June 8, 2011June 9, 2011 by betsy

Crostini with Smoky Vegan “Ricotta” Spread and Green Grape-Spring Onion Salsa

I am so excited to share this recipe, as it became one of my all-time favorite crostinis immediately upon creation.

My inspired foodie friend, Trish Pfeifer, often serves crunchy-juicy seedless green grapes and smoked almonds as an impromptu appetizer or snack. You can’t believe for how many occasions that combination is perfect, including–odd though it may sound–with coffee on a late Saturday morning.

So, last Sunday, I was craving her pairing, but I wanted to make it a little more of a “dish.” Yet I still wanted it to be ultra-easy, cooling (Sunday was hot and humid), and very pretty.

I make a vegan “cheddar”-pecan spread, so I thought that finely chopped almonds would be nice in something like a ricotta made from an extra-firm tofu base. And I thought that it would be even nicer still if I could toss all of the ingredients in the food processor, pulse a few times, and be done. And I could! Tthe consistency was exactly what I sought.

All that remained was the grape topping. I decided that spring onion would complement, but not overpower, the flavor of the grapes. Wanting the topping to be refreshing and fairly pure in taste, with just a little complexity, I decided to go with just a splash of rice wine vinegar and a bare hint of hot red pepper flakes. The result was exactly what I was after, and the shimmering green-on-green palette with tiny flecks of red looks as refreshing as it tastes.

All I had to use for a base was falafel crackers, and they were delicious, but I have since enjoyed the toppings on Melba toasts. Thinly sliced rounds of toasted or grilled bread would be perfect too.

After I spread a little of the vegan “ricotta” on the cracker and topped it with a mound of the salsa, I had one last flash of inspiration. The day before, I had been at T.J. Maxx where I was seduced by a box of exquisite irregularly-shaped chunks of pearly Pink Himalayan salt. (It is such smart merchandising to create the checkout line from display shelves lined with such goodies!) So, a hint of the salt hand-grated over the top, using my microplane grater, was the piece de resistance.

Even without the luxury of Pink Himalayan salt, you will adore this dish.

Smoky Vegan “Ricotta” Spread

8 ounces extra-firm tofu

1 large clove garlic

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

2 teaspoons light miso

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/3 cup smoked almonds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

optional: 1/4 teaspoon curry powder

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a few times until almonds are finely chopped and all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Check for seasoning, and adjust as necessary.

Green Grape and Spring Onion Salsa

1/2 cup quartered seedless green grapes

1/4 cup thinly sliced spring onion (use about half of the white and half of the green parts)

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

pinch sea salt

2 pinches natural sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

In a small non-reactive bowl, combine all ingredients. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Accompaniments:

Crackers, Melba toasts, or small, thinly-sliced grilled or toasted bread rounds

Optional: a finishing salt like Pink Himalayan

To serve, spread each cracker or toast with some of the “ricotta,” and top it with a small mound of the salsa. If desired, grate a little Pink Himalayan or another finishing salt over the top. Serve immediately. Store any leftover “ricotta” and salsa separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

June 7, 2011June 8, 2011 by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook–Author-Hosted Giveaway

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — This book could be yours!

The beginning of a new season seems like the perfect time to offer a giveaway of my brand new cookbook: The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

So, in celebration of the official beginning of summer on Tuesday, June 21, the “summer solstice,” I will be announcing one winner.

Since there are three “Big Burgers of Summer” recipes in the book–My Big Fat Vegan Burger; The Big Easy Burger; and The Big Kahuna Burger–I thought it would be fun for contestants to enter with their favorite vegan burger toppings for summer barbecues. Basic or beyond, we want to hear about it!

Here’s all you need to do to enter: Click on the link above and “like” the book on Amazon (“look inside” and read reviews); then add a comment to this post mentioning that you’ve “liked” the book AND sharing whatever your favorite burger topping happens to be.

Spread the word! The contest ends at midnight on June 20. And it starts…now!

June 2, 2011June 2, 2011 by betsy

Tami of Vegan Appetite Hosted a Give-Away of The Blooming Platter Cookbook Asking Contestants to Name Their Favorite Flower

Vegan Appetite's Photo of My Angel Hair Pasta with Chard and Grape Tomatoes — Photo Credit: Tami, Vegan Appetite

Thanks to Tami of Vegan Appetite who launched a generous give-away of my Blooming Platter Cookbook. It began on May 18, my dear papa’s birthday, and the winner was announced following week, my birthday week.

I would have notified you “Platterists” sooner, but somehow my “Google Alerts” didn’t pick it up…or I inadvertently missed it. However, 51 other people didn’t (!), miss it, that is.

Tami asked that interested readers enter the contest by sharing their favorite “bloom.” Every flower that was named is a favorite of mine too.

No, we vegans don’t think alike, but we do have great “taste.” <wink>

June 2, 2011June 2, 2011 by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook Stacks Up as One of Robin Robertson’s Recent Favorites

Robin Robertson's Endorsement of TBPC — Photo Credit: Robin Robertson

Prolific vegan cookbook author and highly-regarded expert on all things vegan, Robin Robertson, who blogs at Vegan Planet, recently found a reprieve from work on her next big project when storms blew her power out.

With her computer and stove “powered down,” she deciding to wade into the rising swell of books awaiting her attention and highlight a few in her “So Many Books, So Little Time” post.

I am so honored that The Blooming Platter Cookbook rose to the top of the pile to “stack up” with the others pictured here.

Thanks, Robin; your words of endorsement mean so much!

May 31, 2011June 20, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Asparagus with Spring Onion-Radish Butter

Yield: 4 servings (you’ll have a bit of extra butter)

A gift of garden fresh asparagus from my husband’s colleague, Freddie Stant, inspired this dish. Be prepared for a new late spring favorite!

I knew I wanted to grill the asparagus and I knew I wanted something special on top, but that special something eluded me until I thought of the simplest and most elegant appetizer: radishes spread with fresh creamy butter and a garnish of sea salt. Perfect!

I simply mashed the vegan butter with the back of a fork and folded in finely diced radish and thinly sliced spring onion. Because the butter I use is already salted, I went easy on the sea salt. Then I dolloped the butter-vegetable mixture on the warm asparagus, allowing it to just barely start to melt.

Oh my goodness, this dish is amazing!

Vegan Spring Onion-Radish Butter:

1/4 cup vegan butter (I like Earth Balance), if too firm to mash, allow to warm slightly at room temperature

1/4 cup thinly sliced spring onion

1/3 cup thinly sliced and then diced radish (about 3)

Grilled Asparagus:

1 pound of asparagus, rinsed, drained and trimmed

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Sea salt (consider hand-grated pink Himalayan salt for the garnish)

Optional veggie garnish: 1 plump radish

In a medium-size bowl, mash butter with the back of a fork and gently fold in onion and radish until well combined. Set aside. Spray a seasoned grill pan with non-stick spray–or brush with olive oil–and preheat over medium-high. In a large bowl or shallow pan, toss asparagus with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt. Grill asparagus in one layer for approximately 8 minutes on each side or until lightly charred and crisp-tender. Grill in two batches, if necessary, keeping first batch warm in the oven until second batch is finished cooking. Place asparagus on a serving platter, top with butter mixture, sprinkle lightly with sea salt (hand-grated pink Himalayan salt would be fabulous!), top with optional whole radish, and serve immediately. Store any leftover butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Note: this brand new recipe isn’t in my just-published cookbook, but there are 150+ similarly fresh, beautiful, and seasonal dishes you and yours will love.

May 30, 2011July 3, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Spiced Double Chocolate-Lime Cookies

“Boss’s Week” came and went last week, but other priorities prevented me from acknowledging it in any way, except to have one of my talented students create a “Happy Boss’s Week” poster, by special request, featuring caricatures of each one of our administrators. It was adorable and well-received, but I wanted to give our incredibly supportive principal and assistant principals something homemade.

I decided that a favorite chewy chocolate cookie would be perfect. But I had just come home from the Asian market, so I decided to spice them up with a little lime zest. (I remember, when I was a child, someone in our family was under the weather and a neighbor brought us a delectable chocolate-lime pie, a flavor combination I’ve rarely had since.) When I tasted the dough, though–one of the beauties of eggless cooking!–it cried out for cinnamon and, especially, ginger to complement the sweet-tart lime and the pleasantly, but strongly flavored molasses and cane syrup (I used a combination). Voila! Vegan Spiced Double Chocolate-Lime Cookies were born. Then, my husband suggested I attach the recipe plus three more, one for each season, from my brand new cookbook. What a bloomin’ inspired idea!

Enjoy at your Memorial Day BBQ or any time…perhaps with little lime sorbet?

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

1 cup vegan butter, room temperature (I like Earth Balance)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cups natural sugar plus 1 cup for coating
1 cup light-flavored molasses, pure cane syrup or, if you dare, dark corn syrup
2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or to taste)
Zest of 1 fresh lime
8-9 ounces vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line two cookie sheets with Silpats or parchment paper and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, place butter, oil, and 1 1/3 cup natural sugar. Reserve remaining 1 cup sugar. At medium to medium-high speed, cream mixture until well-combined and fluffy. Add cane syrup and vanilla and beat just a few more seconds to combine, scraping bowl, as needed. Mixture may look slightly curdled, but don’t worry. Add remaining ingredients, except chocolate chips, and beat on low speed, scraping bowl as needed, just until combined. Taste and add more cinnamon and ginger, if desired. Add chips and beat on low just a few seconds to distribute.

Cover dough well and chill for half an hour, but no longer. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a small scoop with a release lever, scoop out balls of dough about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Roll in reserved 1 cup of sugar and place a generous 2” apart on baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 4 minutes, open oven door and, using a spatula, quickly flatten each cookie slightly to 1/2-inch thick. Close the oven door and continue baking for 6 more minutes. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cookies should be ever-so-slightly cracked, look a little moist and soft in the center, and be more set around the edges. Leave cookies on baking sheet and set on wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Then, using a spatula, transfer cookies to the racks and cool to room temperature. Repeat with remaining baking sheet. Store in an airtight container.

May 30, 2011May 30, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Late Spring Thai Quinoa Salad

This salad began its life Friday night as my intended contribution to a pre-Memorial Day block party on Saturday to which my good friend, Sharon Clohessy, invited me. However, I ended up needing to work yesterday, which required an hour drive each way to and from Newport News. A little weary of sitting in the car, I ended up deciding not to drive another half hour through resort strip traffic to get to the residential “North End” of our beach where Sharon lives.

Friday night when I went to bed, the salad was a little lacking, but with the addition of Thai basil, super sweet and juicy-firm grape tomatoes, and a little more lime juice, it turned out just right. If you wanted to kick it up just a smidge, a tiny bit of seeded and minced hot pepper would do the trick.

The “Late Spring” of the title refers to fresh ingredients that span the cusp of spring and summer in Hampton Roads where we live. (In our area, cilantro burns out once summer is in full swing.) But please enjoy this burst of brightness whenever these ingredients are at their peak in your area. I think this dish is best if allowed to chill several hours before serving.

I would have loved to have shared at the block party what turned out to be an utterly delicious and refreshing combination of some of my favorite flavors and crunchy-chewy textures. However, friends invited me to the beach this afternoon, so I think I’ll take them a healthy portion.

But, while I’m enjoying delicious food with friends in an idyllic setting, I will be thinking with gratitude of those, past and present, whose sacrifices made this lifestyle possible.

Have a relaxing and reflective Memorial Day.

Salad:

2 cups water or vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

Sea salt

2 cups fresh baby spinach, packed medium-firm, coarsely chopped

1 large yellow or orange bell pepper, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 large spring onion, thinly sliced (approximately 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup lightly salted roasted peanuts, chopped coarse-fine

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, chopped coarse-fine

1/4 cup loosely packed thai basil leaves (about 16 leaves), chiffonade (leaves stacked, tightly rolled, and very thinly sliced

Dressing:

1 tablespoon canola oil, sesame oil, or 1 1/2 teaspoon of each

1/4 cup vegan fish sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or to taste–I like a fairly pronounced lime flavor)

1 tablespoon agave nectar or natural sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water or stock to a simmer. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt, stir, cover loosely, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the water has mostly evaporated; quinoa will be tender and slightly. Alternatively, cook, covered, in the microwave on high power for 4 minutes, stir, and then repeat for two additional 2-minute intervals.

Empty the cooked quinoa into a non-reactive bowl or container with a lid. When quinoa is no longer steaming, but is still quite warm, add remaining salad ingredients and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over salad ingredients, and toss gently to coat. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Refrigerate several hours or over night for best flavor.

Note: though this recipe is too new to be in The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes, which was just published, it does include more than 150 similarly fresh and flavorful ones that you’re sure to love.

May 29, 2011May 29, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Cookbook Author Loves Eco-Friendly Bamboo Cooking Utensils

The truth is that I actually loved my wooden spoons and cooked with them almost exclusively. That is, until Minnie, the miniature Great Dane destroyed them.

I came home one afternoon to find splintered wood in a small pile in our den. There was one piece that puzzled me: it was perfectly cylindrical and smooth as could be. I didn’t figure out what it was until I went looking for my wooden spoon and it was nowhere to be found. That one belonged to my late paternal grandmother. Irreplaceable. My mother had tied it onto the top of a Christmas package years ago and I treasured it.

When I told Mama what happened, she gave me one of hers. But I didn’t learn; Minnie destroyed that one too. She apparently retrieved them off the dish drainer where, I suppose, though washed, they still had a residual aroma and taste of something delectable to her, though her palate isn’t very discriminating.

Incidentally, yesterday I heard a strange sound, like something had fallen, but I couldn’t find whatever it was until this morning when I encountered another splintered mini-pile of wood. Years ago in a sculpture class, I made a wall relief piece out of tea boxes. Our power has gone out several times this week due to storms and perhaps the humidity caused the two boxes to come apart sending them plummeting to the floor. Once again, I suppose they still gave off a residual aroma or taste. See the photos at the bottom of this post for the before and after. Have I mentioned that Minnie is a brat? Loveable, but a brat just the same.

So, alas, I was in T. J. Maxx yesterday and snagged a very inexpensive bag of bamboo untensils ($3.99 for five) which I “test drove” last night. I love the way they “handled,” and I LOVE that they are made from a sustainable plant. If yours ever need replacing, I highly recommend bamboo!

May 29, 2011May 29, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Rosemary-Shallot Red Wine Reduction

The only thing that might possibly be tastier than my Vegan Cheddar “Cheese” Spread, is my Vegan Cheddar “Cheese” Spread with a drizzle of my Vegan Rosemary-Shallot Red Wine Reduction.

This shimmering sophisticated sauce with it’s beautiful body, mouth feel and tangy-sweet savoriness is a lovely counterpoint to rich golden swirls of creamy “cheese.”

I use a red table wine in the recipe, but experiment with different wines for either slightly or dramatically different flavors to suite your palate.

Vegan Rosemary-Shallot Red Wine Reduction

Yield: 1/2 cup

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups red wine

2-3 tablespoons agave nectar

1 bay leaf, halved

2-5 to 6 inch sprigs rosemary

1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)

In a large skillet over medium high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add shallot and saute, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and garlic and saute, stirring, for another minute. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove rosemary sprigs if they start to come apart, as you don’t necessarily want rosemary needles in your reduction. Swirl in vegan butter and remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve drizzled over Melba toasts or crostini spread with whatever you like. I think my Vegan Cheddar “Cheese” Spread is a particularly good accompaniment. Garnish with sprigs of rosemary. Store any leftover reduction in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

May 27, 2011May 27, 2011 by betsy

Eat Your Vegan Leafy Greens for Healthy Eyes

This week, I had an annual check-up with my opthamologist, the dynamic Dr. Dunn of Beach Eye Care in VA Beach, VA.

In the exam room, he popped my retinal scan image up on his computer alongside an image of the unhealthy eye of a diabetes patient about my age who refuses to eat “anything green.” After pointing out the differences, he said, “You can tell everyone that your vegan diet is responsible for your healthy eyes.”

According to him, though “leafy greens” were discounted by his professors in medical school a number of years ago, they are now credited with being a key “ingredient” in eye health.

So, to keep your peepers in the “pink” of good health, I am pleased to offer you this tantalizingly tangy and ravishing red chard dish from my new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes:

red chard with toasted hazelnuts
Yield: 4 servings

Maple syrup and raspberry vinegar lend a delicate flavor to fresh Spring chard. This dish is beautiful as an accompaniment to sauteed tempeh or tofu.

1 bunch red chard, rinsed and well dried
2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil, divided
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or
apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped toasted hazlenuts

1. Remove and discard the tough stem ends of the chard. Cut off the remaining stems and coarsely chop. Set aside. Roll up each chard leaf lengthwise, jellyroll style, and cut through the resulting cylinder into 1/2-inch slices.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the walnut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir continuously until it begins to turn golden. Add the sliced chard stems and a pinch of salt and increase heat to medium-high. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and stir well.

3. Add the sliced chard leaves, gently packing them into the skillet and cook them, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the leaves so that the cooked side is up and saute for 2 minutes longer. Add the vinegar, maple syrup and black pepper to taste, and cook for 1 minute or until the chard is tender, but not mushy, and a bright-dark green.

4. Quickly transfer the chard to a serving bowl to stop cooking, making sure to include all of the juice and bits of garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Serve hot.