April 21, 2009 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Broccoli

Yield: 4 servings

Every time I make this recipe, the broccoli never makes it to the dinner table because my husband and I stand over the pan, piping hot from the oven, and eat the florets like French fries. Carrie, a teacher-friend at my school, recently confessed that, since I shared the recipe with her last year, she has made it at least twice a week. I considered a variety of ways to make the recipe “mine,” but why tinker with perfection? Resist the temptation to gild the lily, and make this recipe just as it was conceived by Sara Moulton, Food Network star and executive chef of Gourmet magazine. Resist also the temptation to open the oven and peer in to insure you aren’t incinerating your little broccoli forest. Never fear, 500 degrees is the correct baking (not broiling) temperature and 15 minutes is the correct amount of time. I shared this recipe with our good friend Scott who called to say that he had blown it, as his broccoli looked like brain coral. My response was, “No, that’s perfect!”

2 ½ cups of broccoli florets, trimmed to approximately the size of a ping-pong ball (some may be slightly smaller and some slightly larger, but you want them to cook fairly evenly)
1 tablespoon of olive oil (avoid using more, as you don’t want the broccoli to steam)
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Pour oil into a large metal roasting pan. Add broccoli florets and toss gently to coat. Salt and toss again. Spread florets into a single layer and place pan on the center rack of your oven. Roast for 8 minutes without opening the oven or stirring. Remove, toss gently, and return to oven for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. (Broccoli should be slight browned and crispy on some surfaces.) Adjust seasoning with salt if necessary and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. These are best not reheated.

Source: Sara Moulton

April 19, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Thai Coconut Milk Rice with Spicy Carrots and Green Peas

Yield: 4 servings (to truly serve 4, this dish needs something like a simple cucumber salad to round it out)

Just home from a week long Spring Break vacation, I challenged myself tonight to create a satisfying and healthy dinner using only ingredients I had on hand. (Read: I was too worn out from a day of travel to get enthusiastic about going to the grocery store not even a half-mile away.) Poking around in the pantry and ferreting around in the fridge and freezer revealed plenty of wholesome ingredients for a Thai-inspired meal. Following is the tasty result.

Rice:
1 cup water
1-14 ounce can lite coconut milk
1 cup Jasmine rice
1-5 inch stalk of lemon grass (tough green stalk removed), cut into 4 pieces
2 Kaffir lime leaves, torn in half
2 tablespoons minced fresh or fresh-frozen Thai basil (mine was the latter)
1 tablespoon minced fresh or fresh-frozen mint (again, mine was the latter)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce (it will usually say “vegetarian” on the label)
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste

Spicy Carrots and Green Peas:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons green curry paste (it’s fiery, so start with 1)
1 generous pinch ground cumin
1 generous pinch ground coriander
1 cup baby carrots, cut on the diagonal into 3-4 pieces each
3/4 cup water
1 cup frozen green peas
1 tablespoon vegan fish sauce
salt to taste

Garnish:
1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
4 sprigs Thai basil or mint

In a medium saucepan, bring water and coconut milk to a simmer. Stir in rice and next six ingredients and cook loosely covered over medium-low heat, stirring fairly frequently, until rice is tender and creamy, approximately 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and garlic powder. Remove from heat. At this point, it is important to have vegetables prepared so that the meal can be served immediately, lest the rice become gummy.

So, as soon as rice begins to cook, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, curry paste, cumin and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, about a minute until mixture comes together. Stir in carrots just until coated with curry mixture. Then stir in 1/2 cup of the water and cook carrots a few minutes or until crunchy-tender. Stir in peas, remaining 1/4 cup water and fish sauce, and cook for a few more minutes until peas are heated through, but still bright green.

Immediately, divide rice among four shallow bowls and top with one-fourth of the vegetables. Garnish each serving with about a tablespoon of chopped peanuts and an optional sprig of fresh Thai basil or mint.

April 11, 2009 by betsy

Vegan Dreamsicle Smoothie

Yield: 1 serving

I think Persephone may have finally peaked her head up from the underworld. In terms of breakfast-on-the-go, that means it’s time to trade in my soy hot chocolate (lite chocolate soy milk heated in the mic and poured in my insulated go-cup) for this warm weather favorite. Last year, I even bought a special quiet blender so as not to wake my husband when I’m whirring it up before I leave for school. (I like the Krups 4-speed with an ice crusher feature.) This may be the world’s easiest smoothie and it’s packed with both protein and vitamins. Plus it provides a bit of hydration.

1 cup unsweetened soy milk (plain or vanilla/lite vanilla would work; I just don’t keep them on hand)

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) orange juice concentrate

8 ice cubes (somewhere between 1/2-1 cup)

optional: 1 packet of Splenda (if you allow yourself such things)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Enjoy!

April 9, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Caribbean Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

Yield: approximately 4 servings

I generally favor fresh or frozen vegetables, but I do use canned beans and canned pumpkin puree. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone, but I’m just not that much of a purist…yet. Plus, canning pumpkin is said to concentrate its beta-carotene. My good friend Sonya told me she likes this soup made with corn. Try using half a can of beans and about half a can of frozen corn so you still get some protein from the beans. Great idea, S!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (generous)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (generous)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh, minced
1-15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1-15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-14 ounce can coconut milk or lite coconut milk (lots less calories AND, sadly, flavor; but the soup is still good)
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable stock
4 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
optional: large handful of fresh baby spinach
2 generous tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons vegan sour cream
4 cilantro sprigs or a generous tablespoon of minced fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (optional but nice)

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until tender. And next 8 ingredients (along with optional spinach) and heat just until soup starts to bubble around the edges, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes to blend flavors. Stir in lime juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in bowls topped with sour cream, cilantro and optional pumpkin seeds.

April 9, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Dipping Sauce

Yield: 2-4 servings

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1-2 tablespoons olive oil (just enough to coat; more will steam instead of roast the potatoes)
salt (or garlic salt to taste)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

For flavored wedges:

1 teaspoon of one of the following: ground cumin, chili powder, curry powder, sweet paprika, Cajun seasoning, Old Bay, etc.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes into 8 wedges. Pour oil into bottom of metal baking dish with 2-inch sides. Add potatoes, salt and pepper, and optional spice of choice. Roast for 20-30 minutes (check after 20), stirring about every 5 minutes, until slightly crispy-caramelized and tender, but not too soft.

Note: your wedges will be larger than those in the photo, as my potatoes were actually too small.

Serve with Dipping Sauce:

Stir together equal parts vegan mayonnaise or my Tahini Topping (included on this site) and any pesto or sauce that will complement the seasoning you chose for the potatoes. My recipe for Vegan Cilantro Pesto (also on this site) is a great choice for plain, cumin or chili roasted wedges.

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.