August 13, 2013August 14, 2013 by betsy

Vegan 5-Ingredient Quesadillas with Garlic Hummus and Cucumber-Blueberry Salsa

DSCN1822

To call this quick-fix meal a recipe is a bit, of an overstatement. It is, perhaps better described as a “formula,” though that doesn’t sound awfully appetizing.

So, let’s just call it a terribly tasty “idea” that can be adapted in a multitude of ways in your kitchen.

I simply spread half of a sprouted grain tortilla with some homemade in-your-face garlic hummus that a friend of Joe’s sent home with him. Rich is an unlikely cook by some estimations, but a gifted one just the same; and he shares my appreciation for bold flavors, though he is scarcely vegan!

Next, I folded the tortilla over the filling, grilled it in a non-stick pan, and then folded it over again, topping it with the world’s easiest salsa, a dab of vegan sour cream, and a sprinkling of smoked paprika.

Here’s all you need for 1 fantastic Quesadilla (easily multiplies):

1-8 inch tortilla (I like Ezekial sprouted grain tortillas, available at health food stores and some grocery stores)

1/3 cup garlic hummus, homemade or prepared (or your favorite kind)

1/4 cup Cucumber-Blueberry Salsa (“recipe” follows)

Garnish: 1 tablespoon vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of smoked paprika

Spread half of tortilla with about 1/3 cup hummus. Fold tortilla over hummus and grill in a cast iron skillet sprayed with non-stick spray for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Fold over again, place on serving plate, top with Vegan Cucumber-Blueberry Salsa, a dollop of sour cream, and a spoonful of Cucumber-Blueberry Salsa. Serve immediately.

Vegan Cucumber-Blueberry Salsa

Combine equal parts diced cucumber (I use the pickling variety, but use what you like) and fresh rinsed and dried blueberries. Toss with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste. For best flavor, chill several hours or overnight before serving.

July 28, 2013July 28, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Chocolate-Plum Butter Mousse–A Transcendent Flavor Combination with Just 4 Ingredients!

Yield: 4 servings (easily doubles)

Honestly? You absolutely can’t believe how delicious the marriage of chocolate and the deep, fruity flavor of plums is in this quick and easy four-ingredient mousse (which can be served as a tart by spooning it into a pre-baked shell).

This is a four-seasons treat since it is made with plum butter instead of fresh plums. (Incidentally, fruit butters are misnomers, as they contain no dairy.) But, since it is mid-summer, you might garnish it with fresh plum slices along with the mint, whipped topping, and hazelnuts.

That is, if you don’t consume it all before it makes it into the glasses!

10 ounces vegan dark chocolate, melted (I used chocolate chips and melted them in two 1-minute increments in the microwave, whisking after each)

1/4 box extra-firm tofu, drained and patted dry

1/2 cup vegan soy creamer (I used French Vanilla)

1/2 cup plum butter (I used Bauman’s brand–which may be ordered online–made in small batches in Pennsylvania Dutch country from only plums, sugar or white grape juice, lemons, oranges and cinnamon)

Optional garnish: your favorite vegan whipped topping and/or chopped nuts (I like hazelnuts for this dessert) + mint sprigs

In a food processor, combine all ingredients, processing until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. After about a minute, the mousse will be light and fluffy. After about another minute it will become somewhat denser and darker, yet still silken and fluffy. Choose our preference. Divide the mixture among 4 stemmed glasses or small ramekins and enjoy immediately or chill until serving time.

Note: For individual baked crustless tarts, divide mixture among 4 ramekins coated lightly with non-stick spray and bake in the center of oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until set, but still glossy. Check after 15 minutes, as tops should not be dry and starting to crack. Allow to cool before serving, or cover and place in refrigerator until serving time. Serve chilled. Garnish if desired.

September 3, 2012September 3, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Fresh Okra with Horseradish Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

Bye-bye slime…hello sublime!

Do you know how some vegetables are utterly transformed by the cooking method, say, roasting broccoli or grilling radishes? Well, this is one of those vegetables and methods.

As a southern gal, I love fried okra, though I don’t allow myself to have it much. And, I used to love it in gumbo when I was a pescatarian. However, I’ve never found a vegan gumbo recipe I like–including at a local top notch fine dining restaurant–so I rarely bought okra because I didn’t know what to do with it.

But now I do!

Recently at Stoney’s, one of my favorite local farmer’s markets who grows both red and green okra, I was debating about what I wanted to purchase. One of the employees shared this method of roasting okra and I was sold!

It will forever change the way you think about this fury little veggie. For the best crunchy exterior–and creamy center–it must be enjoyed immediately after removing it from the oven. Also, it is best not to layer the pieces of okra on top of each other to serve, as they will steam and, therefore, soften.

