A huge shout-out and thank you to Rekaya Gibson is in order for her review of The Blooming Platter (Vegan) Cookbook for “The Culinary Scoop,” a feature of Cuisine Noir Magazine.
When you check out the magazine, notable for its beautiful photography, I think you’ll be gratified by how many vegan articles you’ll find.
Yield: 16 silver dollar-sized pancakes
As much as I love teaching, I also love having the time on weekday mornings in the summer to make pancakes for breakfast, as I did this morning. (I made a half batch which I shared with Minnie, the miniature Great Dane, so that I wouldn’t stuff myself! I know, that’s terrible; but our gal has one heck of a metabolism, and peanut butter is fine for dogs.)
I made these beauties silver dollar-sized and garnished the sparkling plate with a sprig of pineapple sage from my garden. (I love that herb; if anyone has a recipe that calls for it, please share! In the meantime, I’m going to be thinking of a dish to create that will feature it’s slightly tropical-sweet, but distinctly sage-y, earthiness.)
For this recipe, I used a bit more baking powder and baking soda than I usually do for extra lift to counteract what could have been a little heaviness from the oats. The result is light, but still toothsome.
1/2 cup spelt or whole wheat flour (I am a devout fan of spelt flour)
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup raw old fashioned oats
3 tablespoons natural sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsweetened soymilk (plain or vanilla would also be good–regular or lite)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter, warmed slightly in microwave
Vegan butter and canola oil for frying (I like Earth Balance butter)
Accompaniments: Jelly or jam (I like apricot “pure fruit”) and optional vegan sour cream
Garnishes: roasted and lightly salted peanuts and sprigs of herbs (I like pineapple sage)
Preheat the oven to warm. Make pancakes: in a medium mixing bowl, place both flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together soymilk and warmed peanut butter. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the soymilk mixture. Whisk together until well combined. In a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter, oil or a combination. (I like a combination: the oil reduces the chances of burning while the butter contributes flavor.) Using 2 tablespoons of batter, make pancakes, about five to six at a time. Cook two-three minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another couple of minutes on the reverse. Add butter and/or oil to keep the skillet greased as needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, lower the heat to medium, especially for the second side. When cooked through, remove pancakes to plates or a platter, keep warm, and repeat with remaining butter or oil and pancake batter. Serve each pancake topped with jelly or jam, optional vegan sour cream (I highly recommend), and a peanut if desired. (Note: if you think the nut in the photo looks like a pistachio, you’re right! We were out of peanuts.)
The kind and generous Nava Atlas just notified me that I am now an “official contributor” to her VegKitchen. What an honor to be included and, especially, in such good company. Check it out here.
I seem to be saying “thank you” a lot to Nava, so thanks–again–Nava!
My talented designer friend, Cae Hyrskanich, designed these custom Blooming Platter Cookbook bookplates at my request.
Especially for folks who have purchased a book but live outside the local area, these allow me to still be able to sign and personalize the ir book s by mailing them a self-adhesive plate to adhere in the front cover or title page of their book.
Cae designed them so that I can easily print them from my inkjet printer using acid- and lignen-free adhesive-backed paper that I special ordered.
I love that each one features large flowers reminiscent of “blooming platters” along with small versions of all four of the seasonal icons used throughout the book.
Thanks, Cae, for allowing me to offer this custom feature!
Yield: 4 servings
That title is a mouthful, but since you can’t inhale the intoxicating aroma in our kitchen, I wanted you to be able to imagine what this luscious and colorful amalgamation would smell and taste like just from the title.
The “southern” part has little to do with Southern Indian cuisine, but with my south’ren roots revealed in the inclusion of blackeyed peas instead of a more traditional Indian legume.
In the photo, I served the dish as a starter, ready to spoon into miniature puri (fried bread puffs) at right, and spooned into a puri and garnished–just break through the crisp top crust with your finger or a spoon–at bottom. But I created it to also be served over basmati rice as a main course or a welcome addition to an Indian-inspired buffet.
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of yellow onion, cut into 1/4 x 1-inch pieces (about 1 medium)
sea salt to taste
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely diced
2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1-15.5 ounce can blackeyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1-15 ounce can coconut milk (I don’t use the lite, but rather cut calories elsewhere!)
2 cups, semi-firmly packed fresh baby spinach, finely chopped (I use a food processor)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 Roma tomato, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
optional: 1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
Accompaniments: miniature puri for appetizers (little spheres of puffed bread dough available in Indian markets) or over cooked basmati rice (I like to throw in a cinnamon stick and a few cardamom pods–avoid biting into either)
Optional garnishes: fresh cilantro, in sprigs or finely chopped, an/or a few roasted and lightly salted cashews
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat the tablespoon of olive oil to shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and saute for abut 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until the onion develops a light brown caramelization. Adjust heat if necessary to prevent scorching. Add the bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes or until garlic and peppers are soft. Stir in the peas followed by the cardamom, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and black pepper. Add the coconut milk, stir well to combine all ingredients, and heat through. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, just until heated through. Add the cilantro and optional asafoetida, stir to combine, and cook just another minute to allow flavors to combine. Check for seasoning and add additional salt and black pepper if desired. Serve in miniature puri as an appetizer or over basmati rice for a main course. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
…Brenda Lacasse!
