Category: Vegan Greens

by betsy

Restaurant Redux: Ruth’s Chris Tempura Onion Ring Cups with “Creamed” Kale

Okay, I know I have some explaining to do…Ruth’s Chris Steak House?

Well, you see, after we went to the movies one night this past December, my husband Joe and I headed over to a wine bar we like, only to find it was closed for a private holiday party.  Not wanting to drive anywhere else, we considered our options and chose nearby Ruth’s Chris, opting to dine in their attractive bar with its dark, gleamy and very appealing “men’s club” aesthetic.

Unfortunately, my husband isn’t a vegan–or even a vegetarian–so ordering was no problem for him.  However, for me, I think there were only two choices on the menu: tempura-battered onion rings and asparagus.  But since seasonal cooking and eating is my thing, I just couldn’t do asparagus in December.  Fortunately, I’d had a healthy snack before the movie, so we chose to split the onion rings which the bartender confirmed were vegan (a soda water and flour batter) after checking with the kitchen.

I have never seen such colossal rings in my life.  A mere  five came in an order, but I could only eat two and Joe one.  Because they were so substantial, I couldn’t bear not to bring the last two home.  But I wasn’t in the mood for a couple of honkin’ onion rings the next day, so I decided to do a “Restaurant Redux” inspired by my husband’s side dish of creamed spinach which I remember loving at  Ruth’s Chris during my vegetarian days in Nashville.

The rings are so tall that they make almost a cup form.  And the farmer’s market had gorgeous heads of kale that they had just cut, so I decided to fill the onion ring cups with “Creamed” Kale instead of spinach.  With half a can of leftover white beans in the fridge, I decided to make the “cream” out of the beans, nutritional yeast, and unsweetened soy milk.

The result put less emphasis on the cream and more on the greens, but was still silky, luscious and reminiscent of the Ruth’s Chris specialty. I simply heated the onion ring cups, filled them with the “Creamed” Kale, and served them surrounded by Ruth’s Chris’s special sauce which has a tangy sweet-hot Asian flare.

Even if you don’t happen to have onion rings-on-steroids on-hand, the filling is delicious on its own.

With this recipe, you can enjoy a little taste of Ruth’s Chris without all the death and dying.

Yield: 4 servings

4 Ruth’s Chris onion rings (they’re about 2 inches wide/tall!)

1/2 can (a scant cup) white beans, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk

Pinch sea salt

Pinch grated nutmeg (preferably fresh-grated)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups lightly packed finely chopped kale (I remove the stems and then use a food processor for this task)

Pinch sea salt

Pinch garlic powder

Approximately 4 tablespoons Ruth’s Chris special Asian sauce served with their Tempura Onion Rings (or a prepared Asian chili sauce)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place onion rings on a terracotta stone or an oiled or Silpat-lined baking sheet and heat for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine beans, nutritional yeast, soy milk, salt, and nutmeg in a food processor and process until smooth.  Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high.  Add kale and a pinch of salt and garlic powder, and saute for about 5 minutes or until tender, but still bright green.  Reduce heat to medium and stir in bean mixture.  Heat, stirring continually, for about a minute or until “cream” is heated through.  Spoon kale immediately into the onion ring cups and serve with the sauce drizzled around the onion rings and over the kale.   Note:  I actually used this much filling for two onion rings because that’s all I had, but it would fill four of them generously.

For 150+ additional seasonal recipes for someone on your holiday list, I invite you to consider The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

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by betsy

Vegan Kale and Lentil Salad

My fresh take on beans-and-greens presents lentils and kale as a hardy, yet light, salad that is equally good served warm or at room temperature, and makes the perfect bed for a piece of grilled tofu drizzled with a delectable sauce.  This dish is a powerhouse of vitamins and protein, simple enough for any day, but lovely enough for special occasions.

Here I serve it on its own with a shimmering slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh rosemary from our garden.

4 cups rough chopped and firmly packed kale, thick stems removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 of a medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

Sea salt

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 pound steamed lentils (I buy the Trader Joe’s brand which is actually 17.6 ounces)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional: juice of 1/2 of a medium lemon

Finely chop kale in a food processor and set aside.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering.  Add onion and a pinch of salt, and saute lightly, stirring frequently, just for a couple of minutes.  Add garlic and saute, stirring, for only about 30 seconds.  Add kale and cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes or until kale is tender but still bright green.  Add remaining ingredients and heat through.  Adjust seasoning if necessary with salt and pepper and, if you want added brightness, stir in the lemon juice.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Still Life with Vegan Kale and Lentil Salad and Minnie
For 150 more fresh, seasonal recipes that will make your (and your dog’s!) mouth water, I hope you will check out The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.

