Okay, I know Huff is the true celebrity and top dog in our household…
but I was still thrilled this week when Nava Atlas chose my Blooming Platter Cookbook as the “Featured Book“ for her VegKitchen e-newsletter (with a mere 12,000 subscribers–wow!). Follow the links to read the review and to subscribe to the VegKitchen “Recipe of the Week” newsletter, which includes much more than just a recipe.
Many thanks also to Bryanna Clark Grogan who allowed Nava to publish her lovely review of the book.
Nava and Bryanna each have new books out themselves and I am the proud owner of both Vegan Holiday Kitchen and World Vegan Feast. I have reviewed the latter, but stay tuned for a review of the former closer to Easter/Passover.
Yesterday morning, a TV crew from WVEC Channel 13 came to our house to interview “Team Huff”: all of the good folks, including our Great Dane, Huff, responsible for“Man’s Best Friend” becoming a Top Five Finalist in the “Doritos Crash the Superbowl” commercial competition! (Click on the link to watch the commercial, the blooper ad reel, see the Huff Pics of the Day and VOTE to put them in a Top Two slot which will mean the commercial will be aired on the Superbowl!)
I wanted to serve everyone a little something, though I knew no one would want food stuck in their teeth on camera. My pal and vegan cookbook author extraordinaire, Bryanna Clark Grogran, recommended sugar cookies in the shape of dog bones. Perfect!
Since my Blooming Platter Cookbook focuses on seasonal ingredients, there are no plain sugar cookies in it. However, I have a vegan sugar cookie recipe that is very good, but calls for vegan cream cheese. That’s not a problem except that I had little time and wanted something as streamlined as possible. An online search turned up a recipe from The Decorated Cookie blog. It was terrific and I recommend it highly! Just click on the link for the easy and tasty recipe. I wanted my cookies to suggest dog treats so I didn’t ice them, but the frosting recipe looks like a winner too.
Here’s a quick helpful tip: I was completely out of powdered sugar. I knew a substitution could be made from granulated sugar and cornstarch so I searched on line for the proportions. Finding two different ones, I split the difference, using 1 cup natural sugar to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. I simply blended the mixture it in the blender to make a find powder. (The directions I read said that a food processor wouldn’t work, so I didn’t experiment.) The result was just right. Be sure to scrape down the sides and blend a few times or granulated sugar will remain at the bottom of the blender.
As it turned out, everyone was too busy to eat while the taping transpired, but our guests were happy to take doggy bags of cookies with them.
As some of you may know from my earlier post or from the viral spread of our exciting news, our dog, Huff the Great Dane, co-stars in a locally produced commercial which is a Top Five Finalist in the “Doritos Crash the Superbowl” commercial competition.
Today was quite an unusual Sunday morning for us, as Joe Flannagan, the much beloved reporter for WVEC Channel 13; his cameraman, Bono; the writer, editor, and director of the commercial, Jonathan Friedman; the assistant director, Matt Friedman; and Huff’s co-star, L. Derek Leonidoff, all gathered at our home to film a spot for the 6 o’clock news, which aired about an hour ago.
It was so much fun. And the end result was such a fitting tribute to a great team effort. Go Team Huff!
Read all about it here on WVEC Channel 13’s website.
Sit. Stay. Vote!
Video Still Courtesy of Channel 13 WVEC
And Share!
Note to vegan foodies: I made dog bone shaped vegan sugar cookies for our guests at Bryanna Clark Grogan’s recommendation. Great idea! I’ll post a photo and recipe tomorrow.
Last Saturday, I had the distinct honor of delivering a program on The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes (TBPC) for an education sorority of which I’m a member: the Alpha Rho chapter ofDelta Kappa Gamma. Because of my schedule over the last year, I have not been able to be an active member, so it felt very good to be back in the fold. And the 35 or so members in attendance were so generous with their praise and purchase of books.
The 9-11 a.m. time frame of the meeting dictated brunch-type offerings, but ones that were along the lines of “pick up” food and that didn’t need to be served hot, as the meeting was held in the library of the school where several of us teach. Though the space is filled with natural daylight, it has no kitchen.
It’s my pleasure to share the menu in the next few posts starting with this sneak preview recipe from TBPC. In the cookbook, I suggest serving it as an open-face sandwich on that ultra-thin, dense and perfectly square Danish pumpernickel bread. But for the meeting, I sliced the bread in half to make “fingers,” and toasted it for a few minutes on each side at 350 degrees. That way, I could serve the bread as an accompaniment to a dish of the spread and a separate one of cucumber slices, and not need to prepare a lot of finger sandwiches in advance.
