by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook’s Betsy DiJulio is Cookstr’s “Author of the Day” Monday, January 7, 2013

What I thought was surely a once-in-a-lifetime honor has happened for a second time: Cookstr–“The World’s #1 Collection of Cookbook Recipes Online”– bestowed upon me the honor of “Author of the Day” today!  What a beautiful way to start the new year.  I am so grateful and humbled!

Please visit their home page where, as they told me, “…your name and photo will be the first thing our visitors see when they click onto the site.” On a continual loop  inside the box are features like “Top Picks,” “Recipe of the Day,” and “Author of the Day.”  If you don’t see it right away and have time to wait just a minute, me and my recipe for Angel Hair Pasta with Chard and Bell Peppers will come back around!

Cookstr was founded in New York City in 2008 by Will Schwalbe, together with Katie Workman, Art Chang and the Tipping Point Partners team. The Author of Send,Will left his job as SVP and Editor in Chief of Hyperion Books to found Cookstr.

The organization’s stated mission is to:

“…organize the world‘s best cookbooks and recipes and make them universally accessible.

We are setting the standard for innovation in the delivery of 100% trusted, tested, recipes to home cooks around the world. Our online recipe library offers thousands of recipes by hundreds of the top chefs and cookbook authors, that are free for everyone on Cookstr.com. This year alone, Cookstr.com powered recipe searches in over 20,000 cities and 200 countries!”

Here are a few additional reasons to visit Cookstr besides sharing in my 15 minutes, or rather 24 hours, of fame:

  • Search and browse THOUSANDS of recipes from cookbooks, all with photos.
  • Visit the iBooks library.
  • Access the profiles, with photos, of hundreds of top authors, including celebrity chefs.
  • And, my favorite feature:  access nutritional information for EVERY recipe and search recipes by dietary considerations

By signing up with Cookstr, for free of course, you will receive a free, handpicked selection of recipes in your inbox weekly; be able to save, share and comment on your favorite recipes in My Cookstr; and get updates on new Cookstr features and tools.

Cookstr really is creating “meaningful experiences around food, and support(ing) healthy lifestyles.”  Let’s all be a part!

The warmest of thanks to Cookstr and to all of you for your support!

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by betsy

The Blooming Platter (Vegan) Cookbook Oversold at Old Beach Farmer’s Market “Christmas Market 2012”–Thanks to All!

Many thanks to the generous organizers and patrons of the Old Beach Farmers Market “Christmas Market” on December 15 at Croc’s Eco-Bistro in VA Beach.  What a convivial and festive community event!  I was honored to be invited to be a part, and gratified to have sold out of my Blooming Platter Cookbooks by 10:30 a.m (the market closed at noon)!

I even had to procure more books to fill my last orders, as I’d oversold–a nice problem to have.

And what fun to be given a tent to share with the inimitable Ann Callis, co-author of the beautiful Vintage North End, Virginia Beach: An Illustrated History.  Everyone with ties to Hampton Roads needs a copy of this book and an opportunity to meet the engaging author.

Again, thanks to all for your generosity and hospitality!

Happy Holidays!

~betsy d.

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by betsy

Beautiful Holiday Dessert: Vegan Apple, Pear and Dried Apricot Crisp with Chai-Scented Streusel Topping

Yield: 8 servings (easily halves)

My fellow vegan cookbook author friend, the gifted and generous Bryanna Clark Grogan, mentioned making an apple crisp to take to a friend–along with a lasagna!–in a recent email.  I told her that I rarely allow myself to make crisps, cobblers and such, as I don’t know when to stop eating them.  They just go down so easily with their tender filling and crunchy topping.

But, alas, she “planted the seed” and I couldn’t resist, especially since I had all of the ingredients on hand, and since Hurricane Sandy was pelting our coast at the time making venturing outside unappealing at best.  I had inadvertently neglected to post it back then, but decided to now, as I think it would make a beautiful and welcome addition to your holiday table.

Lately I’ve seen several recipes for chai-flavored this and that, which sounded perfect for this cool and drizzly day.  So, I decided that my Crisp’s streusel-like topping would be infused with all of those warm chai spices, including the somewhat surprising black pepper.  I found my ratio of spices quite delectable, but feel free to experiment, as proportions vary widely, at least in the recipes I consulted, so that I ultimately decided to create my own.

Wow!  The aroma in our kitchen was particularly inviting!  I think you’ll love the tanginess and slight chewiness of the dried apricots playing off of the otherwise creamy and sweet–but not too sweet–apple and pear filling.  And the gentle heat of the black pepper is perfect in the mix.

