August 12, 2011August 21, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Lima Bean Puree with Heirloom Tomato Sauce Rustica

Yield: 4-6 servings

Like so many of my recipes, this one was inspired by a visit to Stoney’s market, my go-to farm market, as it’s the closest to our home, the staff is very friendly and the atmosphere appealing, it’s open every day, and the produce, mostly grown across the street, is beautiful and delicious.

I purchased a bag of shelled Lima beans, but I just couldn’t get excited about eating them whole. So I thought of a puree, but the mild creaminess of the beans would need something to brighten them up in terms of color and flavor. For flavor, lemon zest and a little tarragon did the trick. For color–since red and green are complementary on the artist’s color wheel–a rustic heirloom tomato sauce seemed the perfect pairing. The end result is as pretty as a picture.

Lima Bean Puree:

1 1/4 pounds of shelled fresh beans (not dried), rinsed and drained

2 generous teaspoons powdered veggie base or bouillon cubes

Pinch sea salt

1/3-1/2 cup water in which beans were cooked

1 large clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh minced

Zest of 1 large lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Place beans in a 2-quart saucepan and barely cover with water. Add veggie base and salt. Loosely cover and place over medium-high heat. When simmering, reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain beans reserving 1/2 cup liquid (and the remainder for another purpose). In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade process beans with 1/3-1/2 cup reserved liquid, salt, garlic, and olive oil until smooth. Add tarragon and lemon zest and pulse a few times. Check for seasoning and adjust with additional sea salt, if needed, and black pepper. Reheat in the microwave if necessary. Note: After the leftover puree sat in the refrigerator over night, it stiffened considerably. So, I incorporated some of the reserved bean liquid into the puree to restore its creaminess before reheating.

Tomato Sauce Rustica:

You can be very “approximate” with these measurements, as you can’t go wrong!

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium tomatoes (preferably heirloom), cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

Pinch sea salt

2 tablespoons white wine

2 tablespoons snipped chives

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of salt and saute, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until tomatoes are softened and garlic begins to turn golden. Reduce heat if necessary. Add wine and simmer 2-3 more minutes or until mixture thickens. Stir in chives and remove from heat. Serve warm over warm Lima bean puree.

For 150+ additional seasonal recipes not on this website, I invite you to explore The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

August 8, 2011August 8, 2011 by betsy

VegWeb Offers 2nd Blooming Platter Cookbook Give-Away

I was so flattered to learn that VegWeb Weekly is offering a second give-away of a signed copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook!

And I was ever more flattered to read what their Web Master had to say about it:

“Sometimes a person has to look outside of VegWeb for a recipe. I know, it’s scary, but true. Luckily for us, there are about a million amazing vegan cookbooks out there! One of my latest favorites is The Blooming Platter by Betsy DiJulio. Filled with recipes like Southwestern Tempeh and Corn Pie, Blooming Vegetable Calzones, and Spicy Baja Tacos, it’ll have you full until next winter! Besides, it totally needs its own category in Cookbook Lab, and I think you’re just the person to start it!”

If you are subscriber to the food-filled VegWeb Weekly, enter to win! But hurry, the contest ends on Tuesday, August 9, 2011. As of August 3, nearly 40 people had entered!

If you’re not a subscriber, I’m sure you would enjoy it. However, there probably isn’t enough time to be “approved” and enter by the 9th. But you could try!

August 7, 2011August 7, 2011 by betsy

Niven Family Wines Should Be On Your Vegan Table Alongside Your Blooming Platter!!

A special part of the book-signing dinner for The Blooming Platter Cookbook in San Francisco last month was a really fun wine reception, as well as different wine pairings for each course of the fabulous meal at Millennium Restaurant.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — A Sea of Wine Glasses Shimmered on the Table

Made possible by John and Yvonne Niven, our co-host, Yvette Hetrick’s parents, the 5 labels that were served before and during the dinner comprise what are known as the Niven Family Wines. The business is a multi-generational boutique affair nestled into Edna Valley near San Luis Obisbo in the central coast of California. Committed to ensuring that these vineyards will remain for the enjoyment of generations to come, the Niven Family Wines proudly bear “SIP” certification (Sustainability in Practice).