 

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by betsy

Eat Your Vegan Leafy Greens for Healthy Eyes

This week, I had an annual check-up with my opthamologist, the dynamic Dr. Dunn of Beach Eye Care in VA Beach, VA.

In the exam room, he popped my retinal scan image up on his computer alongside an image of the unhealthy eye of a diabetes patient about my age who refuses to eat “anything green.” After pointing out the differences,  he said, “You can tell everyone that your vegan diet is responsible for your healthy eyes.”

According to him, though “leafy greens” were discounted by his professors in medical school a number of years ago, they are now credited with being a key “ingredient” in eye health.

So, to keep your peepers in the “pink” of good health, I am pleased to offer you this tantalizingly tangy and ravishing red chard dish from my new cookbook, The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes:

red chard with toasted hazelnuts
Yield: 4 servings

Maple syrup and raspberry vinegar lend a delicate flavor to fresh Spring chard. This dish is beautiful as an accompaniment to sauteed tempeh or tofu.

1 bunch red chard, rinsed and well dried
2 tablespoons walnut oil or olive oil, divided
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Sea salt
2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar or
apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped toasted hazlenuts

1. Remove and discard the tough stem ends of the chard. Cut off the remaining stems and coarsely chop. Set aside. Roll up each chard leaf lengthwise, jellyroll style, and cut through the resulting cylinder into 1/2-inch slices.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the walnut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir continuously until it begins to turn golden. Add the sliced chard stems and a pinch of salt and increase heat to medium-high. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and stir well.

3. Add the sliced chard leaves, gently packing them into the skillet and cook them, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the leaves so that the cooked side is up and saute for 2 minutes longer. Add the vinegar, maple syrup and black pepper to taste, and cook for 1 minute or until the chard is tender, but not mushy, and a bright-dark green.

4. Quickly transfer the chard to a serving bowl to stop cooking, making sure to include all of the juice and bits of garlic. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with hazelnuts. Serve hot.

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by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook Featured Again by Veggie Girl

Back Cover, The Blooming Platter Cookbook

Dianne “Veggie Girl” confesses on her blog that, although she usually doesn’t feature the same cookbook twice in her “Cookbook Project” series, my vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes with Cream Cheese-Orange Sauce inspired her to break with tradition and feature The Blooming Platter Cookbook for Project 19 and 20.  Thank you, Diane!

I commend her substitution of Spelt flour for the whole wheat.  I do that myself sometimes and am a fan!

This week, she chose to prepare a total of four recipes from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes.  I trust it will always give me a thrill to see my recipes prepared by someone else!

In fact, I would have loved to have eaten at Dianne’s house this week as this was such a busy one for me that my dinner one night was my Vegan Cheddar “Cheese” Spread on Melba toast and nothing at all last night!

This week included, in addition to a two hour appointment after work on Tuesday to have my braces removed and a beautiful closing exhibition reception for my students and their artwork at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Beach Higher Ed Center on Thursday, lots of cooking for the “Incredible Edibles” cookbook launch party that is tonight (so excited!).

So while I practiced poor nutritional habits, at least at night, Veggie Girl, in addition to my carrot cake pancakes, whipped up a batch of my Zucchini-Stuffed Shells with Blooming Marinara Sauce, my Caramelized Onion and Spinach Quesadillas (with White Bean Cheese) and my “White Cheese” Pizza with Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Her addition of a pinwheel garnish of avocado slices on the quesadilla was gorgeous (but, sadly, I’m allergic to them).  And her addition of Shitake mushrooms and red onion to the pizza  looked like the delicious confetti that I’m sure it was.

It’s barely 5:25 a.m. and my mouth is watering for Italian and Southwestern food!

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by betsy

Vegan Kale, Grape Tomato and Swiss "Cheese" Pizza with Rosemary-Garlic Olive Oil

Yield: 2-7 to 8-inch pizzasAs this recipe proves, pizza can attain health food, rather than junk food, status.

After a wonderful lunch on Saturday of a beautiful potato pizza and gorgeous salad prepared by my good friend, Trish Pfeiffer, and enjoyed on her sun porch, I was craving pizza something fierce.