Enjoy with vegan vanilla ice cream or your favorite vegan whipped “cream”!  I would love for you to try my “invention” of Vegan Whipped “Cream” published in November by VegNews (thanks VN food editors!).  It is unlike anything else I’ve seen published in print or online.  Very exciting…and you will love it.  Just be sure to “whip it good”!  (Bryanna was my co-tester for this recipe and when she gives something a “thumb’s up,” you KNOW it’s the best.)

I hope you have the bloomin’ best holiday ever!

 

2 tablespoons olive oil (you may substitute vegan butter, but there is a fair amount of vegan butter in the topping)

2 large apples (any sweet-tart variety recommended for cooking), stemmed, cored, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

2 small pears, stemmed, cored, and cut into 1/2 to 3/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup natural sugar

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (about a 1/4-inch dice)

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Chai-Scented Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Accompaniments: vegan vanilla ice cream or vegan whipped “cream”

Oil 8 1/2-cup ramekins, place them on a baking sheet, and set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large cast iron skillet set over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering.  Add apples, pears, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.  Saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes, or until tender and just starting to break down.  Add apricots and cook, stirring, one minute more.  Turn off the heat and stir in flour just until well-incorporated.  Divide the  mixture evenly among ramekins and top with Chai-Scented Streusel by breaking it into small moist clumps almost completely covering the top surface of the filling.  Place the tray of filled ramekins on the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until filling is bubbly and streusel is golden brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving accompanied by ice cream or whipped “cream.”

 

For the Chai-Scented Streusel Topping:

3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

Optional: 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I didn’t have any or I would have added)

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup natural sugar

1/2 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup vegan butter

Combine all dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl.  Break butter into pieces and work into dry ingredients with your fingers until well-combined.  Avoid over-working or butter will melt from the heat of your hands.

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by betsy

The Blooming Platter All Girls 12th Annual “Christmas, Chanukah, Curry & Cakes 2012”–Vegan Hors d’ouevres and Holiday Swap

12/12/12 marked the eve of the 12 anniversary of my annual “Christmas, Chanukah, Curry & Cakes” party.  That’s a lot of twelves!

Each year, about 20 or more (not 12) of my “peeps” gather at Joe’s and my home on the second Wednesday of December for some holiday cheer.  For ten years, the format was a veg curry dinner–with lots of fun toppings–and gifts for all.  Nobody was complaining…quite the opposite: it was a much-anticipated get-together.

But, last year, I decided to shake things up a bit by hosting the annual fete as a “swap” of new or gently used items no longer needed or wanted.  It was such a hit–we all got so much holiday swapping done!–that I did it again this year and probably for the next ten!  You can read all about last year’s party,  including simple directions for hosting your own swap and the vegan menu with some dishes from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, HERE.

For this year, I changed all but one dish–the Indian Saag Dip–to create the following menu:

*Indian Saag Dip with Rice Crackers

Roasted Pumpkin with Pepita-Sage Pesto

(served with toothpicks)

The Blooming Platter Tofu Egg Salad with Melba Toast Rounds

*Brie with Red Grape Chutney atop “Everything” Crackers

**Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies with Dark Chocolate Drizzle & Sugar Pearls

Organic Cava

*From The Blooming Platter Cookbook (Note: I didn’t wrap the brie in pastry and bake it.  Rather, I spread the chilled “cheese” on a serving platter and topped it with a different chutney than that in my cookbook.  For a similar result, you could substitute red grapes in the recipe in the cookbook recipe.)

**This delicious and simple recipe is not yet posted–sorry!

 

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by betsy

My Friend Bryanna Clark Grogan’s Homemade Vegan Palm Oil-Free “Buttah” is Perfect for Holiday Baking

If  this week finds you firing up the oven for some last minute holiday baking, as it has me (Vegan Red Velvet Shortcake Cookies anyone?), I recommend that you try homemade vegan palm oil-free “Buttah” created by my new friend-across-the-miles and fellow Vegan Heritage Press cookbook author, Bryanna Clark Grogan (World Vegan Feast and others).

It cooks up and bakes up beautifully!  Heck, it even freezes well.  So make a double batch and freeze half. Find the back story, the eco-rationale, and the recipe HERE, on Bry’s blog.

I am preparing tins of the aforementioned cookies (so pretty with a dark chocolate drizzle and sugar pearls) and Vegan Smoked Paprika and Garlic Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (with Nutritional Yeast) for students, a couple of friends, and my freelance clients.  The Pepitas, especially, should come with a warning!  A recipient of the first batch on Saturday night texted me a photo Sunday morning of him eating them by the spoonful saying, “It’s all over but the shouting now!”

