August 16, 2023August 17, 2023 by betsy

Tomato-Peach Caprese (vegan & plant-based)

Today I offer a perfect late summer vegan/plant-based recipe and an apology…for being “gone” for so long.

First the recipe:

Tomato-Peach Caprese is perfect for a light summertime snack, lunch, or dinner. Made with Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese, fresh peaches and tomatoes, and chopped pistachios, it is especially light and refreshing served with cucumber slices, but serve it with crostini for a treat that is a little more substantial. We love the ricotta, but if you can’t find it locally, feel free to substitute Better Than Cream Cheese. But, good news: all Tofutti products are available at PlantX.

Ingredients:

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1.5 ounces chives, snipped (use kitchen shears); reserve 1 to 2 tablespoons

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large ripe peach, diced

1 large ripe tomato, diced

1 to 2 tablespoons pistachios, finely chopped

Sea salt

Accompaniments: crackers or cucumber slices

Directions:

At least 30 minutes before preparing, combine garlic and olive oil in a small container and let steep at room temperature.

In a small bowl, stir together Tofutti Better Than Ricotta Cheese, red wine or balsamic vinegar, chives, and pepper until completely combined. Spread onto serving plate or board.

In another small bowl, gently toss together tomatoes and peaches with 1 tablespoon garlic oil and spoon on top of ricotta. Drizzle with remaining garlic oil and sprinkle with reserved chives, pistachios, and sea salt to taste.

Serve immediately with crackers and/or cucumber slices.

*Created exclusively for Tofutti Brands, Inc. by Betsy DiJulio of The Blooming Platter.

The apology:

As some of you may know, over a year ago, much to my delight, Tofutti Brands hired me as a recipe developer and food photographer. But, since fall 2020, I have also been a full-time teaching artist in the Upper School at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, VA, where I concurrently–and gratefully–serve as the curator of Perrel Gallery. This rich new path follows a 16-year career as a public high school art teacher. And Tofutti isn’t my only side hustle, as I manage a busy magazine and newspaper freelance writing business.

I share this not as an excuse, but an explanation for my too-long neglect of my beloved website, The Blooming Platter.

Initially, I planned to post a recipe every time Tofutti did, but that plan got sidetracked by life and by my obsessive weekly recipe creation and testing. However, with this post, I am recommitting to that plan. I sometimes create other recipes which I will also share here. But for the most part, I am so consumed–see what I did there?–by my tasty work for Tofutti that virtually all my new recipes include Better Than Cream Cheese, Better Than Sour Cream, or Better Than Ricotta.

Substitutions/Tested Recipes

You can certainly try substituting other brands BUT be advised that, not only are Tofutti my favorite plant-based cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta, but the recipes have only been tested with these products.

Get the Skinny

To make sure you don’t miss a single recipe, visit Tofutti here and sign up for our mailing list where your privacy will be respected and you will not be inundated. But you will receive all our recipes and eCookbooks, with the next featuring recipes for busy school and work mornings, afternoons, and evenings, as we gear back up for another school year.

February 28, 2022February 28, 2022 by betsy

Red Bell Not-chos (vegan & plant-based)

Yield: 1 serving

Crunchy red bell slices replace tortilla chips in this decadent-but-not version of the classic, complete with melty cheese, and you won’t miss them.

I had planned to make Apple Not-chos, but Bob thought I asked him for a red and a green bell pepper instead of apples. They sound a lot alike don’t they? At any rate, the mistake turned out to be one happy and tasty accident.

Slice 1 red bell pepper 1/4″ thick and microwave for about 30 seconds.

What happens next is up to you!

I layered on the following in a shallow bowl and microwaved for another 30-60 seconds:

-2 slices Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda (https://followyourheart.com/)

-4 ounces cubed Tofurky Sesame-Garlic Chick’n (https://tofurky.com/what-we-make/chickn/sesame-garlic/)

1 medium yellow onion, slivered and caramelized in 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon Luquid Aminos, and 1 tablespoon maple syrup

-1 tablespoon Herbs & Chive Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (https://www.tofutti.com/)

Top with:

-1/4 cup pico de gallo

-2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves

Serve immediately with a fork!