Fresh and pretty, this sandwich would also be lovely for afternoon tea, though it is a perfectly filling lunch when lighter fare is in order. A “schmear” of the luscious ginger and clove-scented spread plus one slice of cucumber also tops a cracker just about perfectly. And both the spread and cucumbers on a toasted bagel take the quick breakfast concept to a new level.
14 ounces firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 medium (8-ounce) cucumber, thinly sliced Sea salt
8 slices Danish-style pumpernickel bread
In a food processor, combine the tofu, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, cloves, salt and pepper to taste, and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in dates, walnuts, and apricots. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Spread the mixture evenly onto the bread slices, top each with the cucumber slices, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Serve immediately, two slices per serving.
As some of you know, my husband’s and my male Great Dane, Huff, co-stars with local actor Derek Leonidoff in a commercial produced for $20 right here in VA Beach and entered into the Doritos “Crash the Superbowl” competition.
The brainchild of our friend, Jonathan Friedman, “Man’s Best Friend” was seleted by a panel of judges as a Top Five Finalist out of 6,000 entries!
If you want to see Huff (and Derek) crash the Superbowl, you MUST vote, as only the Top Two, as decided by viewer vote, will earn air time during the big game!
The website for “one stop shopping” iswww.MansBestFriendCommercial.com. There you can watch the commercial, vote up to five times per day (!) per email address by clicking on the buttons provided, watch the Ad Blooper Reel, see the Huff Pic of the Day, sign up for daily reminders and more. You can also become a Facebook fan of Huff the Great Dane by “licking,” er, I mean “liking” him here. But to count, you must vote on the official “Crash” sites!
Sit, Stay, Share! …with everyone you can think of via Facebook, Twitter, email, text message or good old fashioned word of mouth.
Thanks to FARM for not only publishing my vegan White Bean and Kale Stew recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, but for also including nutritional information, Gimme Lean product information, and an article on the fast food-obesity connection. Just click HERE to access the newsletter, including recipe.
If you live in or near Washington, D.C.–or are lucky enough to visit our nation’s capital and one of my favorite cities (it never seems the same twice!)–put Restaurant Nora on your dining to-do list.
For the last two years, we’ve traveled to D.C. with different couples to ring in the New Year. This year we went with our good pals, Jonell and Scott Walthall, staying at theW Hotel again this year. It is hip and stylish and ideally located between the Washington Mall (NOT a shopping mall!) and the White House.
In trying to choose the perfect spot for a New Year’s Eve dinner, I recommended Nora’s in Dupont Circle, the first restaurant to be certified organic in the U.S. But my connection to the restaurant goes even deeper. I first learned of it years ago when my good friend, Anne Wolcott, shared Nora’s recipe for Chocolate Carrot Cake that had been published in a culinary magazine.
Anne had it made for her wedding cake and shared it with me, requesting it at some point later for her birthday. At the time, chocolate and carrots sounded perfectly odd together–a forced pairing that didn’t seem necessary or even desirable. However, when I was developing recipes for The Blooming Platter Cookbook–whose focus is seasonal–and was in need of a spring dessert, I decided to veganize and adapt the original vegetarian recipe and see what I thought. I adored it! And I hope you will. The recipe follows at the end of this post.
Back to Restaurant Nora…I asked Jonell if she would mind doing a little investigating to see if it would be appealing to the three omnivores in our party, as I didn’t want to speak for them. She discovered it to be an optimum choice, offering a 5 course omnivorous prefix meal AND a 5 course vegan prefix meal. The only difference between the two–besides the obvious–was that the omnis had several choices for all but the first course and I only had one. But one was all I needed. Each course was perfection!
The meal was light, but plenty filling, full of flavor, stunningly presented, and timed impeccably for an ideal rhythm and flow throughout the evening, lasting about two hours and 45 minutes from start to finish. Plus, the restaurant itself is so warm and inviting. The modern-with-traditional-roots appearance of the Amish and Mennonite quilts that hang on the exposed brick dining room walls embody one of my favorite aspects of Nora’s: a fresh take on classics.
Following are photos of each course (I apologize for the poor light quality), ending with my Chocolate Carrot Cake recipe. But first, here is our party in the lobby of the W ready to hail a cab to Nora’s. My stunning orange dress came from Zara’s that day (on sale!), purchased because Jonell and I had both packed long-sleeved black dresses, black tights, and black ankle boots. No way was I going out dressed as the Bobbsie Twins! My necklace and earrings are from Terri Lindelow’s “Cluster” series.