On a more serious note…Sunday night, I made dinner and a tin of the Pepitas for a good friend who, sadly, is battling stage 3 breast cancer and has been advised against soy since her cancer is estrogen positive.  (This is somewhat controversial in medical and health circles, but she is following her doctor’s advice for now.)   Though there is a soy-free Earth Balance vegan butter, I didn’t have any, so I made the recipe with olive oil instead of butter and bumped up the amount of spices and nutritional yeast.  Delicious!  So, if you or anyone you know is avoiding soy, know that olive oil is a more than respectable substitute.

Get your baking on with Bry’s Buttah!

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by betsy

Vegan Winter Holiday Recipes Abound in The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Indian Saag Dip from The Blooming Platter Cookbook

Are you in need of accessible, but creative holiday recipes that you won’t find anywhere else?  If so–and who isn’t!–look no further than The Blooming Platter Cookbook. 

My12th Annual Christmas, Chanukah, Curry & Cakes party is this Wednesday and I plan to pull out my copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook, make my menu and shopping list this weekend, and begin the preparations for this beloved gathering.

I used to host the party as a vegan curry buffet dinner with gifts for about 20  dear friends.  But last year, I changed it to a “Swap” with vegan curried hors d’oeuvres conducive to browsing.  It was such a hit, that I decided to host a Swap again this year.

Click HERE for a fun look at last year’s party, including the menu and a description of my foolproof approach to hosting this type of event where guests bring unused or gently used home & garden items, clothing, accessories, and art to swap with each other.  Ours even ended up benefiting charity, not only through the few leftover items I donated, but through cash that guests used to purchase items when their tokens ran out!

While they shopped, my guests enjoyed, among other things, these dishes all from The Blooming Platter Cookbook:

Bloomin’ Broccoli Dip

Curried Cous-Cous

Indian Saag Dip

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

The Blooming Platter Cookbook also makes a great gift…but not just for vegans!  Anyone who loves fresh, inventive food will find “4 Seasons of Yum!”

As always, while I encourage buyers to support their local booksellers, Amazon is offering some incredible deals right now.

 

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by betsy

Vegan Smokey Pumpkin Grits with Shitake Mushrooms in Kale Pesto and White Wine Cream Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Simple as it is, my Smokey Pumpkin Grits with Shitake Mushrooms in a Kale Pesto Cream Sauce is one of the tastiest and most satisfying dishes you will ever eat.  Perfect for a fall or winter dinner or brunch, it is both rustic and refined.  The smoked paprika in the grits and the smoked almonds in the pesto are a perfect pairing.  Add to that the smokey notes of Chardonnay, and you have a tasty trinity indeed.  Visually, it is also appealing with the warm, golden-toned grits setting off the creamy green-flecked mushrooms to delicious advantage.  I hope you’ll enjoy this dish many times this fall.  Note:  the pesto recipe makes far more than you will need for one recipe of the mushrooms.

Vegan Smokey Pumpkin Grits (click on the title to go to my recipe on One Green Planet)

While grits cook, prepare mushrooms:

Shitake Mushrooms in Kale Pesto and White Wine Cream Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 ounces Shitake mushrooms, stems removed, and caps cut into 1/3 inch slices (just somewhere between a 1/4 and 1/2-inch; feel free to substitute other mushrooms if desired, but Shitakes are particularly tasty and toothsome in this dish)

Pinch sea salt

1/4 cup coconut milk or soymilk creamer

1/4 cup Smokey Kale Pesto (recipe follows)

1/2 cup dry white wine (a Chardonnay is nice for its smokey notes, but use what you have)

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering.  Add mushrooms and a pinch of sea salt and saute, stirring frequently and lowering the heat if necessary, for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are softened.  Add cream and saute, stirring, for 3o seconds.  Then add the pesto and do the same.  Add white wine and cook, stirring, for a final minute or until sauce comes together and reduces down to the desired consistency.  Serve mushrooms immediately over hot grits (perhaps with a kale salad).  Garnish as desired.  (In the photo, I used fresh springs of rosemary, sage, and pineapple sage for its beautiful red colored blooms.)

Smokey Kale Pesto:

8 ounces trimmed kale (that’s one bunch with stems removed from our market)

1 cup smoked almonds

4 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon powdered thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/4 cups olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

In the bowl of a food processor, process kale in two batches until very finely chopped, returning all kale to the food processor before continuing.  Add remaining ingredients except olive oil and lemon juice and pulse until nuts are very finely chopped and ingredients are well combined.  Then, turn processor on, and slowly drizzle in olive oil and lemon juice until the mixture comes together.  Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  Or, freeze in ice cube trays and then remove and store in zip-lock bags.

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by betsy

The Blooming Platter Gets Crafty–Cool and Contemporary Ceiling Medallion Wreath

I may have mentioned before that I am an accidental DIY columnist for the Virginian-Pilot.  (Do you remember the book and move, The “Accidental Tourist?)

