April 9, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Cilantro Pesto

Yield: approximately 1/2 cup

I created this recipe (which can scarcely be classified as a recipe!) when I only needed a small amount of cilantro, was leaving town, and didn’t want the cilantro to spoil while I was away.

1 bunch fresh cilantro (sold bulk, not in the small plastic boxes)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or cashews
salt and pepper to taste

Cut stems off of cilantro near where leaves begin and discard (or compost). Cut leafy part of plants into about 3 sections and place in bowl of food processor with other ingredients. Process until a fairly smooth paste forms, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Scrape out of bowl into an airtight container and store in refrigerator or freezer.

Note: you may add a tablespoon or two of nutritional yeast as a substitute for the parmesan cheese that is typically in pesto. I love nutritional yeast but for some reason, in this recipe, I prefer the cleaner taste of fewer ingredients.

April 5, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Yield: 6 Servings

This soup was inspired by “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on the Food Network. While I find much of the food–not to mention the portion sizes–appalling, that show has nonetheless inspired some cleaned-up and veganized versions of diner food. Though fairly thick, this soup is still lighter than chicken pot pie because the thin crust is baked separately, broken up and served like croutons on top.

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

April 5, 2009 by betsy

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting with Variations

Yield: Enough frosting for an 8-9″ two-layer cake or one 9×13″ sheet cake (with some leftover)

This recipe is simply a veganized version of Cream Cheese Frosting that we have all been making since childhood. My earliest memory of it is on my mother’s Hummingbird Cake. I don’t know who first created this popular frosting, but he or she has created generations of addicts.

You will find it to be very forgiving and adaptable. Thicken it by adding more sugar or thin it by adding a few drops of soy milk and experiment with your favorite flavors. A few suggestions follow.

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth Balance)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (feel free to experiment with other extracts)
Plain, unsweetened or vanilla soy milk if needed

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter. Beat at medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time to create a thick creamy frosting, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Beat in a few drops of soy milk if frosting becomes too stiff. Add more sugar if it doesn’t hold its shape. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let the frosting come to room temperature before using.

Variations:
Citrus: Add the zest of one lemon, lime or orange with the vanilla
Chocolate: Substitute about 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar with cocoa powder
Coffee: Dissolve 1-2 tablespoons instant coffee or espresso powder in 1-2 tablespoons of water and add to frosting with powdered sugar
Mocha: Combine directions for both the chocolate and coffee versions

April 3, 2009February 8, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate Carrot Cake

Yield: 1-9×13″ sheet cake (see note if you prefer an 8-9″ layer cake)

Chocolate and carrots sound like a marriage made in, well, you know. But the combination in this cake is delicious, as the carrots make it even more moist, dense and beautifully textured. My good friend, Anne, used a recipe for chocolate carrot cake from Nora restaurant in D.C. for her wedding cake. Years later, for one of her “landmark” birthdays, she wanted that cake again, so she shared the recipe with me and I baked it for her. I have since veganized it by doubling the chocolate cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and adding cinnamon and shredded carrots to the batter. All it needed was a little vegan cream cheese frosting to attain perfection.

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

March 31, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 4 Servings

This recipe was mentioned in a recent post as a perennial Thanksgiving favorite by my good friend since childhood, Donna Lynn. Even as kids, my sister and I never cared for those sweet potatoes smothered in pillows of marshmallow. So, we pounced on this recipe when we found it. Simple though they may be, the flavors of the ingredients, when combined, are more than the sum of their parts. While the original recipe contained dairy, I’ve veganized it here:

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons soy sour cream (the original recipe called for 1/2 cup–nowadays that seems like too much of a good thing)
2 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
2 green onions, sliced
Optional Garnish: 4 teaspoons sour cream and the green part of 1-2 green onions, finely sliced

Either bake the sweet potatoes, oiled and pierced, for 50 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven or microwave them on “high” until just tender, about 6-10 minutes. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the pulp and, using a fork, mash with next 3 ingredients until free of lumps. Stir in parsley and green onions and spoon lightly back into potato shells. If potatoes have cooled down more than you like, return to oven or microwave just until heated through. Serve warm with optional garnishes divided among the four halves.

Source: This recipe has been a family favorite for so long that we no longer know from whence it came, so I’m going to credit my sister Ginny as she discovered it initially.

March 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Fondue

Fondue doesn’t have to mean “fon-don’t” for vegans. See how in this feature I wrote for The Virginian-Pilot (be forewarned that not all of the recipes are vegan):

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/fonduementals#primary_tabs

Photo Credit: Steve Earley

March 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Tagine

Some of the tastiest, heartiest and healthiest vegan cuisine is ethnic. A gift of a Moroccan tagine from my parents one Christmas led to my passionate exploration of this sexy cuisine as seen in this feature I wrote for The Virginian-Pilot (be advised that not all of the recipes are vegan but provide vegan alternatives):

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/new-trend-culinary-scene-tagine

Note: “Tagine” refers both to a North African cooking vessel with a conical lid and to the braised melange that is cooked in it.

Photo Credit: Todd Spencer

March 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Chewy-Crisp Pumpkin Cookies

If you’re like me, every season is pumpkin season. There is never a time when I don’t love it in soups, muffins, desserts and, with the discovery of dehydrated pumpkin powder purchased online, cookies.

If you’re a baker, you know that pumpkin cookies that claim to be “chewy,” but are made with pumpkin puree are good but more cakey. Mine are guaranteed to have a chewy-crisp texture.

Get the recipe and all the scoop in this feature I wrote for The Virginian-Pilot:

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/11/holy-grail-fall-baking-chewycrisp-pumpkin-cookie

Photo Credit: Bill Tiernan

March 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Marinated Tofu Ten Thousand Ways

A New Year’s Resolution to “Eat Clean” led to this feature in The Virginian-Pilot that showcases a simple formula for never-fail marinated tofu and suggested sides. Master the basic proportions of the following ingredients and then get creative: fat; salsa, sauce, paste or preserve (commercially prepared or homemade); acid; and a sweetener, preferably an unrefined one, plus optional herbs.

The secret is not only in the marinade, but in freezing the tofu before marinating. What freezing does to the texture of tofu is nothing short of astounding, making it “meaty,” chewy and very absorbent.

Get the full story at: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/01/eating-2009-clean-your-act

Photo Credit: David B. Hollingsworth
Photo Styling: Betsy DiJulio

March 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Backyard Barbeque

Memorial Day will be here before we know it. For a vegan menu that is cause for celebration, check out this link to a feature I wrote for The Virginian-Pilot:

http://hamptonroads.com/2008/05/host-vegan-backyard-barbecue

The article includes the following recipes:
-Grilled Basic Vegan Burgers, Soy Cheese Burgers
– Vegan Cowboy Steaks
-Grilled Corn on the Cob with Soy Herb Butter
-Grilled Veggie Kebabs

For the grilled pound cake, try the pound cake recipe at http://aveganfordinner. blogspot.com/

Photo Credit: Bill Tiernan
Photo Styling: Betsy DiJulio