February 21, 2022May 16, 2022 by betsy

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches w/ Caramelized Onions & Green Apple (vegan & plant-based)

Stack it High!!

Today I share no real recipe, just a suggestion for combining components in the most luscious of grilled cheese sandwiches built on colors and flavors that complement and contrast.

“Sandwiched” between 2 pieces of a rosemary olive oil bread are slices of Tofutti’s American style cheese, griddled green apple (sliced about 1/4 inch thick), caramelized onions, and a harissa cream cheese made with about 2 or so tablespoons of Tofutti Garlic-Herb Better-Than-Ceam Cheese and about 2 teaspoons of prepared harissa. I gently heated them together for a few seconds in the microwave and whisked until smooth.

The tangy cheese slices, tart apple, sweet onions, and spicy cream cheese are the perfect foils for each other.

If you are unable to get Tofutti products where you live, their website Includes a product locator.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegansofinstagram #vegansoffacebook #vegansofvirginia #thebloomingplatter #tofutti #grilledcheese #vegangrilledcheese #plantbasedgrilledcheese

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020 by betsy

Panini Hack (Hint: whip out your waffle iron!)

Have you ever made a sandwich in a waffle iron? You will never eat a plain sandwich again and no panini press is needed! It takes longer to heat up the waffle iron than it does to grill the sandwich and you can make two at a time!

This tasty one was filled with vegan cheese, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced yellow onion, and baby kale leaves. The whole grain bread was spread with chutney and no calorie vegan mayo!

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #panini #paninisandwich #waffleiron

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Cheese
from decadent snack to healthy meal

Bob made me a PERFECT half vegan grilled swiss cheese for dinner last night.

He insisted that I soften the cheese first in the mic before giving it to him saying that “vegan cheese doesn’t melt.” He was right, it was more perfect than usual.

And he said that my vegan butter “smells like fish” and was appalled that I topped the sandwich with cauliflower pearls and pico de gallo for almost no-calorie nutrition bulk, fiber, texture, flavor, and color. But I wouldn’t change a thing.

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

April 23, 2018April 23, 2018 by betsy

Vegan Chipotle Baked Bean Open-Faced “Sammie”

This quick stir-together is an homage-with-a-twist to my late mother who would make Baked Bean Sandwiches with leftover baked beans on toasted bread. On a trip to England, I learned this is quite British, but I am not sure if she knew. She was just a thrifty, inventive cook.

It is better made with baked beans that have actually been baked to develop that thick, caramelized ever-so-slightly molasses-y “tar” around the edges of the pan, but straight out of the can works too.

Besides not serving the filling on ricecakes, which were as yet uninvented when I was a kid, Mother didn’t use the chipotle, cream cheese, spinach, or cilantro garnish and you don’t need to either. It is a winning combination regardless.

Yield: 2 servings (easily multiplies)

1 cup leftover vegan baked beans OR 1-8 ounce can vegan baked beans (sold as vegetarian), with a little of juice drained off

3 celery hearts, diced

Optional, but recommended: 1 green onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vegan mayo ( I recommend my tasty Blooming Platter version at 10 vs. 100 calories)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Adobo sauce from a can or jar of Chilies in Adobo (careful–this packs some heat!)

2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese

2 brown rice cakes

Approximately 16 baby spinach leaves

Garnish: vegan mayo and cilantro sprigs

Combine beans with celery, green onion, mayo, and chilies with Adobo. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each ricecake, top with about 8 baby spinach leaves, half the bean mixture, a dollop of mayo, and a cilantro sprig. Serve immediately.

December 9, 2017December 9, 2017 by betsy

Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash and Cream Cheese Ricetini

Yield: 4 servings

When you need a meal that is more like a snack, you need my Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash and Cream Cheese Ricetini, a play on crostini (not a martini!).

It’s a little bit open-faced sandwich and a little bit pretty appetizer, so it seems special–and it is special enough for a party–but it is so quick and easy. And it is low-fat and low-calorie but, shhh, don’t tell anyone. Each serving is less than 200 calories! (Ten ounces of spiralized butternut squash is only 128 calories.)