2 tablespoons olive oil

Approximately 2 cups of fresh okra, trimmed

Sea salt to taste

Vegan Horseradish Sauce or the sauce of your choice

Preheat oven to 45o degrees. Pour olive oil into roasting pan. I like to use a large cast iron skillet for this because it browns the okra so nicely. Add okra and toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and toss again. Roast for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown on one side (I like it fairly caramelized), then turn each piece of okra and roast 5-8 minutes on opposite side or until golden brown. Serve immediately in one layer with Vegan Horsearadish Sauce or any sauce you desire. The texture of this okra is vastly superior if served as soon as it is removed from the oven. If you are unable to serve it immediately, it will soften, but still taste good. So, I recommend reheating it in a skillet over medium-high until heated through, shaking occasionally, just before serving.

March 4, 2012April 18, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Kale, Toasted Hazelnut and Orange Pesto

Yield: approximately 2 cups

I almost don’t want to see winter end because its departure signals the end of the season of kale. (And the truth is that I actually enjoy cold, gray days…just not every day.) True, plenty of spring delicacies will sprout from the ground to replace kale, but it is undoubtedly my favorite leafy green.

Although, I have to say, some genius brought collards to a girls’ night potluck recently that were to die for. Thick ribbons about the width of pappardelle pasta were lightly sauteed in a little olive oil and salt just until barely tender. I couldn’t stop nibbling on them. And then my friend Brent, who had been on a trip to Nashville, told me about a sandwich that he’d enjoyed at The Hermitage. I’d love to veganize and miniaturize it because it haunts me: fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and sauteed collard greens. Are you kidding me?!

Anyway, before the last of the kale is gone, I can’t stop creating new ways to enjoy it, like this pesto which is ridiculously simple to make–like all pesto–and deliciously different. It is a great recipe to keep in your culinary bag of tricks because it lends itself to the small bites that are one of my favorite ways to enjoy almost any food. But it is also luscious thinned with a little pasta water or soy creamer, tossed with whole wheat pasta, and sprinkled with my Vegan Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. On a recent Saturday night, our friends Pat and Ronn Ives joined us for dinner so, as you can see in the photo, I spread grilled baguette slices with a little of the pesto and then topped it with my Savory Dried Cherry and Walnut Chutney.

Don’t you agree that that color combination of rich, bright green and shimmering ruby red is hard to beat?

4 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped fresh kale, thick stems removed

1 cup lightly toasted chopped hazelnuts, cooled to room temperature (I dry toast them in a large skillet over medium-high heat for just a few minutes, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted

Zest of one medium naval orange

Approximately 3/4 cup olive oil (I love Trader Joe’s brand–it’s an outstanding value with balanced flavor and a pour spout)

Sea salt to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse kale until finely chopped. Add hazelnuts and pulse until finely chopped. Kale will be almost minced. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil, adding more or less until the desired consistency is achieved. Turn off motor, check for seasoning, and add a pinch of sea salt if necessary. Then add the orange zest and pulse just a couple of times just to combine. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

December 4, 2011September 14, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Smoky Nooch-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds–THE Best Snack with a Glass of Wine or to Give as a Holiday or Hostess Gift

It would be beyond selfish not to share my super-simple, absolutely addicting new snack with you asap!

You see, I LOVE popcorn–lightly buttered (with vegan Earth Balance)–and sprinkled with nutritional yeast (nooch). Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. You know nooch, yes? It has a rich, cheesy flavor that can take on almost mushroomy notes in, say, a pot pie. A favorite recipe I make starts with a roux made of toasted flour, nooch and vegetable oil, and its aroma while cooking…oh my-heavenly. But I digress.

One day, craving a big healthy infusion of nooch, but not having any popcorn on hand, my eyes lit on Trader Joe’s roasted and lightly salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) in the pantry. A mere 5 minutes later, I was munching on the most delicious snack to enjoy with a glass of white wine. They are also delish sprinkled on a whole range of other dishes. And poured up into little jars, they make very festive gifts.

Can I just tell you how many times I have burned my mouth on this snack because I simply couldn’t wait? Sad, I know. But I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, only with a little more self-control!

Yield: 1 cup

1 tablespoons vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)

*1 cup roasted and lightly salted pepitas (I use Trader Joe’s brand)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (Red Star brand contains B12)

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Pinch sea salt

Melt butter in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and toast, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, and toast, stirring constantly, for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until nutritional yeast coating is golden and lightly toasted. The buttery yeast may smoke a little while toasting, so just watch the color and avoid overcooking. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in just a pinch of salt, and pour into a small bowl to cool.

Note: Feel free to try it with pumpkin seeds removed from a fresh pumpkin, but I love the green color and narrow size of the variety Trader Joe’s sells and have never seen them in any pumpkin I have ever purchased. Since Trader’s brand is already roasted, you’ll probably need to toast tfresh dried pumpkin seeds longer than my recipe calls for.