Sometimes 13 IS a lucky number! I will be mailing Brenda a copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook as soon as she emails me her address.
The way my truly random selection worked is that I assigned a number 1-19 to each of the comments, first received to most recently received. Then, thanks to the wonders of www.random.org, I just plugged in the starting and ending numbers, clicked “generate,” and voila! Brenda’s number came up. It’s a really cool simple tool should you ever need a random selection.
As for the rest of you contest entrants, thank you so much for throwing your number in the hat and for “liking” the book. I look forward to responding to each of your yummy comments individually, and I hope you will be able to snag a copy some other way.
Happy Summer Solstice! Today is the longest day of the year…more time for cooking and eating…compassionately!
I was flattered today when I received a message from the “nava-lous” Nava Atlas of VegKitchen asking if she could print one of my recipes to “beef up” (not!) the grilling section of her website.
The answer was a resounding, “Are you kidding? Of course!” Heck, she doesn’t even need to ask, but it’s always great to hear from her, a fellow artist and foodie.
I loved the recipe she chose and, if you haven’t tried it, I think you will too. You can, of course, find it here on The Blooming Platter, but I encourage you to visit Nava’s site, check out my recipe, and poke around a bit.
Thanks, Nava!
I decided to post a picture of a fabulous TW Steel watch my husband purchased last week at a trunk show at Hardy’s Jewellers here in VA Beach as a reminder that time is ticking on my give-away! (That rose gold looks yummy against his Italian skin!)
There are barely more than 24 hours left before my Blooming Platter (Vegan) Cookbook give-away ends. All entries must be in by midnight tomorrow, June 20. I choose and announce a winner for my brand new seasonal cookbook on the Summer Solstice, Tuesday, June 21.
Hurry and follow this link for your chance to win!
This salad combines all of the ingredients that I love about Indian Samosas into a much lighter dish because I substitute poppadoms for the fat-and-flaky crust that encases all of the spicy potato and pea goodness. I roast the potatoes for extra flavor and I stir the traditional cilantro and mint dipping chutneys and spices into the dressing, dolloping a mango or fruit-type chutney on the top.
Don’t you think the salad look enchanting served in its poppadom cup? As you probably know, poppadoms are very low-calorie/low-fat Indian chickpea wafers with a high level of flavor. They puff up magnificently in the microwave in a mere 45-60 seconds. The shape into which they morph is not always predictable, so you might end up with something rippled but flatter and less cup-like, but no worries. The dish will still look beautiful and taste divine even if presented as more of a tostado.
Yield: 4 servings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups quartered new potatoes (mine were white-skinned)
1 1/2 cups fresh peas
2 pinches of sea salt
1/4 cup vegan mayo (the Blooming Platter Mayo in my new cookbook is quite special, if I do say so myself; but any kind will do)
1 teaspoon prepared Indian Cilantro Chutney (available at Indian markets and the International aisle of better-stocked grocery stores)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon prepared Indian Mint Chutney (also available at Indian markets and the International aisle of better-stocked grocery stores)
4 poppadoms
4 teaspoons or a bit more Indian fruit chutney (prepared or homemade; I used my homemade Blackberry Chutney because I had some on hand)
Optional garnish: 4 petite slices of yellow, red or orange bell pepper or even Roma tomato + 4 sprigs of mint or cilantro
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tablespoon of olive oil into a large roasting pan, add potatoes and a pinch of salt and toss lightly to coat. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes. I like mind to develop a nice caramelization, but roast for less time if you don’t. Just make sure they are very tender. Remove potatoes to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
While potatoes roast, place peas into a 2 quart saucepan. Add water to just barely cover and a pinch of salt. Stir once , turn heat to medium-high, cover lightly, and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Add to bowl with potatoes.
In a small bowl, stir together vegan mayo, the cilantro and mint chutneys, and the coriander, cumin and curry powder. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and peas and stir gently to distribute evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Cook poppadoms, a couple at a time, for 45-60 seconds in the microwave. Remove, place on salad plates, fill each with 1/4 of the salad mixture, dollop with about a teaspoon of the Indian fruit chutney, and garnish as desired.
No, I won’t be serving these on a platter, blooming or otherwise, but I had to share this exciting find…
I just purchased this sexy pair of vegan platform “Kenji” sandals by Madden Girl in taupe for a mere $47 (that is not me in the photo)!
Don’t you think they’ll spiff up just abut everything I might wear this summer and even early fall?
If you’re thinking, “I could never wear a heel that high,” wait! Until the last few seasons when platforms made a comeback, I couldn’t either. In fact, yesterday at graduation–yes, we have unleashed 400+ more PAHS students on the world (and I hate to see them go!)–several teachers with tired feet at 4 in the afternoon were asking how I could wear the (totally hot) Marc Fischer shoes I had on all day. The answer is “Platforms, baby!”
If you haven’t already, check out Alternative Outfitters Vegan Boutique to fill quite a few of your fashion needs and desires, including these shoes.
Walk lightly on the earth, but leave a big, stylish vegan shoe print!
Photo credit: Alternative Outfitters Vegan Boutique.