10 ounces spiralized butternut squash (spray roasting pan and squash with a little nonstick spray, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and roast for 25 minutes at 450 degrees, tossing half way through)

4 rice cakes

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup roasted and lightly salted pumpkin seeds.

To make each ricetini, spread one rice cake with 2 tablespoons vegan cream cheese. Mound 1/4 of the roasted butternut squash on top and garnish with 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately, perhaps with a small salad.

November 16, 2017 by betsy

Quick and Tasty Vegan Buffalo Chickpeas

Yield: 2 servings

My go-to vegan lunch…

Perched on pretzels that I used as scoops, this super quick and easy–and let’s not forget tasty–chickpea salad recipe would also make a delicious filling for a wrap, especially with the shredded purple cabbage that I used as a base. I folded the cabbage into the last of the salad and loved that flavor combination and crunch. It is perfect for a workday lunch…with a little mouthwash chaser.

Note: you may omit the butter, but it is a small amount, is included in the traditional recipe for Buffalo Sauce, and it mellows the vinegar, also a traditional ingredient. Each ingredient is needed to create that addicting balance of hot and tangy buffalo goodness.

2 tablespoon softened vegan cream cheese

2 tablespoons Daiya brand vegan blue cheese dressing

1 tablespoon Frank’s hot sauce (or more if you like hot alot)

1 tablespoon melted vegan butter

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1-15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 celery hearts, finely diced

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Shredded purple cabbage

In a medium bowl, whisk together first 7 ingredients. Fold in chickpeas, celery, and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and cover and chill until serving time. Serve on a bed of the cabbage or fold the two up together in your favorite wrapper.

August 15, 2017August 15, 2017 by betsy

Best Vegan “Tuna” Salad
that Actually Tastes of the Sea

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Let’s be honest: chickpeas do not taste like tuna. They simply don’t.

Maybe it’s been so long since we all tasted tuna that something vaguely the same color and texture mashed up in mayo will do the trick for some.

Not for this gal.

I have made chickpea tuna on several occasions before and been unimpressed with my efforts. But I had made an (exquisite!) aquafaba chocolate mousse on Saturday for a party that evening and had two cans of chickpeas left over. I also had a craving. So I got to work. Though, in truth, this mock tuna salad is really no work.

In the process, I discovered 5 “secrets”:

Nori powder and soy sauce are critical for that briney hint of the sea. Dulce flakes simply don’t pack enough ocean punch.

Tartar sauce in place of mayo tricks the brain into thinking “sea.” (I prefer tartar–with fresh dill, tarragon, sweet pickle relish and juice, and rice wine vinegar–made from my low calorie/ high flavor Blooming Platter Mayo, but a commercial brand of tartar, like Vegenaise–or commercial mayo made into tartar–would also be great in flavor)

Pickle relish lends that tuna sandwich-of-my-youth flavor.

Green onion provides a toned down reference to the diced white onion I loved in tuna salad as a kid. And it also somehow hints at the ocean.

Well-mashed chickpeas are a must for a close texture approximation.

And there you have it. As for serving, I haven’t eaten much bread in years, but if nothing other than a sandwich will do, go for it. I love the salad, instead, piled on a rice cake even though I am not gluten sensitive. I crave that low-calorie texture.

And, though I certainly didn’t eat tuna salad with fresh baby spinach as a child, I really love the color that the spinach leaves add to the whole presentation, as well as the flavor, texture, and nutrition.

For garnish, dill is a favorite flavor regardless, but it is especially delightful with tuna, so a little dab of additional mayo and a sprig of dill crowns this jewel. I just happened to have the baby tricolor pear tomatoes, so I popped a couple of those on the side for the most satisfying dinner on every level.

