February 3, 2010July 21, 2010 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.

February 2, 2010July 21, 2010 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.

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

January 31, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Red Wine Onion Jam

My Vegan Red Wine Onion Jam is good with virtually anything, including a spoon. You can also control the texture by how thinly you sliver the onion. You could even dice it instead. And you may cook it down as much as you like. I was starving and didn’t cook it as long as I might have so, in the photo, it may be a little less “pulpy” than you will want yours. Any way you slice or dice it, it is addicting, including as shown with a wedge of my Vegan Brie en Croute and some beautiful red seedless grapes almost identical in color to the jam.

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

January 31, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Baked "Brie" en Croute (in Puff Pastry) with Vegan Red Wine Onion Jam

Yield: two wheels of vegan “brie”

When I was a vegetarian, one of my guiltiest pleasures was Brie en Croute or brie baked in puff pastry. Good grief that was a lot of calories, fat and cholesterol! I’ve been vegan for a few years now and, while I have made several different vegan cheeses that I love (and have included on this site), I had never attempted my beloved baked brie until today. I think I was afraid it wouldn’t work and I would be inconsolable.

But, I steeled myself and went to work, though it was hardly any work at all. By slightly altering Jo Stepaniak’s vegan brie recipe–essentially omitting the agar and water since I was going to bake mine–the “cheese” came together in a snap in the food processor. And with a fine vegan puff pastry readily available in the freezer section of most grocery stores, courtesy of Pepperidge Farm, the “croute” is a no-brainer too.

Since the base of the “cheese” is tofu and cashews, and since tofu bakes up nicely, there is no chance of oozing and running “seepage,” as there is with diary brie. So there is really nothing to be concerned about. Hot out of the oven it is a glorious thing to behold and it tastes divine on its own or, especially, with grapes and my Vegan Red Wine Onion Jam.

I’ve enjoyed Brie en Croute with all kinds of delicious things baked inside or spooned over the top–e.g. chutney or a pecan praline sauce–but onion jam is so “in” these days and it’s one of my favorite new condiments. You may cook it down as much as you like. I was starving and didn’t cook it as long as I might have so, in the photo, it may be a little less “pulpy” than you will want yours. You can also control the texture by how thinly you slice the onion. You could even dice it instead.

Now, will the taste or texture fool anyone into thinking that this is true dairy brie? No, but it’s so good (and a lot less oily) that no one will care except to be glad that the 8th deadly sin is now practically a virtue.

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

January 31, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Still Life with Vegan Roasted Parsnips, Onions and a Mini-Great Dane

I couldn’t resist posting this photo of Minnie assisting with the Vegan Roasted Parsnips and Onions photo shoot. Either she was exercising impressive restraint, or, unlike Webbie, root vegetables aren’t her thing.

January 30, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Parsnips and Onions in a Paprika-Spiced Red Wine-Balsamic Glaze

Yield: 2 servings

Happily house-bound because of the beautiful snow, our meals today consisted of what we had on hand. Fortunately, I had two parsnips, the “root” of several favorite new recipes this winter.

You’ll love my latest take on them even if you don’t happen to have truffle oil in the pantry–what a coup, right?

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 parsnips, trimmed, peeled, thick half sliced vertically, and both halves then cut into scant 1/2 inch slices
1 small-medium yellow onion, trimmed, peeled and cut into small wedges
4-6 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
1 teaspoon paprika, divided in half (or to taste)
1 tablespoon medium-dry red wine
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons truffle oil (or more olive oil or flavored oil of your choice; something compatible with paprika)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pour olive oil into a medium roasting pan or a large cast iron skillet (I use mine for everything!). Add parsnips, onion, garlic and salt, and toss well to coat. Roast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir and toss to coat and return to oven to roast for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and add other 1/2 teaspoon of paprika along with remaining ingredients. Stir and toss well to coat for one last time, and return to oven to roast for 5 more minutes or until vegetables are very tender and nicely golden and caramelized. Check for seasoning; adjust if necessary; and serve warm with some greens and the vegan protein of your choice.

January 30, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Mexican Hot Chocolate Pancakes with Warm Vegan Cinnamon-Orange-Kahlua-Pecan Syrup

Yield: 6-8 pancakes

Honestly, I had never eaten–never wanted to eat–chocolate pancakes until this morning. They seemed to smack of the worst kind of pancake house “Supersize Me” travesty. You know, the ones smothered in sickly sweet sauce and whipped cream: dessert thinly–or rather thickly–disguised as the most important meal of the day.

But, today, we awoke to a fluffy blanket of snow and had a fire going before 9:30 a.m. Joe and I built a house in the ‘burbs 10 years ago, but are tucked far back from the street on a forested dune along the banks of a salt marsh called Bennett Creek. (In many ways, it is the best of all worlds: Starbucks, Kroger and Home Depot are less than a mile away, and my husband and I both work a slow 10 minute drive away.)

Something about the whole scene made me crave not-too-sweet cinnamon-cocoa pancakes, especially since both of us had decided not to rush out. (In fact, we never left the house all day.) My go-to pancake batter happily accepted the additional ingredients to yield results that were scrumptious: perfectly balanced and appealingly subtle, yet with an appropriate depth of flavor.

I knew I didn’t want an ice cream-style topping, so I doctored up my favorite real maple syrup, first with cinnamon, then with a little Kahlua and some pecans. Feeling it needed a bit of brightness from winter citrus, I added just a hint of orange juice concentrate. The flavor was unusual–but not weird–and unusually good. Then, because of the deep color of the pancakes, I decided to sprinkle them with a dusting of powdered sugar. When I did, I thought it looked just like a dusting of snow, so I ran to the deck door and photographed them against our winter wonderland.