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodpornvegansofinstagram #vegansoffacebook #vegansofvirginia #thebloomingplatter #vegannachos #plantbasednachos #Tofutti #followyourheart #tofurky

December 28, 2021December 28, 2021 by betsy

Savory Parmesan-Fennel Shortbread (vegan & plant-based)

Savory Parmesan-Fennel Shortbread make every hour happy!

Few things are better than these tasty rounds–buttery, tangy, and crisp-tender–with a glass of wine or non-alcoholic Proxies (pictured is “Pastiche”). Made by Acid League of teas, fruit juices, vinegars, bitters, herbs and other unexpected ingredients to pair with food, these wine alternatives have an “intoxicating” nose.

A Gift from Your Kitchen

An easy and welcome gift, the Shortbreads pack beautifully inside coffee filter-lined tins which I shared this holiday season with my freelance editors/publishers/clients and other professionals who provide service of inestimable value throughout the year.

On December 27, I contributed a dozen shortbread rounds to a happy hour for two (pictured) at the beautiful home of Angela Phillips. We also enjoyed her air fried brussels sprouts and chestnuts warmed with just a hint of olive oil.

Why Proxies?

Angela lives 8 or so miles away from us and, despite splitting the entire bottle of Proxies, I could drive home safely. These bottles really are “free of alcohol, full of complexity,” but are NOT dealcoholized–and are perfect when you want something beautiful, interesting, and exciting to sip on its own or, especially, with food, but prefer not to imbibe.

The pair of us drank the entire bottle of Pastiche, at only 75 to 100 calories total for each of us. Pastiche is a white wine alternative, made of the following: (FRUIT) Lychee, Pineapple, Peach, Gewurztraminer Grapes; (ACIDITY) Rose Vinegar; (SPICE) Pink Peppercorn, Amchur, Galangal, Clove; and (BODY) Bai Jian White Tea, Oolong Tea, Mosaic Hops. Proxies may remind you a bit of Kombucha but without the assertive fermentation and with many more layered and subtle flavor notes.

Proxies Club

Savory Parmesan + Fennel Shortbread

Yield: approximately 4 dozen

(Note: these are also tasty without the parm.)

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 cup Follow Your Heart or your favorite plant-based brand shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plant-based butter (I like Myokos), broken into chunks
1/2 cup olive oil (may need slightly more or less)

Place first 7 ingredients in food processor and pulse a few times to break up fennel seeds. Add parmesan and pulse a couple more times. Add butter and pulse to distribute. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil, stopping occasionally, until dough comes together, but is not sticky. It should be fairly firm, like roll-and-cut cookie dough. Form into 3 to 4 logs, approximately 1 1/4 to 1 1/2″ in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Slice rolls into 1/3-inch disks, place 1″ apart on baking sheet, and bake 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on wire racks. Package in airtight containers.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegansofinstagram #vegansoffacebook #vegansofvirginia #thebloomingplatter #plantbasedfoodgift #veganfoodgift #plantbasedshortbread #veganshortbread #savoryshortbread #Proxies #acidleague

October 16, 2021October 17, 2021 by betsy

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad Dip aka Desperation Dip (vegan & plant-based)

Yield: approximately 1 1/2 cups

You know those weeks: full to the brim at work and in the evenings and bracketed by similarly packed weekends of entertaining, yet you invited new friends for Friday happy hour in a rare moment of downtime. Then, Friday arrives, and you realize you have nothing more substantial to serve them than cashews and olives.

This is the dip for THOSE times. On our lunch buffet at school this week was a Buffalo Chicken Salad, creamy, not chunky. The staff prepares inspired vegan food for me, but this was not and I abstained. But I have been fantasizing about it, so I dashed into the grocery on the way home, picking up the ingredients along with everything we needed to host Bob’s father’s 90th(!) birthday party and his sister’s 60th–they were born on the same day–on Sunday. Whew!

