Before the mercury climbs and this winter’s kale is all gone, be kind to yourself with my healthy brand of tasty comfort food as published on Go Dairy Free.
Just click HERE for the recipe, nutritional information, and a little of the back story involving a Superbowl party, a dog named Huff, and a million dollar-winning commercial!
Thanks, as always to Alisa Fleming, creator and founder of Go Dairy Free!
It was recently published by the good folks at One Green Planet and you can access itby clicking HERE.
Its crust has a secret ingredient–now known to be healthy–that yields a perfect flaky, yet tender, crust that’s a cinch even for novice bakers to manage. And you won’t have to wait very long to have this beautyon the table because of my stove top pre-cooking method.
Make it a la mode: As a bonus, you can also access my Cinnamon Stick-Vanilla Bean Ice Cream recipe which was created especially for this pie, but is delicious on its own.
Thanks to Team One Green Planet! Enjoy, everyone!
I did it again: missed a day yesterday in my “Crash the Superbowl Snack Recipe.” Darn it. It was a really busy day, but that’s no excuse. So, I owe you two today.
Let’s start with one of the recipes I intended to post a while back when I mentioned having been invited to present a program, complete with samples, on The Blooming Platter Cookbook for Alpha Rho, the educational sorority to which I belong.
I love this combination of rich cashew cheese (featuring my secret “cheesy” ingredient!) and tangy sweet-and-savory chutney. The pairing is perfect perched on a cracker but, after the meeting and some errands, I was starved, so I came home and made a grilled cheese-and-chutney sandwich on super-thin Danish rye bread. Oh, my…
My recommendation is to make the Vegan Cheddar Cheese Spread first so that it can be chilling while you make the chutney.
Next, make the chutney.
Fresh Pear and Dried Cranberry Chutney
Yield: 4-5 cups
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 of a red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 Asian pears, stemmed, cored, and coarsely chopped in a food processor (I’ve only every seen Asian pears in one size and that’s large! About the size of a small grapefruit.)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup natural sugar
1/4 cup catsup
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or to taste
In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and continue to saute and stir for about 30 seconds. Add pears and saute, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or so, or until pears release juices and begin to cook down. Add all remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or until the mixture has reached the desired consistency. Stir in rosemary and cook and stir for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve chilled or at room temperature with crackers or crostini.
Note: To make a Grilled Cheese-and-Chutney Sandwich, melt about 1 tablespoon of vegan butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. While butter melts, spread one piece of bread first with the cheese and then with a layer of chutney. Cover with a second piece of bread and grill for a minute or two on each side or until golden brown.
Note: I inadvertently skipped yesterday in my Crash the Superbowl Snack Recipe countdown, so I will make up for it by posting two today. Sorry about that!
Yield: 4 servings
Okay, I admit it: Indian dishes aren’t the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of the Superbowl.
But someone recently singled out this photo from my album of Blooming Platter Cookbook winter dishes on Facebook and I was reminded of how pretty it is. But I was also reminded of a Christmas Eve party that my family has attended for many years. Annually on the menu is a huge bowl of marinated cauliflower, rings of fresh onion, black olives and shrimp (which I avoid) served with toothpicks. Everyone always enjoyed it and it was fun to eat.
So it occurred to me, though it’s not your standard Superbowl fare, that a big platter of my Indian Cauliflower set out with toothpicks would easily serve and satisfy a crowd. It is fragrant, simple and delicious. Try using orange cauliflower when making the recipe; it tastes the same as white and it looks beautiful with the black mustard seeds (see photo).
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1 head white or orange cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden. Add the cauliflower, coriander, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water and simmer until the cauliflower is tender and most of the water is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the mustard seeds and cook for 2 minutes.
3. To serve, transfer the cauliflower to a serving platter, drizzle with the mustard seed mixture and sprinkle with cilantro, if using. Serve hot (or room temperature).
Last Saturday, I had the distinct honor of delivering a program on The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes (TBPC) for an education sorority of which I’m a member: the Alpha Rho chapter ofDelta Kappa Gamma. Because of my schedule over the last year, I have not been able to be an active member, so it felt very good to be back in the fold. And the 35 or so members in attendance were so generous with their praise and purchase of books.
The 9-11 a.m. time frame of the meeting dictated brunch-type offerings, but ones that were along the lines of “pick up” food and that didn’t need to be served hot, as the meeting was held in the library of the school where several of us teach. Though the space is filled with natural daylight, it has no kitchen.