There are hundreds of great wines out there. But, more and more, I’m interested in wines with a story. And the Niven story is one I embrace. Plus, what they offer truly is great wine made by great people.

All five labels hail from a single estate in what the owners describe as “an extreme range of wines…in a wide array of carefully focused styles.” Here’s a quick run-down:

Baileyana–Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah from the Firepeak Vineyard

Tangent–like the name implies, alternative white varietals–“a niche and purpose driven wine with all these cool, funky alternative white wines” (sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, albariño, pinot blanc, ecclestone, viognier, riesling, and grenache blanc)

Zocker–Grüner Veltliner (at the time of this post, Riesling is coming soon)

Trenza–Spanish-inspired new world blends (Tinto, Blanco, and Roado)

Cadre–Pinot Noir (from the South Central Coast)

Overall, the wines are very affordable (well under $20), even without the club price. Baileyana runs between $23-27 and, at around $50, Cadre is the priciest.

Baileyana and Tangent are probably the best known, but that shouldn’t stop you from sampling the others. I’ve been a fan of Baileyana Chardonnay since Yvette had a case sent to my 40th birthday party at Prospect Hill B&B in Charlottesville, VA. But Zocker is only one of my many new favorites.

To learn much more as well as to order any of the wines, visit the beautiful Niven Family Wine Estates website where each label has its own distinctive home page and a simple ordering process, along with wine club offers.

And for a really informative and fun overview about these wines, check out Wine Country This Week Magazine.

Below is a photo of the Niven Family Estate Wine Tasting Room located in a 1909 schoolhouse in Edna Valley near San Luis Obisbo in the central coast region of CA. For Yvette’s 40th birthday a few years ago, which included a tour of the vineyards, we enjoyed lunch under tents set up on the front lawn.

August 6, 2011August 6, 2011 by betsy

Cookbook Give-Away: American Vegan Kitchen

In a “down” economy, what’s better than something entirely free?

Nothing! Especially if that something is of high quality and full of delicious recipes for American comfort food like Tamasin Noyes’ American Vegan Kitchen. And who couldn’t use some comfort about now?

Tamasin is a fellow Vegan Heritage Press author and it is my pleasure to offer this give-away of her cookbook. If that cheesecake photo on the cover alone doesn’t make you want to own this book, there are lots more reasons inside.

So, come along and enter to win this bit of comfort between two covers. It couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is comment to this post by Friday, August 12, 2011, at midnight with YOUR favorite summertime vegan comfort food. I thought that would be fun because it combines the seasonal emphasis of The Blooming Platter Cookbook with Tamasin’s emphasis on comfort food classics.

Share with your friends on FB and otherwise, and next Saturday I will salute the lucky winner!

August 5, 2011 by betsy

Visit to VegNews Magazine Headquarters

Today, when I received my August e-issue of VegNews Magazine’s “VegNewsletter”–both are upbeat and informative veg lifestyle publications–I was reminded that I wanted to share a little snippet of my visit to the VegNews headquarters when I was in San Francisco for The Blooming Platter Cookbook signing dinner at Millennium Restaurant.

Editor, Colleen Holland, had invited me to stop by on the afternoon of the dinner, and she and and publisher, Joe Connelly, were so hospitable when they welcomed me to the relatively new home (just 8 months old) of VegNews Magazine. It was such a treat to be able to chat with them about all of our work and take a tour of the offices just before they had to slip into a design meeting.

Located in the colorful Mission District on the second floor of a commercial building, the space is light and airy. Throughout the color scheme is black and white with energizing pops of red as you see in the photo. By no means, plush, the feel is pleasantly minimal, fresh and modern.

I was so glad to know that the good folks at VegNews have a lovely space in which to do the important work that they do. Let’s all support them as they continue to grow with their positive veg message!