Please enjoy even when you aren’t harried or maybe especially then:

1/4 to 1/3 cup diced red onion

4 celery hearts, cut into 1-inch chunks

8 ounces chick-un substitute (I use Tofurky Sesame-Garlic Chick’n)

2 to 3 tablespoons mayo (I use Walden Farms no-calorie mayo, but use what you love)

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1 tablespoon wing sauce or Sriracha

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Optional garnishes: sprig of herbs, green or black olive, crumbles of plant-based blue cheese or blue cheese dressing

Accompaniments: celery sticks, cucumber slices, crackers, or sturdy chips

Place onion and celery in food processor and pulse to coarsely chop. Add chick-un and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until mixture comes together with a creamy-course texture. Cover and refrigerate. To serve, garnish as desired and serve with vegetables, crackers, and chips.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegansofinstagram #vegansoffacebook #vegansofvirginia #plantbasedbuffalochicken #veganbuffalochicken #plantbaseddip #vegandip

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021 by betsy

Sichuan Pizza (vegan & plant-based)

Homemade Sichuan Pizza!

My addiction to hot chili crisp (or oil) from the grocery store is no secret, and I am happy to share my “secret” pizza recipe, which is really more of a simple method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out your favorite pizza dough super thin and place on a baking stone or lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, top with very thinly sliced yellow onion and garlic and halved grape tomatoes. Sprinkle with vegan mozz–or not–and bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a slaw of shredded cabbage, carrot, mayo (I use Walton Farms no-calorie mayo), and hot chili crisp/oil to taste. Pile on top of freshly baked pizza, top with pickled veg if desired, drizzle with a little more hot chili crisp, sprinkle with lightly salted peanuts, and garnish with a basil leaf.

I hope you love it as much as I do; I enjoyed two nights in a row!

#plantbasedpizza #vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegansofinstagram #vegansoffacebookveganpizza #plantbasedasian #veganasian

November 15, 2020 by betsy

Beer Battered Onion Ring Cups with Cream Cheese Spinach (vegan & plant-based)

Yield: 2 servings

I have always loved the edible bowl concept, especially miniaturized. Thick beer battered and deep fried onion rings make the perfect cups for fresh garlicky cream cheese spinach. This is a rich dish, so a serving of 3 to 4 is about perfect as a meal.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

1 cup flour (I use white whole wheat)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

12 ounces beer (search online for a vegan brand you like)

1 large yellow onion

Cream Cheese Spinach Filling (recipe follows)

Garnish: cherry tomato halves

Preheat deep fat fryer or a large pot of oil to 375 degrees and oven to warm if desiresd. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients and then whisk in beer. Set aside. Peel onion and slice off both ends, reserving flesh for spinach. Cut onion in half crosswise and separate into rings. Dip into batter, coat well, and fry a few at a time, just until golden brown. Drain on paper towel and keep warm in oven if desired. When all rings are fried, arrange on serving plates, fill with spinach mixture, garnish with cherry tomato halves, and serve immediately.

Cream Cheese Spinach Filling

Pinch sea salt

2 tablespoons finely diced onion (I use the onion flesh around the trimmed ends)

4 large cloves garlic

10 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves (or favorite baby greens; I like the Harris Teeter Power Greens)

4 ounces plant-based cream cheese

Cover bottom of a 10-inch skillet with water and a pinch sea salt. Add onion and garlic and simmer, stirring frequently, until softened. Add spinach and wilt, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream cheese until melted and fully combined.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn

February 2, 2020July 30, 2024 by betsy

Best Ever Cheese Sauce (Plant-based Perfection and Low-Calorie to Boot)

This rich, thick and creamy cheese sauce–which contains no added fat and is ridiculously low in calorie–owes a debt of gratitude to Susan Voisin. I consulted her recipe, but then tweaked the flavor to suit my taste. It instantly became a staple in my home and is non-vegan aporoved.

Feel free to spice it up any way you choose. Even add plant-based proteins. It would be delicious as an enchilada filling with Mexican-inspired ingredients. But, today, it is going to a Super Bowl party with me. Game on!

4 cups cauliflower florets

4 cups lightly salted water

Juice of 1/2 medium-large lemon

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower and water. Microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. (Alternatively, you may simmer, partially covered, in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.) Transfer cauliflower and about a half cup of the water into the bowl of food processor. Save remaining water. Process until cauliflower forms a thick paste. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl of the processor and process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until desired consistency is reached, adding remaining water a half cup or so at a time. Serve immediately as you would any cheese sauce.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfood #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegancheesesauce #plantbasedcheesesauce