September 20, 2012September 20, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Chorizo, Apple, and Chickpeas with Fresh Kale and Cashew Sauce

Yield: 4 servings (you may have left over Kale Sauce)

Now that school is back in session for the year, my schedule is dramatically different. So, I have a bit less time to cook, photograph, and post. But, as has been the case since the launch of The Blooming Platter several years ago, I plan to offer you delicious new recipes right here several times a week with only the occasional hiatus, as in the last week or so.

We had open house at school late one night last week, my 22nd(!) anniversary was Saturday, I had a book-signing at our fabulous “Farm to Fork” event sponsored by Buy Fresh Buy Local Hampton Roads, and then I caught a cold. Whew! At any rate, I hope you’ll agree that this one was worth waiting for!

This Spanish-inspired dish is so pretty with its warm golden stew-like base and it’s fresh green sauce. And the flavors complement each other perfectly: the spicy chorizo offset and cooled just a bit by the fresh kale sauce, made rich and creamy with buttery cashews. The sweet-tart apples temper the heat of the chorizo, as well, creating a beautifully balanced fall dish that goes together in a snap. I like to serve it as tapas, but no one would take issue with a big bowl of it!

For the simple recipe, just click on over to One Green Planet who generously shares a bounty of Blooming Platter recipes with their readers. Thanks OGP!

September 8, 2012September 8, 2012 by betsy

My Latest Vegan Shoe Purchase–How Bloomin’ Cute Are These?!

Back in July, I shared my then new discovery: J-41–Adventure On vegan shoes with their Jeep technology and cool styling. I still wear them every day to walk the dogs…I even wore them with a cute dress to school on Friday! My husband thought the ensemble looked great. And he wishes that the company made shoes for men. But, alas, it’s a chicks only thing!

Now that it’s September and school has been in session for a week–I’m so lucky…I LOVE my students!–I’ve been thinking less about summer hiking and more about how to look stylish in work clothes while keeping my tootsies comfy with a lot of standing and walking on hard surfaces every day (think linoleum over concrete).

Fortunately for me, J-41 makes vegan dress shoes that aren’t too dressy or expensive. I was giving up hope after a fair amount of online searching until I thought of revisiting J-41. I mistakenly thought they only make athletic shoes. Wrong! There were several options to choose from; I selected the Jolie Vegan Wedge with a sexy little peep-toe, and their characteristic tiny floral pattern. I also love the cutouts.

Though the shoes have a little bit of a “cloggish” feel to them, I don’t think they look too “hippy-ish.” Do you? Why do shoe manufacturers think that vegans want to either wear 1) the 21st century equivalent of “earth shoes, ” 2) RIDICULOUSLY high caricatures of a platform shoe, or 3) super high end designer shoes? (Don’t get me wrong in regard to the latter…the mind is willing, but the pocketbook isn’t!)

These were around $70 on Amazon–so easy and no shipping charges!

September 7, 2012September 7, 2012 by betsy

Red Wine Reduction for Grilled Peaches

Yield: 8 servings (1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce)

In August, Joe and I joined his sisters, Terri Ann and Tina, and their families for a short vacation in Ocean City, N.J. (Our 14 year old niece, Gabriella, who is about as far removed from “Snooki” as one can get–thankfully!–does a great imitation.) The DiJulios spent part of the summers there throughout their lives and, now that both of their parents are deceased, have vowed to keep the tradition alive.

Family dinners are part of the tradition so, late one afternoon on the way home from a bike ride, Terri Ann and I couldn’t resist the Jersey peaches at a local market. Dinner was a grilled affair (marinated tofu for me) with my husband, Joe, in charge, so he put the peach halves on while we enjoyed dinner including Jersey corn and tomatoes plus sauteed kale from who knows where.

Before we sat down, I joined forces with Terri Ann (a good cook in her own right) and her husband’s son, Curt (a partner with Bonefish Grill who knows his way around a kitchen) and created a luscious, glistening, and not-too-sweet Cabernet sauce for the peaches. We all gave it a can-I-please-have-some-more? enthusiastic thumb’s up!

I served it over a plain grilled peach for me, but added a little scoop of peach yogurt that was in the fridge for everyone else, omnivores all. But, if you like, you can forget all the formalities and just eat it from a spoon!

Hopefully there are still a few summer peaches available in your neck of the woods, but if not, the sauce would be delicious over, say, grilled bananas, perhaps pears, vegan pound cake or ice cream (or both!), etc.

1 1 /2 cups Red wine (we used Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet)

2/3 cup sugar

Bring both ingredients to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and simmer gently until reduced by about one-half to two-thirds. You should have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sauce. Remove from heat. Reduction will thicken more as it cools.