Don’t get me wrong: I love conceiving of each month’s project and sharing it with readers.  It’s just that I am not the crafty type at all.  So my rule to myself is that I will only present ideas–and I’ve been writing this column for well over a year–that I would not be embarrassed to have in our home or to give as a gift.  So far so good.

This month’s is one of my favorites.

Essentially, I spray-painted a plastic ceiling medallion from Home Depot silver using an inexpensive paint that bonds to plastic.

Then, using a white paint pen, I painted white dots on each of the beads that create the relief border in order to complement the white polka dots in the narrow orange ribbon.

And finally, I made and tied together two bows.  The charcoal gray one was made out of wired ribbon.  I tied the bow so that there was one short and one long tail and I knotted these tails together–concealing the knot behind the bow–to make a loop from which to suspend the wreath from an over-the-door style wreath hanger.  Easy-peasy!

The whole enterprise, including hanger, cost about $47.  But, I have lots of silver paint leftover, in addition to the paint pen, some of the orange and white polka dot ribbon, and the reusable wreath hanger.

If, like me, you favor a minimalist aesthetic, then this may be the wreath for you.  If, on the other hand, you are a fan of over-the-top holiday decorations, you could start with this basic idea and then embellish to your heart’s content using ornaments and an adhesive that will withstand the elements if you plan to hang it outdoors.

My holiday mantra is: “Simplify without sacrificing.”  But yours should be whatever you want!

 

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by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes (for ALL Seasons–even the heart of winter!)

Whether you are continuing your holiday shopping from Black Friday and Cyber Monday or just getting started, I would like to humbly suggest–with no pressure at all–that The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes might make a perfect gift for the plant-powered person in your life!

With “Four Seasons of YUM!” as someone once said, it really is the gift that will give all year… for many years.   Each chapter of appetizers, sandwiches, soups and much more is sub-divided into the four seasons with beautiful icons in the top corner of the pages, so it is a cinch to find delicious and nutritious dishes for every meal of the day regardless of the month of the year.

Beautiful things can bloom on your platter even in the coldest winter months, say:

White Bean and Pesto Tart

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Pear, Walnut and “Blue Cheese” Sandwiches

Sage-Scented Fettuccine with Butternut Squash

Burgundy Poached Pears with Rosemary-Scented Onions

Pear-Rum Cupcakes with Tea-infused Buttercream Frosting

Grits and Greens with Mushroom Gravy

I would love to see you support your local bookseller, but Amazon is running sale…If you live in the local area, I am happy to meet up with you to personalize your book.  But if you live far away, I am happy to personalize and sign a custom-designed bookplate and mail it to you or the book recipient.

Thank you for your support of The Blooming Platter; here’s wishing you and yours a lovely start to the holiday season!

~betsy d.

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by betsy

Vegan Cous-Cous and Grilled Butternut Squash with Anise, Sage, Sumac & Sesame-Scented Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings as a side dish

I have to admit: I am quite proud of myself for the combination of spices in this dish!

I think I could eat foods seasoned with cumin and coriander; turmeric and smoked paprika; or sage and rosemary at every meal and be quite happy.

But I challenged myself to branch out, and this mixture, inspired by za’atar, seemed a fitting direction for the combination of cous-cous and butternut squash.  And it is!  Now it will be all I can do not to season every recipe with “Sass” (Sage, Anise, Sumac, and Sesame)!

Garnish this simple dish any way you choose, but since I used anise in the recipe, I thought that star anise would be a lovely, homespun, organic, yet festive nod to the winter holidays.

 

2 cups cooked cous-cous (To cook: bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil, stir in 1 cup cous-cous, cover, and remove from heat.  Let sit for 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.)

1/2 pound peeled and seeded butternut squash rings, about 1/3 inch thick, grilled,and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (To grill: rub lightly with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and grill over medium high heat for about 4 minutes on each side or until nice grill marks appear and squash is tender.)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon dry rubbed sage

1 teaspoon anise seeds, ground to a powder in a spice or coffee grinder

1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

*1 teaspoon sumac (available at Middle Eastern and some Indian markets)

Pinch garlic powder

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Dried red pepper flakes to taste

Garnish: sage sprigs, chopped pistachios, toasted sesame seeds.

Place cooked cous-cous and grilled butternut squash in a serving bowl.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the top and gently fold in until evenly distributed.  Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, chopped pistachios, and/or toasted sesame seeds and serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note: sumac, with its earthy and subtle lemony flavor, is worth searching for.  But if you can’t find it, a small amount of lemon zest could be substituted, though I wouldn’t know how much to suggestion.  Maybe 1/4 teaspoon?

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