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.

April 25, 2011May 9, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Radishes and Spring Greens with Maple Curry Vinaigrette

I’m thrilled to share a sneak preview of the first of several recipes from my brand new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes which hit the stands just this week.

I chose this grilled radish salad for several reasons, including that it is spring personified. But also, I love to utterly transform an ingredient through an unexpected cooking method; in this case, grilling these humble, but ravishing red root veggies. Not a radish fan? Not so fast! You have never had radishes like these!

The drizzle of Maple Curry Vinaigrette complements the earthy sweetness of these slightly caramelized beauties just perfectly. And the peanut garnish? Well, you be the judge!

Yield: 4 servings

Salad:
8 large red radishes, ends trimmed, and halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch sea salt

Maple-Curry Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
Pinch garlic powder
Pinch sea salt

To serve:
2 cups spring salad greens
1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts

1. Salad: Heat an oiled grill pan over medium-high heat. While the pan heats, prepare the radishes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, curry powder, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Add the radishes and toss to coat.
3. Arrange the radishes on the hot grill pan, cut-side down, placing them close together. Grill for 2 1/2 minutes, then turn 90 degrees and grill for 2 1/2 minutes more or until slightly caramelized with nice grill marks. Baste with the remaining curry-oil mixture.
4. Turn the radishes over and cook for another 2 1/2 minutes or until they develop grill marks, basting again. The radishes should be tender, but not soft. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool slightly.
5. Maple-Curry Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, and maple syrup. Add the curry powder, garlic powder, and salt to taste, whisking well to combine.
6. To serve: Arrange the greens on 4 plates. Top each with 4 radish halves, drizzle each with one quarter of the dressing, and sprinkle evenly with the peanuts.

Cookbook Ordering Information:

For 150 or so more recipes for eating deliciously and compassionately this spring, summer, and all year ’round, I’ll hope you’ll consider purchasing a copy of the cookbook for your very own.

To purchase on-line, visit Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can also contact me for a Trade Sheet to take to the bookseller of your choice with your personal request to stock the book.

Locals have a couple of additional options: if you can attend the official Launch Party, Book Signing and “Incredible Edibles” Exhibition on May 21, 2001, from 7-9 at Mayer Fine Art Gallery in Norfolk, we hope you will buy a book there. But, if you can’t make the party, you can now purchase the book at Prince Books in downtown Norfolk. Visit the store website or email owner, Sarah Pishko, at sarah@prince-books.com.

February 8, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Sesame-Crusted Tofu with Crispy Kale

Serves: 4

I like to build meals around greens and this ultra-clean version is one inspired by seeing lots of recipes for “kale chips.” I call it “Crispy Kale” and serve it as a vegetable rather than as chips, though it is good enough to eat as a snack. Just watch the salt, as it takes a tiny amount when prepared this way; plus, miso is quite salty on its own. Isn’t the kale lovely paired with the white fluffy noodles (or rice) and golden sesame-crusted tofu?

1-2 tablespoons light miso (miso is very salty, but it has great body, so choose your proportion accordingly)

4 tablespoons vegetable stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar (unsalted/unseasoned)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

squirt of fresh lemon juice

optional: a pinch of Five Spice Powder (if you want a more Chinese flavor)

1-16 ounce box, extra firm tofu, pressed, drained, and sliced crosswise into 4 equal pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

white sesame seeds

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

January 26, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Lemon-Ginger Baby Bok Choy with Sweet Potato Cubes and Caramelized Spiced Cashews

Yield: 2 generous servings

A little tangy, a tiny bit sweet, and just a touch spicy, this well-balanced bright green and orange dish of contrasting textures goes together in a snap and is as pretty as it is nutritious. I think it would be really nice paired with baked or sauteed sesame-crusted tofu.

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

January 13, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Chicken and Green Beans in Coconut Milk over Vegan Curried Couscous

Yield: 2 servings (easily doubles)

Tonight was cold and I was a little weary, so I craved a warming meal that didn’t require a trip to the grocery store. I decided to make dinner using only what I had on hand in the pantry, fridge and freezer. This desperation dinner turned out to be a meal that I’ll return to again and again. The white chicken strips, onion and coconut milk playing off the bright green beans and the golden-yellow couscous are lovely in their simplicity. Beautiful, fragrant, tasty and healthy, this dish is more than the sum of its parts.

Vegan Chicken and Green Beans in Coconut Milk:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a medium yellow onion, halved and slivered
4 ounces of Meal Starters chicken strips, thawed (you may substitute 4 ounces chicken-flavored seitan or tempeh, the latter recommended by a reader who felt the sweet coconut milk and natural bitterness of the tempeh were tasty complements to each other)
1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
3/4 cup coconut milk (I use lite)
juice of 1/2 of a lime
1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar
coarse sea or kosher salt

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat oil to shimmering. Saute onion, stirring frequently, just until it softens. Add vegan chicken, green beans and coconut milk. Cook, stirring frequently, just until ingredients are warmed through and green beans are bright green and crisp-tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer just a minute to to combine flavors. Serve warm over warm couscous (recipe follows).

Vegan Curried Couscous:
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup couscous
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon olive oil
coarse sea or kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring broth and scallions to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in couscous and golden raisins. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork while stirring in olive oil, salt, pepper and curry powder.

