon juice or to taste

coarse sea or kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place first 4 ingredients in food processor and process until smooth. With motor running, stream in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer. If you want to freeze it, either freeze in ice cube trays or scoop up small balls and freeze on a waxed or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. When frozen, transfer cubes or balls to zip-lock bags or airtight cartons and return to freezer.
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by betsy

Vegan Muhammara (Middle Eastern Red Bell Pepper, Walnut, and Cumin Spread)

Yield: 1 3/4 cups

This Middle Eastern spread is a hit at parties: it’s unique but not weird. And it’s so versatile because, not only is it a tasty appetizer, but a spoonful or two is delicious stirred into rice or pasta dishes, soups and stews, polenta and the like for a burst of deep flavor. I’ve had a sweeter version in one local restaurant that I didn’t care for as much, though I loved the way it was served: spread onto lettuce leaves and garnished with pomegranate seeds. I’ve also had a version similar to this one in another local restaurant, but I think mine has more flavor.

1-7 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
2/3 cup fine fresh or dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped fine (toast at 350 degrees for 10 or so minutes)
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (wonderful stuff, but you can substitute a sweet dark syrup of your choice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup oil (the original recipe called for 3/4 cup which was too much; in fact, though thicker, the spread is actually delicious with very little or no oil)

Combine all ingredients except oil, if using, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth and, with motor running, drizzle in optional oil until the mixture comes together.

Source: I cut this recipe out of a culinary magazine a few years back, but I regretfully neglected to note which one.

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by betsy

Vegan Broccoli, Grape Tomatoes, White Beans and Whole Wheat Pasta

Yield: 2-3 servings

What a satisfying supper this pretty dish turned out to be. The original recipe called for broccoli rabe and no pasta. Since rabe isn’t always available where I shop, I substituted broccoli florets and, always looking for ways to boost protein in my meals, I added a tiny bit of whole wheat pasta, since it can be a little heavy. Though I love whole wheat pasta for nutritional, taste and texture reasons, a pasta that is whiter in color–like regular bow ties–would create a prettier visual contrast, as the white beans and whole wheat pasta are almost identical in color.








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 Chocolate-Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

Yield: approximately 3 dozen cookies

This is one of those recipes that was very easily veganized simply by substituting vegan butter and chocolate for their dairy equivalents. I thought they looked a little plain–though chocolate-on-chocolate is hard to beat–so I dressed them up a bit with pretty crushed peppermint.

Cookie Dough:
3/4 cup unsalted vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Peppermint Filling:
3/4 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
3 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Garnish:
Crushed peppermint candy (place the candy in a resealable plastic bag, place on a hard surface and crush with a mallet or hammer; you may also use a food processor, though even the so-called soft peppermint sticks sound like bee-bees and can scratch the plastic bowl of most food processors)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.Add the vanilla and salt and continue beating about 1 minute more. Add the flour and cocoa and mix on low speed until a soft dough forms, about another minute. Chill dough for 40-60 minutes. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Using a small scoop, scoop up balls of dough and arrange 2 inches apart in rows on baking sheets. Using hands, form each scoop into a smooth ball. With a lightly floured thumb, index finger, or the cylindrical end of a thick-handled spoon or scoop, press straight down in the middle of each ball almost to the cookie sheet to make a deep well. Bake one sheet at a time for approximately 8-9 minutes or until the tops of the cookies look dry. Gently redefine the indentations with the end of a wooden spoon if desired. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for approximately 5 minutes and then cool them completely on racks.

Make filling:
Place the vegan chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of almost simmering water. Stir with a heatproof spatula until almost melted, 2-4 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until melted an smooth, about 30 seconds more. Stir in the mint extract. Let the filling cool, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and a bit warmer than room temperature. Using a tiny spoon, fill the well of each cookie with the filling. Garnish with crushed peppermint candy. Cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container at room temperature. These cookies freeze very nicely.

Source: Very slightly adapted from Fine Cooking magazine. My only adaptions were to use vegan ingredients and to garnish with the peppermint, which looks so pretty.

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by betsy

Vegan Cheese Ball with Chipped “Beef,” Mushrooms, Green Onions and Black Olives–A Great Holiday or Super Bowl Snack

Yield: 1 Cheese Ball

This is one of those treats I remember from childhood. It was always a favorite and it always signaled the Christmas holidays. Of course, I haven’t eaten it in MANY, MANY years, but this Christmas when I was home, we stopped over to visit the Crumbleys, some family friends–our parents have known each other since college–and Ann and her chef son, James, had actually made this particular cheese ball. I was filled with nostalgia and determined to clean it up vegan style. It’s a little late for Christmas, but it’s just in time for the Super Bowl!