It’s my pleasure to share the menu in the next few posts starting with this sneak preview recipe from TBPC. In the cookbook, I suggest serving it as an open-face sandwich on that ultra-thin, dense and perfectly square Danish pumpernickel bread. But for the meeting, I sliced the bread in half to make “fingers,” and toasted it for a few minutes on each side at 350 degrees. That way, I could serve the bread as an accompaniment to a dish of the spread and a separate one of cucumber slices, and not need to prepare a lot of finger sandwiches in advance.
Fresh and pretty, this sandwich would also be lovely for afternoon tea, though it is a perfectly filling lunch when lighter fare is in order. A “schmear” of the luscious ginger and clove-scented spread plus one slice of cucumber also tops a cracker just about perfectly. And both the spread and cucumbers on a toasted bagel take the quick breakfast concept to a new level.
14 ounces firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped pitted dates
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 medium (8-ounce) cucumber, thinly sliced Sea salt
8 slices Danish-style pumpernickel bread
In a food processor, combine the tofu, lemon juice, ginger, maple syrup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, cloves, salt and pepper to taste, and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in dates, walnuts, and apricots. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Spread the mixture evenly onto the bread slices, top each with the cucumber slices, and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Serve immediately, two slices per serving.
Thanks to FARM for not only publishing my vegan White Bean and Kale Stew recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook, but for also including nutritional information, Gimme Lean product information, and an article on the fast food-obesity connection. Just click HERE to access the newsletter, including recipe.
Has it turned chilly where you are? If so, I thought you might appreciate a sneak preview of a nutritious and delicious winter soup that my omnivorous husband asks for by name. If so, just click on the soup name below.
This beautiful “White Bean and Kale Stew” hails from The Blooming Platter Cookbookand was featured this week as the Veg Kitchen’s “Recipe of the Week.” (Thanks, Nava Atlas!) Not the ubiquitous white bean and kale stew that we all know and love, my recipe is extra special with the addition of fennel and vegan sausage.
Fragrant with that faintly anise scent so appealing and particular to fennel, and “kicked-up” with the addition of winter spices, this stew is like aromatherapy in a bowl. And it’s very quick to make.
Our family started a tradition of making a special soup on Christmas Day because none of us wanted to repeat the (healthy) excesses of Thanksgiving less than a month before. Plus we had come not to relish opening presents and then leaping up to hit the kitchen for hours of work–pleasant enough, but work all the same. Our soup tradition takes any residual stress out of the day and has been enjoyed for several years. If you have the same inclinations, this soup would make a lovely choice.
Please, everyone, have yourselves a wonderful holiday. And stay-tuned for my extra special post for New Year’s Eve. It may be the simplest, quickest and most beautiful “recipe”–if you can call it that–that I’ve posted in Blooming Platter history!
And, quickly, if you are in need of a last minute gift, I would like to suggest running out to your local bookseller and snagging a copy of The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes. (You can purchase it for 25% off its regular retail price through December 31!) If you already have purchased one for yourself or others, my sincere thanks! People’s generous support of TBPC has been extraordinary.
Move over Guy Fieri! Your “Triple D” has nothing on our “Quadruple C”!
Plus, no animals are harmed in the making of “Christmas, Chanukah, Curry & Cakes”–unlike “Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives”!–my 11th annual all-girls vegan holiday party.
The Brief History
Every year, on the second Wednesday in December for the last decade, 20 of my “tribe” have gathered at Joe’s and my home for a curry buffet dinner and special cakes, cookies or other confections. The party is beloved of all and it is a very special treat for me to feed my nearest and dearest a beautiful and nutritious veg meal (well, the desserts are beautiful if not terribly nutritious), and gift them with ornaments, picture frames or, one year, miniature cookbooks.
The Swap
But, this year, for some reason, I wanted to change it up a bit. I especially wanted to host a “Swap.” You know about swaps, yes? All of the guests bring nice, but unwanted or unneeded household and garden goods, as well as clothing and accessories. Then, using one of several methods for redistributing the goods, everyone goes home with items more to their liking. It is especially perfect this time of year because guests can “shop” for free holiday gifts, which is very welcome in this economy.