Serve over grilled peaches with or without a dollop of vanilla or peach vegan yogurt.

September 6, 2012October 30, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate Wafer Cookies Filled with Fresh Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Yield: approximately 2 dozen 1 3/4-inch wafers

This Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosting is about the best thing, well, since sliced cookies. Seriously, it had omnivores requesting the recipe and laying the compliments on thick!

It is as delicious on vanilla cupcakes–heck, it’s delicious on the end of your finger!–and it is in these not-too-sweet chocolate wafers, with their perfect balance of crispness and tenderness.

Coincidentally, while looking for commercial chocolate wafers to encase this buttercream (remember “Famous” brand?), I noticed that Oreos now come filled with a berry cream. If the combination is good enough for Oreos, it’s definitely good enough for me! And by the way, this recipe for homemade wafers is very close to what I remember of the taste and texture of Famous wafers, though a tad thicker.

The Chocolate Wafer Cookies are adapted from Alice Medrich’s Pure Dessert by SmittenKitchen.com and veganized by me (just a matter of substituting vegan butter for butter and soymilk for whole milk). The frosting is The Blooming Platter all the way!

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or white whole wheat flour (I always use the latter)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) vegan butter, slightly softened
3 tablespoons soymilk (plain or unsweetened)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 recipe Fresh Raspberry-Champagne Buttercream Frosing

Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the soymilk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.

Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.

Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick, on a slight bias if you choose, and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread just a little). Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.

Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough, says Medrich — in which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.

September 3, 2012September 3, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Fresh Okra with Horseradish Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Bye-bye slime…hello sublime!

Do you know how some vegetables are utterly transformed by the cooking method, say, roasting broccoli or grilling radishes? Well, this is one of those vegetables and methods.

As a southern gal, I love fried okra, though I don’t allow myself to have it much. And, I used to love it in gumbo when I was a pescatarian. However, I’ve never found a vegan gumbo recipe I like–including at a local top notch fine dining restaurant–so I rarely bought okra because I didn’t know what to do with it.

But now I do!

Recently at Stoney’s, one of my favorite local farmer’s markets who grows both red and green okra, I was debating about what I wanted to purchase. One of the employees shared this method of roasting okra and I was sold!

It will forever change the way you think about this fury little veggie. For the best crunchy exterior–and creamy center–it must be enjoyed immediately after removing it from the oven. Also, it is best not to layer the pieces of okra on top of each other to serve, as they will steam and, therefore, soften.

2 tablespoons olive oil

Approximately 2 cups of fresh okra, trimmed

Sea salt to taste

Vegan Horseradish Sauce or the sauce of your choice

Preheat oven to 45o degrees. Pour olive oil into roasting pan. I like to use a large cast iron skillet for this because it browns the okra so nicely. Add okra and toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and toss again. Roast for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on one side (I like it fairly caramelized), then turn each piece of okra and roast 5-8 minutes on opposite side or until golden brown. Serve immediately in one layer with Vegan Horsearadish Sauce or any sauce you desire. The texture of this okra is vastly superior if served as soon as it is removed from the oven. If you are unable to serve it immediately, it will soften, but still taste good. So, I recommend reheating it in a skillet over medium-high until heated through, shaking occasionally, just before serving.

August 30, 2012August 30, 2012 by betsy

Fresh Raspberry-Champagne Vegan Buttercream Frosting

Yield: enough to generously frost 12 regular cupcakes or a single-layer cake

School started on Monday with an in-service week for teachers, so I made these beauties for a few of my teacher friends to wish them a “sweet” start to a new school year.

What a hit they were! One teacher wanted the recipe, one said they were “three minutes of uninterrupted heaven,” another sent me a text saying, “Awesome cupcake,” and still another said he was quite sure it was the best cupcake he had ever eaten! And, by the way, all of these teachers are omnivores.

What makes them so special? Well, the vanilla cupcakes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World are darn good. But the cupcake-frosting combination is out of this world. Truly, it was the frosting that sent everyone over the moon: fresh raspberries that I marinated in champagne! Actually, they were from a sangria recipe I created with Prosecco (I was testing a recipe for a major project that, fingers crossed, will come to fruition). But, for the purpose of recreating the frosting without having to make sangria first, I figured out the correct proportion of Prosecco and sugar. The flavor is bursting with berry freshness and a little tangy zip, but there is a subtle depth and complexity about it too.

These cupcakes are pretty enough for a wedding, but it would be a shame to save them for such rare occasions. Bake up a batch and make any day special!