January 10, 2010February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Hearts of Romaine Salad with Vegan Chinese Mustard Dressing and Vegan Five Spice and Lime Roasted Cashews or Peanuts

Yield: 2 salads with leftover dressing (dressing recipe makes 8 servings)

This, my favorite new salad, was inspired by three restaurant dishes. One was a grilled salad from a local pub that was good but the Romaine wasn’t caramelized enough and it wasn’t served with anything very interesting in the way of dressing or garnish. The others, a Caesar salad with addicting spicy cashews on top (the only part I could eat) and a mound of haystack fried potatoes with a dreamy Chinese mustard sauce, were both served at the fantastic China Grill in South Beach. So, I decided to grill the Romaine lettuce typically used in a Caesar salad and replicate both the nuts on that salad and the mustard sauce from the potato dish, making it into a dressing. I didn’t want to use peanut butter as the creamy base, as I wanted the flavor to be more Chinese than Thai, so I decided on tahini which, though I usually associate it with Mediterranean food, is a sesame paste and sesame is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. I think the result is fantastic–in fact, I ate both salads for lunch today–and hope you will too.

For this recipe and some 170+ more,
I invite you to purchase my first cookbook:

The Blooming Platter:
A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes

Vegan Heritage Press
Spring 2011

January 7, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Vegetable-Coconut Milk Rice Pilaf with Vegan Five Spice and Lime Roasted Cashews or Peanuts

Yield: approximately 4 servings

After a beautiful family-style pan-Asian meal at China Grill–much of which I couldn’t eat– over New Year’s weekend in South Beach, I was craving foods inspired by their creations, especially something with their spiced cashews that I picked off of their version of a Caesar salad. Here’s what I came up with and I have found it so satisfying as leftovers all week. Measurements of vegetables are approximate. Use what you have and it will still be wonderful.

Vegetable-Coconut Milk Rice Pilaf:
1 generous tablespoon vegetable oil (you may mix in a little sesame oil)
1 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1/2 of a yellow or red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (shitakes are especially good)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 can (about 1 1/2 cups) coconut milk (I used the “lite” variety)
1 cup Jasmine rice (I recommend not substitute because the fragrance can’t be duplicated)
1 cup of trimmed broccoli florets
optional: coarse kosher or sea salt
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro and spiced cashews or peanuts (see recipe below)

In a wok or large saute pan over medium-high, heat oil to shimmering. Add green onions and stir fry for a minute to flavor oil. Add baby carrots and stir fry for another minute, followed by bell pepper and mushrooms, stir frying for a minute after each addition. Stir in vegetable stock, coconut milk and rice. Cover (use foil if you don’t have a lid to fit your wok) and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to insure that rice isn’t sticking. Lower heat if necessary. Stir in broccoli, cover, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until rice is tender, most of moisture is absorbed and broccoli is tender but still bright green. Check for salt and add if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and spiced nuts. Serve warm.

Vegan Five Spice and Lime Roasted Cashews or Peanuts:
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice and zest of 1/2 of a lime
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (start with smaller amount and add more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea or kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) five spice powder
1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper
12 ounces lightly salted cashew halves and pieces or peanuts (reserve can)

Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag, waxed paper or parchment paper. In a wok or large saucepan over medium high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients except peanuts. Stir into hot oil, being careful not to splatter, followed immediately by peanuts. Roast and stir for about 7 minutes, lowering heat if necessary, or until exterior is caramelized and peanuts taste slightly roasted. Avoid scorching or you will have to throw out the whole batch. Pour immediately onto prepared baking sheet to cool completely. Store in the reserved peanut can.

November 27, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Thanksgiving with a Thai Twist–The Menu

This year, we gave thanks with an homage to one of our favorite cuisines: Thai.

The Menu

Vegan Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup
Vegan Thai Corn Fritters
Vegan Spring Rolls Stuffed with Five-Spice Scented Cornbread Dressing
Vegan Thai Cranberry Dipping Sauce
Vegan Pad Thai
Vegan Pumpkin-Coconut Milk Flan

November 27, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Thai Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Soup–A "Souper" Way to Start a Non-Traditional Thanksgiving Feast

Yield: 6-8 Servings

I thought that cucumber sounded like an odd ingredient, but please don’t omit. It adds welcome color, taste and texture to this beautiful soup.

2-3 tablespoons canola oil
2 shallots or 1/3 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small dried chili, whole
6 cups vegetable stock
3 kaffir lime leaves (available in the freezer section of Asian markets)
2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size dice
2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 teaspoons sugar
1/2 of a large red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup rich or extra-rich coconut milk
1 medium cucumber, cut into bite size pieces (leave peel on)
Handful of fresh basil leaves, preferably Thai basil leaves

Heat oil until shimmering in the bottom of a soup pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the shallot or onion, garlic and chili. Stir fry for just a few minutes to release fragrance and soften onion and garlic. Add stock and lime leaves and bring to a boil. Add the sweet potato. Reduce heat to medium and allow soup to simmer until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 6-8 minutes. While sweet potato is cooking, add the vegan fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. When sweet potato has softened, and the red pepper and the cucumber. Allow to simmer for only 1-2 minutes, as the vegetables should retain their firmness. Reduce heat to low and add the coconut milk, stirring to incorporate. Adjust seasoning for balance of salt, sweetness and spice. Stir in basil leaves and allow to wilt. Remove whole chili and serve warm. Soup keeps and reheats well.

Source: Veganized from: http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/pumpkinsoup.htm