Make Stuffing Cakes! Shape stuffing into patties about 2 1/2-inches in diameter and about 1/2-inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve garnished as desired. I like a little dollop of cranberry sauce, roasted and lightly salted Pepitas, and fresh sage sprigs.
Stuffing is everyone’s favorite, no? Mine tastes so similar and every bit as delicious as the ones I remember from childhood, yet it is not only vegan but far lower in calories thanks to only 2 tablespoons of oil in the cornbread muffins, water sauteeing of vegetables, and the inclusion of cauliflower pearls rather than white bread. Though I love cauliflower, don’t worry, it does not taste–or smell!–of cauliflower.
And the texture is just perfect thanks to homemade cornbread–with actual corn–that goes together in a flash, sauteed onion plus the green part of green onions, water chestnuts–my late mom’s secret ingredient–and just a few dry roasted pecan halves.
Note: please do not try to save time by using Whole Foods vegan cornbread. It is sweet enough to be cake and, last year, reacted to liquid like cake turning into a dense mass that ended up in the woods next to our house. I had to redeem myself this year. And I did!
Cornbread: Make cornbread a few hours–or a day–ahead: 3/4 cup self-rising cornmeal mix 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use white whole wheat) 1 tablespoon Vegan Egg (not tested with other egg substitutes but try it and share!) 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy millk (I use soymilk) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup water Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 3/4 cup frozen corn
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 6 muffin cups and preheat for about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add vegetable oil and water. Whisk together just until combined. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in corn. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and, when cool enough to handle, remove cornbread muffins from tin and crumble into a large bowl. Cover until ready to use.
Stuffing: 1 medium onion, finely diced 2 cups cauliflower pearls (buy them prepared or chop in a food processor until the size of small peas) 4 celery hearts, sliced lengthwise, and then finely diced 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 cups vegetable stock or broth, divided 1-8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained 4 green onions, green part only (reserve white part for my delicious fat-free Vegan Mushroom Gravy) 1/4 cup pecan halves toasted for 5 minutes at 350 degrees 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and oil a 9 x 13″ casserole dish. Cover bottom of large cast iron skillet with water. Heat over medium-high and then stir in onion, cauliflower, celery, garlic, and poultry seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and saute, stirring frequently, until tender, adding 1 cup vegetable stock a little at a time. When vegetables are softened and most of moisture has been absorbed and/or cooked off, remove from heat and add to bowl with crumbled cornbread. Stir in water chestnuts, green onions, and toasted pecans, moistening with remaining cup of vegetable stock or broth and aquafaba. The consistency should be that of unbaked bread pudding, so add liquid a little at a time, adding more or less, as needed. Adjust seasoning if necessary, transfer to prepared casserole dish–avoid packing down–and bake, uncovered, for a half hour. Serve immediately.
A Thanksgiving guest you will want at the table: Caramelized Onion, Dried Cranberry, and Pistachio Tart. It is vegan, plant-based, and very well-behaved.
Plus It is easy-breezy, thanks in part to a press-in crust, but elegant in that rustic way that is so appealing in autumn.
I was comes honored to be hired by Tofutti to create 3 holiday recipes and it is super fun to share the first one with you for the holiday of gratitude this week, at least in the US.
Find my vegan/plant-based–but no one will no–recipe here.
Independence Day in the US is July 4. With leftover barbecue beans and slaw–standard menu items–but not wanting to enjoy them the same way we had on the holiday, I decided to make a quesadilla which I joking call Feedom Fusion, a blend of this American holiday fare with a favorite Mexican preparation.
There is no real recipe here. I just used the beans as the filling and the vinegar-based slaw on top. The beans were a jazzed up version of canned barbecue beans with ketchup, mustard, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic and onion powders, baked at 350, uncovered, for an hour.
The slaw was similarly simple: vinegar, escabeche brine, garlic and onion powders, celery seed, sea salt and pepper, etc.
I found a 10″ tortilla in Kroger that is only 50 calories, which really appeals to me, though it may not matter to you. They are billed as high fiber and I cannot tell the difference between them and the 150 calorie version except they may be a little thinner, which is great by me.
I simply sprayed my skillet with nonstick spray, laid the tortilla in the skillet, spread the beans over half, folded it over, and cooked it for a couple of minutes on each side over medium heat. I then piled the slaw on top, drizzled it with no-calorie ranch dressing from Walton Farms that I had been sent to sample, and topped it with halved cherry tomatoes, pineapple chunks, and some jalapeño slices that were still floating in the escobeche brine, a homemade version gifted from Betsy Hardy, a dear friend.
That’s it: a flavor combo more explosive than Fourth of July fireworks.
It is fair to say I am obsessed with the Tofu Braised in Hot Chili Oil at Judy’s Sichuan, a great local restaurant. But with its big cubes of deep fried tofu, it is a fairly high calorie dish. So I have created a profusion of ways to incorporate the flavor profile into healthier dishes, including popcorn and even popcorn salad, a whole grain-based salad like no other.
I created this warming and pleasantly *lip numbing soup so that we could enjoy our black eyed peas on New Years Day with punched-up flavor. Though Bob and I have been very fortunate during the Covid19 pandemic, I felt I should enjoy a bowl of this good luck omen on behalf of this beleaguered world.
While I made the soup for the holiday, please enjoy it any day for any reason. These humble black eyed peas are remarkably tasty with their unexpected twist.
*Sichuan peppercorns, not peppers at all, possess a numbing property that is not due to heat and, in fact, enhances other flavors.