1-14 ounce box extra firm tofu, drained
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon Amino Acids
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon light miso
1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon pickling or “corning” spice (grind or crush if some of the spices are whole)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Season Salt to taste
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
2-4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small or medium can mushrooms, drained (ordinarily, I would NEVER use canned mushrooms, but they are a key ingredient)–I prefer the medium size can
1 small or medium can sliced black olives (ditto about the canned product)–I prefer the medium size can

Garnish: 1 small bag pecan chips

Puree first 13 ingredients in food processor until smooth, stopping and scraping down bowl as necessary. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, except pecan chips, by hand.

Line a medium sized bowl–as half-spherical in shape as you can find–with plastic wrap. Spoon and press “cheese” mixture firmly into bowl; smooth top. Fold ends of plastic wrap over to cover. Refrigerate several hours or up to a couple of days to allow “cheese” to set and flavors to marry. Fold plastic wrap back from top surface of “cheese” ball, place a serving platter on top, and invert ball onto platter. You may have to tug gently on corners of plastic wrap to help it release. Remove plastic wrap, gently press pecan chips into the surface, and serve with crackers or small toasts.

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by betsy

Vegan Dehydrated Pumpkin Powder from Barry Farm Foods

If you’re not familiar with dehydrated pumpkin powder, I want to introduce you to one of my favorite kitchen companions. I am an absolute “freak” for pumpkin, but sometimes the water content is too high for the desired results, meaning that in order to achieve a rich pumpkin flavor, sometimes the dough or batter becomes too moist.

Enter dehydrated pumpkin powder. I order mine from Barry Farm Foods, but if you “google” the product, you will find a variety of sources. Barry Farm sells theirs in 4 ounce bags, but you can also purchase it from other sources in one-pound jars and even in bulk.

I use it in my Vegan Chewy-Crisp Pumpkin Cookies, but I want to experiment with it in a pasta dough.

They also carry a variety of other powders, like artichoke, for which I have big plans! Mmm…

Image Credit: Barry Farm Foods website. (Note: in actuality, the powder is not this yellow; it’s more yellow than what you might think of as “pumpkin-colored,” but it’s not electric!)

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by betsy

Vegan Mediterranean Couscous

Yield: 4 servings

The weather in our area has been better for staying indoors than anything else. So, I created this habit-forming dish bursting with vitamins, color and flavor from all ingredients I had on hand requiring no snowy trip to the grocery store. However, the reason I had the grape tomatoes “on hand” was because I had carried them by hand and on foot from the grocery store a day or so earlier. Though other people were driving, it didn’t seem like a good idea to me. Walking to the bank and grocery store was treacherous enough, although, actually, kind of fun.

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup coconut milk (I used lite)
2 cups couscous
4 tablespoons Muhammara (recipe follows)–optional, but adds lots of flavor and some nice color
1 tablespoon Mediterranean Pesto (I make mine from equal parts basil, mint and cilantro + olive oil, lemon juice and nut of choice)–optional but, again, adds flavor and a little color
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 green onions, thinly sliced
20 grape tomatoes, halved
4-5 black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped pistachios or cashews
coarse sea or kosher salt

Bring stock and coconut milk to a simmer. Pour over couscous, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients as you fluff couscous with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Vegan Muhammara (Middle Eastern Red Bell Pepper, Walnut and Cumin Spread)

Yield: 1 3/4

1-7 ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
2/3 cup fine fresh or dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped fine (toast at 350 degrees for 10 or so minutes)
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (wonderful stuff, but you can substitute a sweet dark syrup of your choice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup oil (the original recipe called for 3/4 cup which was too much; in fact, though thicker, the spread is actually delicious with very little or no oil)

Combine all ingredients except oil, if using, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth and, with motor running, drizzle in optional oil until the mixture comes together.

Muhammara Source: I cut this recipe out of a culinary magazine a few years back, but I regretfully neglected to note which one.
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by betsy

Both Miniature and Full-Size Great Danes Love Snow Days in Our Household

Sorry… I felt compelled to post another irresistible photo of the Danes. School was cancelled again today due to snow, so while I graded and cooked (stay tuned for a new cookie post), the pups snoozed. Perhaps this cozy scene isn’t so remarkable if you don’t know where these two started. Let’s just say Huff Daddy (the big Dane) was none too thrilled when young Mini-Me (Miss Minnie, actually), the Miniature Great Dane, came to live with us just before Christmas.

Notice the dark green blanket on our bed. That actually belongs on the nearby dog bed. Minnie–who we understand formerly lived with a homeless man who, sadly, disappeared–has maintained her gypsy ways: she carries her bedding (blankets and pillows) around with her throughout the house. (She is also quite the scavenger.) You can probably see why we chose chocolate brown sheets and blanket for our personal bedding. The “peanut butter and chocolate swirl” dogs blend right in.
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