The procedure I decided on was to have each guest write her name on a clothespin, one for each item that she brought. The clothespins then become currency for “buying” other items. Realizing on my way home from school the day of the party that there would be no way to tell my own possessions that I want to keep(!) from those that were up for grabs, I decided to have each guest also fill out an index card to place with each item. A draped table in our foyer topped with a pretty vase of clothespins, a bowl of index cards (that matched our decor!), and a couple of containers that held a spectrum of colored Sharpie markers provided the perfect staging area. I simply explained the process to the first guests to arrive and they to the next and so on. It was so fun to watch our living room and den be transformed into an eclectic upscale boutique.
What happens if more than one person “pins” the same item? As one friend said, “Girl Fight!” What actually happens is really fun. As a group, we moved through each room, stopping when we came upon items with two or more pins. The pins went into a festive wine bag, I shook them up amidst good-natured chanting and ribbing, and asked someone to draw. Whoever’s name is drawn is the “winner” of the item, but the other person(s) gets to select something else.
Adding a 5th C: Charity
After the swap, there were unclaimed items in which people had interest, so they asked if they could make a donation to charity through me and “purchase” the items. I thought that was a great idea, so they discreetly tucked bills into the clothespin vase and chose the merchandise they wanted. When everyone was gone I discovered that we had collected $50! Wanting, in the spirit of CCC & C, to donate to a women’s or to a food-related charity, I discovered A Well-Fed World whose tagline is “Feeding People/Saving Animals” because their mission is certainly in the spirit of CCC & C. Just click on the link to read all about their important work and, perhaps, make a donation. With just a few items remaining, I made short order of boxing and bagging them up, dropping them off Saturday morning at a nearby thrift store that benefits our Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters.
The Food
Since I wanted everyone to freely browse, I decided that “finger food” and small plates were in order. I have lots of favorite appetizers from my Blooming Platter Cookbook, so I thumbed through the fall and winter sections choosing hot, room temperature and cold dishes and crafting the following easy menu. It was a huge hit with all of the guests.
The Tangy Indian White Peas were the only dish not from the cookbook, but I had to make them because, though I had run into an Indian market just for puri to serve with the Saag Dip, the nicest fellow shopper–an Indian–shared a recipe with me, leading me around the store to show me what I needed. The “recipe” is simply the white beans cooked until soft in salted water seasoned with a little turmeric until all of the water has evaporated. Into that mixture is stirred prepared mint chutney and, my addition, a little cilantro and mango chutneys for good measure. Delish and ultra easy!
**For the uninitiated, Prosecco is Italian white sparkling wine that complements everything, especially vegan food. But my husband loves it, too, and he is “a vegan and more.” I first learned of it from Italian celebrity chef, Giada de Laurentiis. It is ridiculously affordable, even in restaurants, at about $30/bottle. But, at Trader Joe’s, a very respectable bottle can be had for about 5 bucks! For a New Year’s post, I plan to share my very special way of serving it. Stay tuned!
Since CCC & C is all about sharing, it is my pleasure to share one of the recipes that I served from the cookbook with you here. For the others, I hope you’ll consider snagging a copy of the book for yourself and your friends!
Blooming Broccoli Dip
Yield: 4 cups
I chose this dip because it’s a crowd pleaser and because our farm market has been harvesting lovely heads of broccoli this fall and winter. Note: I tripled the recipe to serve 20 and I’m glad I did because there was none left over!
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon curry powder (or to taste)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups small broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped red or orange bell pepper (or a combination)
2/3 cup golden raisins
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Vegenaise or other vegan mayo (start with 3 tablespoons and add more as desired)
3 ounces smoked almonds, finely chopped
In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk well to combine. Add the broccoli, bell peppers, raisins, and scallions and toss to mix well. Fold in the mayo, a few tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Reserve any leftover mayo. Refrigerate the broccoli mixture, covered, several hours or overnight. Fold in the almonds just before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve chilled.
l to r: Blooming Broccoli Dip, Mini Puff Pastry Cups, & Curried Cous-Cous
You’ll enjoy reading her perspective on squash as the ultimate winter comfort food in her introduction to the recipe–complete with a little nutritional info–and you’ll also enjoy perusing the Go Dairy Free website, a treasure trove for the dairy averse.
Before the mercury climbs and this winter’s kale is all gone, be kind to yourself with my healthy brand of tasty comfort food as published on Go Dairy Free.