Sichuan Black Eyed Pea Soup Yield: 4 servings
1 teaspoon sesame oil 1/2 yellow onion, diced 1/2 red and 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 to 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan peppercorns (I purchase at Asian grocery) 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced on diagonal 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced on diagonal 1 to 2 tablespoons Chinese hot chili oil or fried chili crisp (I purchase the latter at Kroger on International aisle and use as is or make my chili oil from it) 2 cups fresh black eyed peas (you may substitute canned, rinsed and drained, or cooked dry peas) 1-15 ounce can lite coconut milk and 1/2 can warm water Optional Garnishes: scallions, thinly sliced on diagonal, lightly roasted and salted peanuts, star anise
Cover bottom of soup pot with water, add sesame oil, and place over medium heat to bring to simmer. Add onion and bell peppers, sprinkle with salt and ground Sichuan peppercorns, and simmer, stirring frequently, until tender. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavours have married, peas are very tender, and soup is heated through, approximately 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to suit your taste and add more water if needed. If desired, puree 2 cups of soup and pour back in, stirring to distribute. The soup will be less colorful, but creamier; I enjoy it both ways. Serve in mugs or bowls garnished as desired.
These buttery cookies are so pure and simple, the perfect hybrid of crisp and tender.
Wherever we were for Christmas as a family of four–our home in Richardson, TX, our maternal grandmother’s in Dallas, or Mam-ma’s and Pap-pa’s in Houston–Mam’ma always made sure these and three other kinds of cookies, perennially the same, were there too, packed in wax paper-lined metal holiday tins.
The crackley paper, the aroma of sweet butter, vanilla, and almond–none of her cookies were spiced–and the shapes: slices, balls, Santas, reindeer, stars, bells, Christmas trees, and more, are the embodiment of Christmas for me.
Though Mam-ma probably creamed the butter by hand, I use my Kitchen Aid mixer, except when including my addition of nuts and dried fruit. Then I use a food processor as it does the chopping for you. But feel free to chop the ingredients and fold them into the dough made by hand or with a mixer.
Russian Almond Cookies (with Pistachio and Dried Cherry/Cranberry Variation) [vegan & plant-based)
1 cup vegan butter 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups flour
Optional: 1/4 cup pistachios 1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries
Place all ingredients, including optional nuts and fried fruit, in a large food processor. Pulse until well combined and dough comes together in a ball. Divide dough in half, roll each into a log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate 20 to 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper. With a thin sharp knife, cut each log diagonally into 1/4″ thick slices, and place about 1-inch apart on prepared sheets, as they won’t spread much at all. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on wire racks.
A holiday gift of a homemade sourdough loaf on the counter, So Delicious Dairy Free Nog in the fridge, and chickpea flour in the freezer inspired this divine and ready-in-a-flash Eggnog French Toast.
And because I am on winter break from school, I just might have made a warm topping with a 2 to 1 ratio of maple syrup and Bailey’s vegan Almande.
For each serving:
1 tablespoon chickpea flour
1/4 cup So Delicious or Silk dairy-free nog
1-1 inch slice sourdough bread, preferably homemade or artisanal
Almande-Maple Syrup (recipe follows) or maple syrup
Optional: chopped nuts and a sprinkling of powdered sugar
Whisk together chickpea flour and nog in a small bowl. Place bread in bowl and press down on one side, flip over and repeat. Allow to soak for as much time as you have up to 20 or so minutes. Even 5 or 10 will be delicious. Flip bread once or twice while it soaks. Then, either melt a tablespoon of vegan butter in a large skillet or simply spray skillet with nonstick spray as I did and place over medium low heat. Remove bread from nog mixture, lay in skillet, and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and custard is set. Serve topped with the syrup of your choice plus optional chopped nuts and a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Almande-Maple Syrup Optional:
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Almande
Whisk very well, as Almande wants to float on top, and heat in microwave for 10 or so seconds. Careful or it will boil over.
Yield: 1-10-inch Bundt cake or 24-2 inch mini Bundt cakes
Red wine is not just for drinking anymore!
My latest creation–whipped up in one bowl (and one for the gorgeous glaze)–can easily and quickly be yours: Red Wine-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Red Wine Glaze (and chocolate and coconut chip garnish)!
I made the large version as a gift given in a cake box tied with a gorgeous ribbon and the minis for my annual Christmas, Chanukah, Curry and Cakes Party.
Merry, Merry, everyone!
Red Wine-Chocolate Bundt Cake
2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups natural sugar 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 egg substitutes (I used 3 tablespoon Neat Egg– it is flaxseed meal and tapioca starch; I used just flaxseed meal for mini Bundts) 1 1/2 cups red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon) 1 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup non-dairy milk 2 teaspoons vanilla Red Wine Glaze (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a regular or mini Bundt pan with baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. Make a well in center, and pour in all wet ingredients. Whisk together until batter is smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes for large/30 for minis or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack, cool completely, and then glaze.
Red Wine Glaze
2 to 3 tablespoons red wine 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips 1/4 cup coconut chips or shaved coconut
In a medium bowl, whisk together red wine, vanilla, and powdered sugar, adding more red wine or powdered sugar to reach desired consistency. Place cake on wire rack in shallow pan to catch drips and pour glaze over. Decorate with chocolate and coconut chips.
This was my delicious, lo-cal dinner on a recent autumn evening.
No real recipe, but one big secret: while my acorn squash roasted, I cooked a few french lentils and mixed them with sauteed onions, carrots, and, wait for it… shredded cabbage(!), all seasoned up with cumin, smoked paprika, and sea salt. Yummm!!!!!
Lentils are somewhat high in calories because they are nutrient dense, so I added additional bulk, nutrition, fiber, texture, and flavor with almost no-calorie cabbage.
I topped the beautiful little mound with pico de gallo and a dab of vegan sour cream. What a beautiful meal enjoyed on the deck in this cool weather with a glass of even cooler Prosecco.