The only downside to the visit was that after my good friend and host picked me up, we rounded the corner and a sweet older man decided to switch lanes, running right into us. And us with a book-signing dinner just two hours away! We were all going very slow and were all okay, so no harm, no foul. Whew!

July 31, 2011July 31, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Spicy Chickpeas Romesco a la Ubuntu Restaurant

Yield: 4 servings

The fun and delicious vegan food continued to flow in California after The Blooming Platter Cookbook book-signing dinner at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco.

The next morning, our host Yvette Hetrick, her husband Randy, my husband Joe, and I took a TRX class at the TRX Training Center and then headed to the Napa Valley for two nights at Auberge du Soleil (think yoga each morning in The Pagode that looked out over the terraced vineyards), a belated “milestone birthday” celebration for grateful me.

For Saturday night’s dinner, Yvette had made reservations at Ubuntu, a 1 Michelin starred vegetarian restaurant in the town of Napa. So amidst a chorus of teasing from our husbands, we set off to find this mecca of plant-based cuisine. And it turns out that all of us–even the guys–were glad we did.

A warm and energetic ambiance in a converted warehouse space provided the context for our stellar meal of one tapas style dish after another, most made with produce and herbs from the restaurant’s organic garden. All of the vegetarian dishes on the menu can be prepared vegan, so I went vegan while the others opted for some cheese.

One of the vegan dishes that was a favorite of all of ours was not on the menu, but we eyed it on some other diners’ table. Happily, we were told that it was considered a bar snack but that we were welcome to order it, so order we did. These chickpeas with Romesco Sauce were so delicious–tender chickpeas in a silken, vibrant sauce perfect for “sopping” with a little bread–that we ended up ordering them again later in the meal.

Back here at home in Virginia, I was fantasizing about that Romesco Sauce, among many other dishes from our tantalizing meal at Ubuntu. So first, I created my new Golden Grape Tomato Tart with Spinach Pesto and Spicy Romesco Sauce. Afterwards, with leftover Romesco Sauce in the fridge, I decided to try the dish that inspired it all. The key to this dish, in addition to the livelyRomesco, is the drizzle of olive oil at the finish. By all means, if you’re fortunate enough to have an opportunity to dine at Ubuntu, do! But if not–or in between visits–I hope my dish will tide you over.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped into 1/4-inch dice

Pinch sea salt

1 medium tomato (preferably an heirloom), cut into 1/4-inch dice (a generous half-cup)

1-2 large cloves garlic, minced

1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup Romesco Sauce

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: a drizzle of fruity olive oil, olives and cilantro sprigs

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Cook another minute or two if you want a little color to develop. Add tomato and garlic and cook down, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes, or until tomato juices release and start to evaporate. Add Chick peas and heat through, followed by Romesco sauce and smoked paprika. Cook until mixture is hot through and thickened. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed. Serve drizzled with olive oil–it adds just the right finish to the dish in taste, texture and appearance–and garnished with olives and cilantro.

July 29, 2011August 13, 2014 by betsy

Vegan Thai-Fusion Beet Sushi with Vegan Thai Chili-Garlic-Ginger Mayo

Yield: approximately 12 pieces of sushi

With beets in the fridge and an ever-present craving for Thai food, I decided to “bring” this dish to An Unrefined Vegan’s weekly Vegan LINKY Potluck 7 today.

My husband, “a vegan and more” as he likes to call himself, is wild for sushi. Many are the times I’ve sat and sipped miso soup, sake, and hot green tea while he satiates himself on huge platters of the stuff.

I think it is absolutely beautiful. The colors and presentations are beyond reproach. It’s just the death and dying aspect I have issues with.

So, being a huge fan of beets and able to buy them fresh and local this summer, I was trimming some one day when I had an “ah-ha” moment. It suddenly occurred to me that thin translucent slices of beet were reminiscent of raw fish flesh and that, perhaps, if I simmered them in some seaweed brine, they might also have a pleasant taste of the sea. And they did!