If you follow this blog, you know that I am a fan of “CPK Pizza Dough.” However, I was out of all-purpose flour–shocking, I know–but was determined to make homemade dough. So I used half whole wheat and half self rising flour, but still used the same amount of yeast called for in order to achieve a tiny bit more “puff.” My husband, the meatatarian, and I both loved it. Don’t misunderstand, though, these were not “thick crust” or “deep dish” pizzas–not even close.

In the fridge was a big, tight bunch of curly kale just begging to be used. So, I minced it in the food processor, sauteed it in a little olive oil until tender with just a few crispy bits, and spooned it over a homemade Swiss “cheese” sauce. Next, I nestled grape tomato halves into the kale in a pinwheel design, dotted the top with a tiny bit more “cheese,” and dabbed the surface and rim of the crust with olive oil into which I had crushed some fresh rosemary from my garden and some minced garlic.

After a mere 11 minutes and the sounding of the smoke alarm (I really need new pizza stones, as mine have a pizza residue that sometimes smokes), the pies were perfection: a crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside crust and a beautiful moist red, white and green topping bursting with fresh flavors, colors and texture.

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

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by betsy

Portrait of Red Chard

This is a stunning example of what I meant when I said that the winter greens where I shop have been ravishing. Held up against the sun as I did for this photograph, the veins of red chard look like a coral bark maple tree. We are so privileged to have access to food like this. Red chard needs very little done to it to be a beautiful and healthful side dish. However, it is extremely mild, so I infuse it with some strong, but compatible flavors, as in my Vegan Raspberry-Maple Red Chard with Toasted Hazelnuts.

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by betsy

Vegan Sausage, Fennel, White Bean and Kale Stew

Yield: approximately 8 servings

The winter greens in the grocery store are ravishing right now making it impossible not to build some meals around them. This one is such a warm and welcoming dinner to come home to. Plus it’s one of the tastiest infusions of antioxidants and flavorful vegan protein going. But you might have noticed that those are chick peas, not white beans, in the photo. I was in a hurry in a grocery store where I don’t usually shop and reached for the first can I saw with a white colored bean-like object on the front. They were delicious in the stew, so use them if you have them, but next time I’ll use white beans for a little more authentically Italian dish






.

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

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by betsy

Vegan Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Onions, Greens and Cranberries and Curried Croutons–Perfect for the Winter Holidays

Yield: 8 servings (easily halves; just use second half of squash for another recipe)

This healthy and colorful dish of yellow, green and red is full of the flavors of the season and is a beautiful addition to the holiday table. The slight bitterness of spaghetti squash is tempered with a bare hint of olive oil and maple syrup. And, similarly, any bitterness associated with kale is offset by the sweetness of caramelized onions and dried cranberries, with a tiny bit of tang provided by balsamic vinegar, and earthiness from nutritional yeast and marjoram. A mere two tablespoons of soy creamer gives the greens a texture that contrasts nicely with the al dente spaghetti squash, while crunchy curried croutons and a sprinkling of a few more dried cranberries are the perfect finishing touch for a perfectly delicious dish.

Spaghetti Squash:
1 spaghetti squash, halved, seeds and pulp removed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste

Oven Method: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash, cut side down, in an oiled baking dish and roast for 45 minutes. Microwave Method: Cook one half at a time by placing squash, cut side down, in a microwave safe dish with 1/4 inch water. Cook for 7-10 minutes. Repeat with other half. When cool enough to handle, use a fork to scoop out squash threads, working from the shell to the center. Toss with olive oil and maple syrup and season to taste with salt.

While squash cooks, make greens:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-large yellow onion, halved, peeled, and cut crosswise into thin slices
3 medium-large garlic cloves
coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
8 ounces chopped kale (you can use other greens; adjust cooking time accordingly)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons dried cranberries
1 tablspoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2-1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 tablespoons plain soy creamer
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

In a large pot or wok over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until it starts to turn golden, adding a little splash of water to speed the process. Add salt to taste. Add garlic and more water, if necessary, and continue sauteeing until golden brown. Add kale and toss until it wilts down; add salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes. After about 7 minutes, stir in cranberries. Sprinkle with flour, nutritional yeast and marjoram, and stir well. Stir in soy creamer and cook a couple of minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook for remaining minute. Remove from heat.

While greens cook, make croutons:
2 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance) or olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 whole wheat pita pockets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In preheating oven, melt butter in a medium-sized pan. Remove from oven and stir in curry powder. Add bread cubes and toss well. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes or until crunchy.

Garnish: a few dried cranberries

To serve dish, make a bed of spaghetti squash on a serving platter. Spoon greens into center. Top with croutons and dried cranberries.

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