Jonell & Scott Walthall with Betsy & Joe DiJulio1st Course: winter squash and wild mushroom terrine
1) The first course for all of us was this diminutive but flavorful triangular slice of winter squash and wild mushroom terrine.
2nd course: hearts of palm and mango salad
2) My second course was a shaved hearts of palm and mango salad with pomegranate seeds and a citrusy dressing. (Hearts of palm always remind me of my father; he adores them and we usually put a tin of them in his stocking , but the socks he requested took up most of the space this year.) I have never been served hearts of palm shaved and it was a really nice way to enjoy them.
3rd Course: roasted beet and fruit salad
3) Up next was this shimmering landscape of roasted beets with fresh fruit: juicy and simultaneously earthy and bright. It was almost to beautiful to eat. Almost.
4th Course: vegetable risotto with truffle shavings
4) The most filling of the dishes was, of course, my entree. Still, it wasn’t too much: a creamy and flavorful vegetable risotto with decadent truffle shavings over the top.
5th Course: trio of fresh fruit sorbets
5) For dessert, hot tea plus a trio of fresh fruit sorbets and a cookie called a “Cat’s Tongue.
I love sorbet and it was the ideal ending to this multi-course meal: refreshing and light. But sometimes we vegans want something even more decadent for dessert. If you feel the same, I hope you will enjoy this sneak preview from The Blooming Platter Cookbook:
Vegan Chocolate Carrot Cake from The Blooming Platter Cookbook
Vegan Chocolate Carrot Cake
Yield: 8 servings
When my friend Anne Wolcott raved about the chocolate carrot cake she served at her wedding, “mouth watering” was not the first thought that came to mind. I adore both chocolate and fresh spring carrots, but I didn’t think they could be happily married. However, Nora Pouillon of the eponymous Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C., knew exactly what she was doing as culinary match-maker. Her cake inspired my vegan version.
Cake:
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons natural sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup walnut oil or canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
Ganache:
9 ounces vegan semi-sweet chocolate
chips
1/2 cup vegan sour cream
Garnish:
Halved or chopped pecans or walnuts
1. Cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and vinegar. Set aside to curdle, whisking a couple of times. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the soy milk mixture, walnut oil, and vanilla. Stir until all ingredients are well combined and no lumps remain. Stir in the carrots.
3. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the side and then invert onto the rack to cool completely, covered with a kitchen towel. Transfer to a serving platter.
4. Ganache: In a double-boiler, heat the chocolate chips until melted, stirring frequently until smooth. Alternatively, you may heat them in a microwave-safe bowl at 20 to 30 second intervals in the microwave, whisking after each. Remove the pan from the heat and quickly whisk in the sour cream.
5. To assemble: Frost the top of the cake with the ganache, allowing some to cascade over the edges. Garnish with pecans or walnuts.
Hedge your bets for good fortune–and certainly good health–in 2012 by eating your black eyed peas the Blooming Platter way throughout the month of January and beyond.
In order to be aired on the Superbowl, Huff’s commercial–the brainchild of our friend and VA Beach resident, Jonathan Friedman–needs to be chosen as one of the Top Two by online viewer vote. Jonathan also stands a chance to win $1 million…that’s a lot of dog food!
We hope you will view the commercial, love it, and consider voting up to five times per day per email address (because you can vote at five sites) between now and January 29. Just follow THIS LINK.
By the way, Jonathan, Huff, and co-star, Derek Leonidoff’s, commercial is the ONLY Finalist east of the Rockies! Bring it!
Huff sends you licks and kisses. And he invites you to “lick,” oops, I mean “like” his Facebook page HERE. And please consider sharing on your websites, FB pages, etc.
Today’s post is a toast to all of you faithful Blooming Platterists. May your generosity and support be returned to you many times over in the coming year and beyond!
This “recipe” embodies much of what I wish for my culinary life in 2012: exquisite beauty and indulgent flavors along with ordinary moments made extraordinary with very little fuss.
Not really a recipe, but just a simple method, I “invented” it while sipping Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) before dinner on the patio of one of our favorite restaurants: Terrapin. (Despite the “fishy” name, they prepare exquisite vegan food.)
On each table was a diminutive pot of fresh rosemary. On a whim, I pinched off a little stalk and dropped it into my glass. Not only was the faintly piney aroma and very subtle shift in flavor absolutely irresistible and seductive. But the way the tiny bubbles clustered around each of the rosemary fronds and flickered in the candlelight was sheer magic.
Okay, I know Huff is the true celebrity and top dog in our household…