Gary Loewenthal in Northern VA posted a comment saying he made these, also on a snowy morning, and really enjoyed them–noting that they’re surprisingly not too sweet–substituting Cointreau for the Kahlua and garnishing with raspberries because that’s what he had. Doesn’t that sound delectable too?

Wherever you may be and regardless of your weather, you will want these unique pancakes for breakfast or brunch, if not today, then tomorrow for sure!

½ cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup self-rising flour

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 tablespoons granulated sugar, brown sugar or a combination

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsweetened soy milk (plain or vanilla soy milk would also be good–regular or lite; I was out of soy milk, so I actually used 3/4 cup water mixed with 4 1/2 tablespoons of powdered soy milk–yum!)

1 tablespoon melted butter

pinch coarse sea or kosher salt

Vegan butter and/or vegetable oil for frying

Warm Vegan Cinnamon-Orange-Kahlua Maple Syrup (recipe follows)

Garnish: a dusting of sifted powdered sugar

Preheat oven to warm. In a medium mixing bowl, place first 7 ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour in soy milk and tablespoon of melted butter. Stir together with a wooden spoon 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 a couple of minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, 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 and/or oil and pancake batter. Serve warm with Warm Vegan Orange-Cinnamon-Kahlua Maple Syrup and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Warm Vegan Cinnamon-Orange-Kahlua-Pecan Maple Syrup:

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1 tablespoon Kahlua

1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch coarse sea or kosher salt

1/4 cup pecan pieces

Whisk together and heat gently in microwave for a few seconds.

January 27, 2010February 28, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Enchiladas with Vegan Fat-Free Spinach-Three Bean Filling and Vegan Queso con Carne Sauce

Yield: Variable

Following the Super Bowl, if you have any leftovers of my Vegan Fat-Free Spinach-Three Bean Dip and my Vegan Queso con Carne Dip, here’s a really tasty and satisfying meal you can whip together in a flash. Note that while they look more like burritos, since they are “sauced,” I’m calling them enchiladas but I hope you’ll call them “dinner”:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking dish. Spoon abut 1/4-1/3 cup of the Spinach-Bean Dip into an elongated mound in the center of a tortilla (I used spinach wraps), fold one side over, fold in the ends and roll up, placing seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until you’ve used up the dip or made the amount of enchiladas you need. Then smother them with the Queso con Carne Dip, making sure to cover the enchiladas completely. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until hot and slightly “set.” Serve with vegan sour cream and, if desired, fresh cilantro.

January 27, 2010February 3, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Queso con Carne Dip (A Super-Healthy Choice for a Super Bowl Snack Supper)

Yield: approximately 4 ½ cups

My “Veggie Table” column in today’s “Flavor” section of the Virginian-Pilot featured Super Bowl snacks that, as the headline read, were “Super Dips without a Super-Size Calorie Count.”

For a lot of folks, the Super Bowl, or “Supper Bowl,” is a New Year’s Resolution buster if you resolved to eat more healthily or lose a few “LBs” in 2010.

But, no worries, you can have your favorite game night dips and eat them too. I’ve cleaned up two all-American favorites: cold spinach dip and hot queso con carne dip. Both are so flavorful and filling—thanks to loads of lean animal-free protein—that you can call them dinner. Plus they are packed with nutrition and are calorie-conscious to boot. In fact, the spinach dip is fat-free.

In this post, I feature my queso dip, the base of which comes from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. I started with her “Warm Cheez Wiz Sauce” recipe and kicked it up. Essentially, her sauce is like a béchamel only with the addition of nutritional yeast (not an active yeast) which imparts a nutty and “cheesy” flavor, miso and a few other ingredients to create a nice flavor and texture. It doesn’t exactly duplicate melted processed cheese, but you might think it’s even better. It’s certainly better for you. To this base, I add sautéed onion, hamburger style soy crumbles, corn, Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies, a couple of southwestern spices and a few squirts of fresh lime juice. I serve the addicting concoction right in the skillet I make it in for a down-home no-fuss presentation.

For a marriage made in football heaven, serve this dip with my Vegan Fat-Free Spinach-Bean Dip.

Vegan Queso con Carne Dip

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ of a small to medium yellow onion, finely diced
12 ounces Meal Starters Grillers Recipe Crumbles (hamburger style soy crumbles) or the equivalent of another brand
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
½ cup flour (any kind, but I used whole wheat)
½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon hot or sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups water or plain or unsweetened soy milk (I used 1 cup of each)
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon light or chickpea miso
1-10 ounce can Ro-tel diced tomatoes and green chilies (I used “mild”)
Juice of ½-1 lime
Coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
Optional garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat the first tablespoon of olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened. Add soy crumbles and cook until warm through. Then add corn and do the same. Turn off heat and set mixture aside. Make “cheese” sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine flour, nutritional yeast, and next 6 spices. Gradually whisk in the water and/or milk, olive oil and miso. Cook over medium heat, stirring almost constantly with a whisk until bubbly, thick and smooth. Return soy crumble mixture to medium heat and pour “cheez” sauce over. Stir to combine. Add tomatoes and lime juice and continue stirring and heating until entire mixture is bubbly and flavors are combined. Check for salt and add if needed. Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve hot with your favorite dippers.

Source for plain “Cheez Wiz” dip base: The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak