I feel in the need of a little indulgence during these pandemified days, but I am fully aware that, though I am exercising a lot, since I am teaching from home, I am not up out of my seat making endless circuits around my classroom. So I have to keep the calories in check.
When I started craving chick-un sour cream enchiladas, I knew I needed to capture the same flavors and decadence but without going to extremes in the sauce and cheese department. Hence the birth of my:
Warm Chick-un Sour Cream Enchilada Salad
Heat together the following and serve half each over one serving Fritos topped with pico de gallo and a dab of sour cream. Serving this simple dish in a martini glass makes it seem extra special, especially if you tie a bandana or colored napkin around the stem:
7 ounces flavored seitan (mine was a prepared garlic version)
1/4 cup salsa verde
2tablespoons vegan sour cream
Optional but delicious: one tablespoon chimichurri
4 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese (I used half mozzarella and half cheddar)
My tasty Asian-ish lunch went together in a snap. It had to, as our power is out and the kitchen is in half light! But we are lucky, as Mississippi is in the state of emergency after storms ripped through the South-Central part of the state where I have family and friends.
Crunchy Asian Tofu Salad
Simply combine 7 ounces crumbled teriyaki flavored tofu, two diced celery hearts, two thinly sliced green onions, one-quarter cup lightly salted and roasted cashew halves and pieces, 1/2 teaspoon each garlic paste and minced ginger, 1 to 2 teaspoons yellow miso, and 1 to 2 teaspoons vegan mayo. I didn’t have any on hand, but diced water chestnuts would be a lovely addition.
These tartlets are the result of co-influences: beautiful photographs on Pinterest and finding the remains of frozen mixed fruit in the bottom of bags in our freezer. I had purchased them to make smoothies, but I prefer my ritual of popping into Starbucks on my way to school and buying an unsweetened green tea soy frappuccino. The fruit was still good, but needed to be used quickly, so an idea formed.
My mother and my grandmother were excellent bakers and I am not opposed to rolling out a pie crust. But I am also not opposed to shortcuts when they are just as good and when I am remarkably busy teaching from home during this pandemic. So, I turned to my never fail press-in pie crust. The original recipe contained quite a bit of oil and a little bit of non-dairy milk. I have basically reversed those proportions with no ill effect on the end result.
For the filling, I wanted a gel-like consistency, but I had no agar. I had a hunch that if I thawed the fruit, pureed it, cooked it down just a bit, and thickened it further with a cornstarch slurry, I would have the jewel-like color and firm-ish texture that I desired. And I was right!
For the topping, I planned to make aquafaba meringue. But I didn’t have chickpeas and trips to the grocery store are more infrequent these days. The same went for a coconut cream whip. What I did have was about half a can of a surprisingly tasty prepared vanilla buttercream frosting. Normally I would never put frosting on a pie-type dessert–that’s just odd!–but I needed something that would work for the photo shoot at the very least and food stylists are known for their trickery.
It turns out that these tartlets are appealingly “tart” and that the sweet creamy frosting offsets the flavors beautifully with exactly the right consistency. Who knew?
Again, I was inspired by Pinterest for the asymmetrical piping design. I had never thought of not covering the top completely, but it is visually exciting, and it certainly saves on both product and, more importantly, calories, adding just the right amount of color, flavor, and texture contrast.
These beauties were a hit with me and the friends with whom I shared them, handing them off from a safe social distance. I hope you find the same to be true and that you are safe and well.
Mixed Fruit Tartlets with No-Fail Press-In Crust
Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or white whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Approximately five tablespoons non-dairy milk (I use soymilk)
Preheat oven to 350°. Place tartlet or tart pans on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Make a well in center and add wet ingredients. Stir together with a fork, using your fingers if needed to create a crumbly but very moist dough that holds together beautifully when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. Add more non-dairy milk or flour, as needed. Crumble dough into bottom of pans or pan and press evenly onto bottom and sides. You might find it helpful for pressing to use the bottom of a sturdy glass sprayed with non-stick spray or floured to prevent sticking. Prick bottom with tines of a fork and bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, make filling.
Pureed Fruit Filling:
Approximately 4 cups frozen fruit, thawed (I used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, and pineapple)
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar or your favorite sweetener (I used granulated monkfruit with zero calories)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegan fruit liqueur (I used peach and the De Kuyper brand is vegan, probably among others; Google on Barnivore)
Topping: vanilla buttercream, whipped coconut cream, etc.
Place fruit and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until heated through and some of the juice releases and evaporates. Carefully transfer into bowl of food processor and puree until very smooth. Return to saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and liqueur. Drizzle into simmering fruit, whisking thoroughly. Allow to simmer for two or three more minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Divide evenly among tartlet crusts or pour into large tart crust. Decorate the top with frosting or your favorite vegan whipped topping. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until serving time. Tarts will remain good in refrigerator for several days, but the crust does begin to get soggy after a couple.
The ‘Rona has us eating light and irregularly. And this was what I craved for Easter Dinner. It was more like Easter apps, but it was perfect on the deck as a storm began to gather.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, slice thin tri-color carrots in half lengthwise, lay on a baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray, and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and vegan parmesan. Roast exactly 20 minutes.
Miso Aoili: whisk together equal parts yellow miso and (zero calorie) mayo with a little bit of garlic and ginger pastes. Fresh dill is the garnish.
Lightened up comfort food from my childhood is one of my favorite categories of recipes to veganize. This one a combination of a hot chicken salad and a chicken and rice casserole, only it contains neither chicken–or even a substitute–or rice. I substitute riced cauliflower for the rice and meaty mushrooms for the chicken.
I’m always looking for ways to boost the color and nutrition of recipes. So I use mirepoix instead of just celery and onion to infuse some carrot into the mix. And curly kale leaves seemed the perfect green addition, along with the green peas which are mandatory in chicken and rice casserole.
Some of these casseroles are topped with cheddar and some with mozzarella. I just think of cheddar with broccol–or with southwestern or Mexican dishes–so I chose mozzarella. Whatever you do, don’t leave off the potato chip topping. This casserole is so nutritious and low in calories that you can splurge on the rich buttery crunch of the Ruffles.
Note: I cook the vegetables in the microwave for ease, but feel free to simmer/saute stovetop if you prefer.
Hot Chicken-un Salad Casserole w/ Crushed Potato Chip Topping
8 ounces cauliflower rice 1 cup mirepoix (approximately 1/3 cup each diced onion, celery, and carrot) 8 ounces sliced baby Bellas or other white mushrooms 7 to 8 ounces curly kale leaves, thick stems removed 1/2 cup green peas 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme or thyme 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning 3/4 cup mayonnaise (I use no calorie mayo from Harris Teeter) OR vegan sour cream 1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese 1 1/2 to 2 cups crushed Ruffles potato chips
Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish and set aside. In a medium-large bowl, place riced cauliflower and mirepoix. Cover with water and microwave for 10+ minutes or until veggies are VERY tender, as they will not cook much in oven. Drain and return vegetables to bowl. Place kale in another similarly sized bowl and microwave for approximately 3 minutes or until wilted and bright green. Add to other vegetables along with all remaining ingredients, except cheese and potato chips. Fold vegetable mixture together until completely mixed. Transfer to grease casserole dish and sprinkle top evenly with vegan mozzarella and crushed potato chips. Bake for 30 minutes.
We all need a little comfort now in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, yes? My comfort food recipe is less recipe and just suggested ingredients, only.
What looks like a huge bowl of calorie-rich mashed potatoes is actually a huge bowl of flavor-rich pureed cauliflower with only one tablespoon of vegan butter, a drizzle of unsweetened soymilk, and salt and pepper. My secret weapons? Grated lemon zest stirred in and a sliced scallion garnish.
I enjoyed the entire bowl for dinner and it fit within my daily 1,500 calorie allocation…even if I hadn’t walked 7 miles here in the neighborhood and at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
In the midst of this pandemic, you can inject a little party vibe into your socially responsible social distancing with my simple, but festive recipe. I even cheated and used canned vanilla frosting. But the cookie cake is homemade and goes together in a flash, although it seems like we all have more time these days. I hope you agree, the texture is the perfect hybrid of cookie and cake.
Note: you can bake the cookie cake in the larger cake pan, but you would need to adjust the cooking time down.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
1/2 cup vegan butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons water
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegan chocolate chips 1/2 to 3/4 cup plain or roasted broken pecans
Approximately three quarters to one cup vegan vanilla or chocolate frosting
Sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 6-in cake pan or spray with baking spray. Using an electric mixer, cream butter together with brown sugar. Beat in vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda. With mixer on low speed or start in by hand flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating with about 3 tablespoons water. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Scrape into prepared pan and gently smooth top. Bake approximately 37 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean when inserted near the center. A little melted chocolate may cling to toothpick and that’s fine. Cool on wire rack in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife and then invert onto wire rack to cool. Frost as desired, either with your favorite vegan buttercream or canned frosting, many of which are vegan. Decorate with sprinkles. Or serve warm with vegan ice cream.
Light and Flavorful Mushroom and Spinach Soup with Cream Sherry (plant-based/vegan)
This soup will become a go-to any time, but in this age of Coronavirus “shelter in place” orders, it is especially comforting to have on hand. Low in calories and fat, but high in appeal, it nurtures with beauty, warmth, nutrition, and hydration.
(It is so pretty, in fact, that one of my students is creating an oil pastel painting of it for one of her “school closure” sketchbook assignments.)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup each diced carrot, celery, and yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon veggie base
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic base
(or 1 veggie bouillon cube substituted for both bases)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms like baby bella
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied with kitchen twine
4 cups veggie stock
6 big handfuls fresh baby spinach leaves (as much as you want, actually)
1/4 cup or so unsweetened non-dairy milk
2 or more tablespoons cream sherry
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: shredded vegan mozzarella and roasted or smoked almonds
Heat oil over medium high in large soup pot. Add mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onion) and veggie bases and saute, stirring frequently, two or three minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms and thyme and continue sautéing until mushrooms are tender and release juices, a couple minutes more. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Begin adding spinach, a handful at a time, stirring and allowing each to wilt before adding the next. Stir in non-dairy milk, and heat through, followed by sherry. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove and compost thyme. Serve soup topped with shredded vegan mozzarella and roasted or smoked almonds if desired.
Note: soup may appear to curdle slightly upon reheating, but stir it well and the little flecks will reincorporate. Alternatively, you can omit sherry, add let each person add his or her own.