June 20, 2011June 20, 2011 by betsy

VegKitchen Adds Another Blooming Platter Recipe to their Collection

I was flattered today when I received a message from the “nava-lous” Nava Atlas of VegKitchen asking if she could print one of my recipes to “beef up” (not!) the grilling section of her website.

The answer was a resounding, “Are you kidding? Of course!” Heck, she doesn’t even need to ask, but it’s always great to hear from her, a fellow artist and foodie.

I loved the recipe she chose and, if you haven’t tried it, I think you will too. You can, of course, find it here on The Blooming Platter, but I encourage you to visit Nava’s site, check out my recipe, and poke around a bit.

Thanks, Nava!

May 10, 2011May 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Coconut Cream-Mango Sorbet

If you think the Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes below look scrumptious, you should try them with my Coconut Cream-Mango Sorbet: just a tiny scoop in a Chinese soup spoon!

The dessert display at the party mentioned in the cupcake post was beautiful, clean and modern with a sweep of white ceramic soup spoons filled with golden-orange globes of sorbet playing off the robin’s egg blue cupcake decoration–perfect complementary colors and flavors.

But with its subtle hint of fresh lime and tropical-sweet fruit flavor, this sorbet is luscious on its own or, if you don’t want to go so far as a cupcake, with just a rich chocolate ganache squiggle as in the photograph.

This recipe and over 150 more, plus color photos, fill the pages of my new Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes. Your copy awaits at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Prince Books (both online and in their Norfolk, VA, store)!

April 24, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Red, White and Green Orzo (Quick and Easy!)

Yield: 4 servings

My fellow teacher friend, Betsy Morris, is married to a farmer in the Pungo area of Virginia Beach. At various times throughout the year, she will generously bring a basket full of fresh produce to school to share with our faculty and staff. This week, she gifted us with beautiful thin asparagus, my favorite kind. I whipped up this quick and tasty dinner when I returned home from seeing our school’s wonderful production of “Guys and Dolls.” I was ravenous, but it was late, so this light dinner did the trick. Basil would be delicious in this dish, but it’s not quite fresh basil season in our area.

3 cups generously salted water
1 cup orzo
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed, and cut into1-inch pieces
1 cup grape tomato halves
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarsely chopped smoked almonds

In a medium-large pot, bring water to a boil. Stir in orzo, cover loosely, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for approximately 8 minutes or until tender. Drain. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add asparagus and saute until lightly browned on some surfaces. Add tomatoes and just heat through. Add drained pasta, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and heat through. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl or individual serving bowls. Top with smoked almonds. (You might want to pass the smoked almonds separately for each person to sprinkle onto his or her serving which, in case there are leftovers, will prevent the almonds from becoming soft.)

April 24, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Sweet Potato Latkes

Yield: approximately 8 latkes

I can’t believe I haven’t posted any new recipes since last Saturday, but I stayed at school late several days this week, so the light wasn’t good for photographing when I got home and time was short. I made these latkes last Sunday with the sweet potato left over after making pancakes on Saturday. I hope you enjoy this savory take on “sweet potato pancakes” as much as I did (and Minnie too…I let the mini-Dane share one with me).

2 fairly firmly packed cups of grated sweet potato (I used the grater attachment on my food processor)
2 tablespoons grated onion, drained of excess juice
1 tablespoon dried parsley
3 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
canola oil for frying
Garnish: dollops of vegan sour cream and a sprinkling of paprika, coarse sea or kosher salt and optional snipped chives or parsley.

Preheat oven to warm. Place potato shreds in a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients, trying to evenly disperse the cornstarch. Mix together all ingredients until well combined using a fork and/or your fingers to keep the potato shreds separated. In a large *well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat a thin layer of canola oil to shimmering. Place approximately 1/4 cup size mounds of the mixture into the skillet and immediately press firmly with a spatula so that latkes hold together. Latkes will be fairly flat. After about a minute or enough time for a crisp surface to begin to develop, gently loosen the bottom of the latkes from the skillet by sliding a spatula under each one. If the latkes appears to want to fall apart, remove the spatula, press again from the top and cook for another 30 seconds or so. In total, cook for approximately 4 minutes on the first side, pressing frequently, to insure crispiness, and checking to make sure latkes are not sticking to the skillet. Carefully flip and cook for another 4 or so minutes on reverse. Place on a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm in the oven while preparing remaining latkes. Serve with a small dollop of vegan sour cream, a sprinkling of paprika and coarse sea or kosher salt and, if you’d like, snipped chives or parsley.

*I have not made these in a non-stick skillet, but it might be even easier provided the latkes brown properly.