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

March 29, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

Yield: approximately 14 truffles

I am posting this recipe at the request of my good friend and realtor Jonell. She and her husband came to our Valentine’s Day dinner party this year from which I sent each couple home with a little box of homemade truffles. There is a funny story here but, don’t worry Jonell, your secret is safe with me!

6 tablespoons chocolate or lite chocolate soy milk
9 ounces vegan chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark, but dark is a little overpowering)
Optional: 1 ½ teaspoons liqueur
1/3-1/2 cup cocoa powder

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat soy milk in microwave for a minute or two. Whisk in chips until completely melted, adding optional liqueur toward the end. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Using a small scoop (about 1-inch in diameter) with a release lever, dip out balls of chocolate and place onto a waxed paper- or foil-lined plate or tray.

If firm enough to handle, roll in cocoa powder and place on serving tray or, preferably, place into individual candy papers (like cupcake liners, but much smaller) and then on a tray. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. If not firm enough to handle, cover and refrigerate for several more hours or overnight. Mixture may be a bit sticky, but once you drop the balls into the cocoa powder, they are simple to shape. You may also dip your fingers into cocoa powder to reduce stickiness.

Note: if the brand of chips you purchase is sold in 12 ounce bags, use ½ cup chocolate soy milk and 2 teaspoons of optional liqueur.

Source: Vegetarian Times Magazine (no author on my clipped recipe, but whoever you are, you’re a genius)

March 29, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Tahini Topping

Yield: approximately 1 cup

This is my go-to multi-purpose sauce that can be used in place of sour cream and other creamy sauces that are drizzled or spread, as the thickness can be controlled with the amount of water and lemon or lime juice added. Similarly, it can be dressed up in myriad ways by adding herbs, spices and mix-ins like capers, sliced scallions, finely chopped olives, sundried tomatoes in oil, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, and on and on into delicious infinity.

1/3 cup Tahini
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup lemon or lime juice
salt to taste (in my opinion, this sauce requires a fair amount of salt)
freshly ground black pepper or white pepper to taste
Optional: herbs, spices and mix-ins of your choice

Whisk together Tahini and water. When well combined, whisk in lemon or lime juice. If thinner sauce is desired, add a little more water and/or lemon or lime juice. Season with salt, pepper and optional herbs, spices and mix-ins to taste.

March 29, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes

Yield: 2 servings

As hard as it may be to believe, it is a fallacy that egg is needed as a binder in baked goods or breading, as this recipe deliciously demonstrates.

½ cup whole wheat or unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened soy milk (plain works too, but is a little sweeter)
½ cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
(feel free to season to taste with pinches of cumin, curry powder, smoked paprika, etc.)
2 medium-sized firm green tomatoes, cores removed and sliced into 1/3” slices
¼ inch canola oil in a 10-inch skillet

Heat oil over medium-high heat until a drop off water sizzles briskly. Watch oil closely and remove from heat if it starts to smoke. Meanwhile, place flour, soy milk and cornmeal into three separate small bowls. Divide the salt equally among all three. Add ¼ teaspoon of both the garlic and onion powders and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper to both the flour and the cornmeal. Stir to combine well.

Dip each tomato slice into flour, then soy milk, then cornmeal, coating well. Place into oil and cook for a couple of minutes or until golden brown. Carefully flip and repeat on the opposite side. Drain on paper towel or brown paper. Sprinkle with a little more salt and serve with the sauce of your choice. I prefer my Tahini Topping which can be dressed up in myriad ways. I like a plain version of the topping with a sprinkling of capers.

Note: You will have a little leftover flour, soy milk and cornmeal, but you need the ingredients to be deep enough in the bowls to coat the tomato slices easily. The ends of the tomatoes may not take the coating as nicely as the interior slices because of the slick skin vs. the absorbent flesh.