1/2 cup sparkling wine (I use Prosecco, but champagne would be lovely too)

3 tablespoons natural sugar

1 cup fresh raspberries

2 tablespoons vegan butter

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

5 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

The day before you plan to make the frosting, marinate the berries: in a small bowl, dissolve sugar in the sparkling wine, add berries, stir well, cover, and refrigerate for 24 hours. To make frosting, cream butter, shortening, and cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, starting the mixer on slow and gradually increasing the speed so that you don’t coat yourself in sugar. After you’ve added about 2 cups of the sugar, drain berries and add all of them with another cup of sugar, beating well. Don’t be alarmed if mixture looks curdled; it will smooth out as the remaining sugar is added. Continue beating and adding remaining sugar and vanilla until the frosting is thick and creamy. You may find that you need more or less of the sugar in the marinade, as well as in the frosting, depending on how sweet and moist the berries are, respectively. So adjust as you see fit. Use the frosting immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. I like to pipe swirls of frosting on top of the cupcakes using a pastry bag before garnishing with white nonpareil pearls for a very feminine look (I purchase the pearls at our local Kroger). However, a fresh raspberry perched on top , perhaps with a mint leaf, would also be lovely.

Note: I recently saw some Oreos (they’re vegan in the U.S.!) with a berry filling! So pretty in pink. I’m thinking that the frosting would be absolutely scrumptious between two chocolate wafer cookies, no?

August 30, 2012August 30, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Lentils with Soy Chorizo, Orange Tomato, Caramelized Onion, and Kale

Yield: 4 servings

So simple, so satisfying, so colorful, and so nutritious…this dish is fabulously tasty warm, room temperature or even chilled.

I use Trader Joe’s brand soy chorizo and it is mighty spicy. I find that the sweetness of the tomato helps temper the heat of the chorizo, as does this particular selection and proportion of additional ingredients.

Though it doesn’t need it for flavor, I top the mixture with a little cashew cream for color contrast and sprinkle with just a few roasted and lightly salted pepitas (also from Trader Joe’s) for texture contrast.

It’s the ultimate one-dish wonder!

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, halved and slivered

Pinch sea salt

1-2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon natural sugar

1-12 ounce package Soy Chorizo (I like Trader Joe’s brand)

4 lightly packed cups chopped fresh kale

Approximately 18 ounces steamed lentils (I purchase Trader Joe’s in the produce department)

1 fresh very large orange tomato or 2 medium, cut into 1/4-inch dice (any color will do; I just think orange is especially pretty in this dish)

Juice of one medium lime

Optional garnish: cashew cream and roasted and lightly salted pepitas

In a large cast iron skillet over medium high, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add onion and caramelize, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add water and natural sugar. Reduce heat if necessary to prevent scorching, but you want the onions to be a deep golden brown. Transfer onions to a medium bowl.

In the same skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, break up chorizo into the skillet and saute until lightly browned and heated through. Add kale, and continue sauteing just until kale is almost tender; it should still be bright green. Add lentils and continue cooking until kale is tender and lentils are heated through. Transfer to bowl with onions, add tomato, sprinkle with lime juice, and toss all together.

Serve warm, room temperature or chilled with a dollop of cashew cream and a sprinkling of pepitas.

August 30, 2012August 30, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Mediterranean Kale Salad with Lentils, Red Onion, Orange Bell Pepper and Sunflower Seeds with Sumac Vinaigrette

Yield: 4 servings

I don’t need much of an excuse to create new kale recipes. But I actually did have a good one: school started Monday with an in-service week for teachers and I needed something healthy and filling to pack for lunch.

I create this salad on Sunday–inspired by my foodie friend Trish Pfeifer’s love of sumac (this was the first time I ever cooked with it and I’m now a fan)–and took it a couple of days ago to share with my art teacher colleages, Mylinda McKinney and Sara Reich,. They loved it!

Mylinda had brought boiled peanuts and fresh cherries, so we pooled our resources for a quirky but delicious and nutritious–not to mention brightly colored–school lunch.

Salad:

Approximately 9 ounces of steamed lentils (I purchase them at Trader Joe’s in the produce department)

1/2 cup diced red onion (you can soak for about 20-30 minutes in unsweetened soymilk to remove a little of their peppery bite if you choose)

1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice (a yellow or red bell pepper would be just fine)

4 lightly packed cups kale, very finely chopped (I use a food processor for this task)

1/2 cup roasted and lightly salted sunflower seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sumac Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon ground sumac (found in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean markets)

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch sea salt

Pinch garlic powder

Combine all salad ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss gently to distribute dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, and serve chilled.

Note: I think some diced plump dried apricots would be a lovely addition to this dish; maybe a half cup or so.