For some reason, my taste buds were telling me to go with a Thai-fusion approach, so I created a mayo–more often served in hand rolls than on sushi per se–tingly with typical Thai tastes. As the base, I decided on a sticky coconut rice. The combination of tastes and textures is as delicious as it is beautiful. I’m so excited to share this stunning dish with you!

Vegan Thai Chili-Garlic-Ginger Mayo:

Note: you may have more than you need, but save it for another purpose or for extra dipping, as working with smaller amounts is a little tedious in the measuring department. Also, I refrigerated my sushi for a few hours before serving, which is why it turned pink. It starts out more of a pale creamy color with flecks of green.

3 tablespoons vegan mayo

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce

1 teaspoon vegan fish sauce

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (about a 3/4-inch piece peeled and grated)

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Coconut Sticky Rice:

1 cup jasmine rice

1-15 ounce can thick coconut milk (not the sweet “Cream of Coconut)

Pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce (sold as vegetarian fish sauce at Asian markets)

Combine rice, coconut milk, and sea salt in a loosely-covered 2-quart saucepan (I like a non-stick for this) and place over medium-high heat. When mixture comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium or a bare simmer and cook, stirring frequently (or it will scorch on the bottom!), for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice appears moist and sticky. Removed from heat, stir in vegan fish sauce, and set aside to cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, cook beets.

Beets:

2 cups water

1/4 cup dulse flakes (red seaweed flakes)

Pinch sea salt

Approximately 3 medium beets, peeled, and thinly sliced into whatever shape/size you desire to sit nicely atop their rice bases (I halved them lengthwise, placed the flat side down, and then thinly sliced them).

In a 1-quart saucepan, stir together water, dulse flakes, and sea salt. Add beets, cover loosely, and place over medium-high heat. Simmer gently, reducing heat if necessary, just until beets are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, but avoid rinsing. Some of the dulse may adhere to a few of the slices and, if so, just brush off with your fingers rather than rinsing. Let cool to room temperature.

Assembly:

Scoop up palm-size balls of rice (about 1/12 of the total amount) and squeeze firmly in your palm, shaping into a “log” about 2 1/2 inches long and about 3/4 to 1-inch tall. Place on a work surface, spread with about 1/2 teaspoon of the Vegan Thai Chili-Garlic-Ginger Mayo, and top with beets, however many slices cover the top nicely. I like to slightly overlap 3 small slices so that the sushi can be eaten in several bites. Transfer to a serving platter or plates. Repeat with remaining ingredients and garnish platter or plates as desired.

Optional garnishes:

Whatever you have and/or think would be pretty is what you should use! I used dabs of spinach pesto because green is so pretty with the color of the beets (but dabs of a mint or cilantro chutney or mint/cilantro oil squeezed into decorative lines would be nice too), cilantro sprigs (but Thai basil or mint would be lovely), and cashews (though chopped peanuts would be appropriate too).

July 28, 2011July 28, 2011 by betsy

San Francisco’s Spectacular Vegan “Millennium Restaurant” was Location of Blooming Platter Cookbook Book Signing Dinner

The Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco was the first vegan restaurant in which I ever dined. It was many years ago while at an art conference with my good friend, Anne Wolcott, who had heard about it. (If you live in San Fran or ever visit the area, do yourself a favor, and put this restaurant on the top of your list!)

I thought my initial experience was spectacular and I would hazard a guess that many, if not most, of this gourmet restaurant’s patrons are not necessarily vegetarian or vegan, just lovers of delicious, beautiful and creative food. I was so enchanted by it that I purchased one of their cookbooks and it has remains a source of inpiration.

So, when my dear San Francisco friend, Yvette Hetrick, suggested a private West Coast book-signing dinner for The Blooming Platter Cookbook in combination with a trip to the West Coast to celebrate one of my “milestone” birthdays, the Millennium leaped immediately to mind. Planning the party for 30 in the restaurant’s private “Millennium Wine Room” with the help of general manager, Alison Bagby, was a delight.

Now in a new location on Geary Street, but still connected to a hotel, the food and atmosphere are as appealing as ever. For a very affordable price of $50 per person, not including wine (more on this soon!), the chef offered three appetizers (including corn flour-dusted fried oyster mushrooms to die for–reminiscent of fried calamari–and everyone’s favorite); a delightfully fresh salad with a lemony dressing; 3 different entrees with beautiful sides and sauces (an Asian crusted tofu, a tamale, and a beet-and-barely cake); and either sorbet or my choice: Chocolate Almond Midnight, the restaurant’s signature dessert.

One of the guests, who were almost entirely meat-eaters (but very generous in their embrace of The Blooming Platter), said after tasting the Chocolate Almond Midnight, “I would become vegan for the desserts alone!”

July 26, 2011July 26, 2011 by betsy

Barnes & Noble Booksellers Hosts Book-Signing/Discussion for The Blooming Platter Cookbook

This is an invitation to anyone in Hampton Roads Virginia–or with friends or family in the local area–to join me for a book-signing and informal discussion generously hosted by the Barnes & Noble at Town Center in Virginia Beach.

The launch party and book-signing at Mayer Fine Art was so well-attended and the guests so generous, but if you happened to miss it or would like to pick up another book or two as gifts–SO many people have purchased them as gifts–or just want to stop by to chat, we would love to have you.

Similarly, if you live here or have friends here, please feel free to share with them via email or Facebook. I am so appreciative for all of the support.

The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Book-signing and Discussion

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

4485 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, 757-671-2331

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

7 -8 p.m.

When the focus is seasonal, the flavor is sensational!

Hope to see you there!

~Betsy D.

July 25, 2011August 27, 2017 by betsy

The “Dark” Secret to Perfect Vegan Egg Salad!

My vegan egg salad is–if you’ll allow me to brag for just a minute–divine. Last year, it was even included in a Vegan Top 50 List.

But, at some point, perhaps in her vegan brunch cookbook, Isa (who needs no last name, like “Madonna” or “Sting”), mentioned that the addition of Indian black salt has a sulpher-y flavor uncannily similar to eggs. One sniff, and you know she’s right!

I’ve been intending to try it for a long time, but just never remembered when I’ve been in one of our Indian markets (we have two now!). However, a couple of weeks ago, we were in the Napa Valley and happened through Yountville, home of the famous (non-vegan) French Laundry and the food/home boutique Napa Style.

So we passed on the former, but popped into the latter where we were greeted with a stunning salt display! It happened to be a huge mosaic hunk of gorgeous pink Himalayan salt–my newest obsession–but I inquired about black salt and was offered a tester. One taste and I was sold, so a a perfect little canister went home with me tucked in my luggage. (BTW, “black” salt is actually a pearly gray-pink.)

I paid too much for my stash, but, again, after one whiff, I knew it was the missing ingredient in my egg salad. To confirm this belief, I had whipped up a batch a day or so ago and two friends dropped by yesterday, separately. I offered them a spot of it and, though neither are vegans, they pronounced it the best egg salad (not vegan egg salad, but egg salad, period) that they’ve ever eaten.

So, I’m sharing the recipe again here with this substitution. However, if you don’t have and can’t get black salt, just make it with sea salt and you’ll still love it on a cracker as depicted, on a sandwich, or my favorite low-cal/high-health way: on a cucumber slice.

Yield: approximately 2 cups

14 ounces firm tofu, drained (not Silken–a test proved it to be unsatisfactory)

1 1/2 teaspoons black salt, or to taste (you may substitute sea salt for a different, but still delicious, result)

2 stalks of celery, trimmed, sliced vertically into 4 strips and sliced thinly crosswise

3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (if you don’t have any on hand, use white vinegar or even sweet or dill pickle juice)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (I like a generous 1/2)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill

1 teaspoon natural sugar or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mash tofu with salt in a medium-size bowl using a potato masher or a fork. Don’t worry about over-mashing, as the texture seems to improve with additional mashing. Fold in celery with a fork. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except black pepper and fold it into the tofu mixture until the dressing is completely incorporated. Adjust seasoning with additional black salt, sugar, and pepper if needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.