2-15.5 ounce cans chickpeas, very well drained but unrinsed, and coarsely mased with a fork

4 to 5 tablespoons vegan tartar sauce (you can use mayo, but tartar tricks the brain)

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (dill relish is fine if you don’t care for sweet)

2 large green onions, thinly sliced, both white and green parts

1 teaspoon soy sauce or Tamari

I teaspoon Nori powder (purchased or place 1 broken sheet Nori in spice or coffee grinder and pulverize)

Sea salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

May 25, 2016June 4, 2016 by betsy

The Blooming Platter’s Betsy DiJulio Invited to Give Cooking Demo at PETA’s Leadership Weekend
(and a ringing endorsement for my Tofu Egg Salad)

(For the Recipes, scroll down about half way to the links.)

Not many things would make me grocery shop and cook for four hours on a Friday night with a fever, congestion in every passage from my neck up, and a cough that would cause mothers to gather their children to their skirts.

But a cooking demonstration for PETA donors was one of them.

I am fortunate to live basically in the back yard of PETA’s East Coast headquarters, located in Norfolk, VA. A resident of the neighboring city of VA Beach, I am even more fortunate to have been asked to give a cooking demonstration for 45 of their major US donors on Saturday, May 14.

Those individuals in the group who don’t reside in our area flew themselves to Norfolk to join local donors where they were treated to a weekend of information sessions from upper level PETA executives, wonderful vegan meals, comfy lodging, my cooking demonstration, and more. Betsy Squeezing a Lemon
I cannot say enough positive things about both the PETA’s East and West Coast staff, how they welcomed me, and how they worked together seamlessly to run a tight ship.

Arriving a bit early to their sunny office building moored along the riverfront, I was met by the loveliest, professional, but relaxed and helpful women and men who made my job easy. We loaded a cart, efficiently developed a serving plan, and everyone slid right into their roles. The most challenging aspect of the whole presentation was finding somewhere to attach the lavalier mic on my rather skimpy dress, discreetly covered by a sweater, I should hastily add.

Betsy Food Processing The demo took place on a stage in a meeting room, supported by a cracker jack AV team, for the hour just before lunch, so I didn’t want to prepare anything sweet or that would conflict with their tasty vegan bento boxes from Kotobuki on Colley Avenue in Norfolk. The PETA staff members, who have plenty of these demos under their belts, steered me away from hummus–it’s so ubiquitous as to have become the Pasta Primavera of vegan hors d’oeuvres–and anything with the misunderstood mushroom. So they enthusiastically agreed on the most popular recipe on my entire website: Tofu Egg Salad with its “dark secret” (of Indian black salt that tastes and smells exactly like boiled eggs) on thin slices of rye party rye bread and my very springy dill-scented Smoky Grilled Asparagus and White Bean Spread on rice crackers. Both, I am humbled to report, were big hits, especially the egg salad.

Betsy Smiling I am similarly gratified that my demo was so well-received. One of the staff members shared that they have presented many of these and that they are often “dry,” but that mine wasn’t. I have to admit that I was a bit relieved, as I had come down with a fever after school on Thursday, worked Friday still with a fever because progress report grades were due, rallied to grocery shop and prepare ingredients Friday night (missing my beloved candlelight yoga class) and half a day Saturday. Afterwards, I drove straight home, climbed into bed and stayed there until Monday when my fever finally broke.

But the show had to go on and it was completely worth it.

A big thank you to PETA and to my contact, Megan Eding.

Fun Note: A couple of weeks after the demo, I received this lovely email from Barry M. from Baltimore who were in attendance:

Hi Betsy,

We attended the PETA Leadership weekend in Norfolk and were at the cooking demonstration you gave. I was so excited about the tofu egg salad recipe because I used to love egg salad and had given up eggs years and years ago. I couldn’t wait to get home, order the black salt, and try out your recipe. I got the black salt on Amazon.com, whipped up a batch using Hampton Creek mayo and the result was spectacular. Even my spouse Tom loved it, and he is a picky eater when it comes to vegan eating. This recipe will now be a permanent addition to our cook book binder and we can’t wait to share it with our non-vegan friends and fool them – they won’t know the difference and I’m sure will enjoy it as much as we do.

Thanks so much to giving that demonstration and sharing this wonderful recipe. Looking forward to checking out more recipes on your web site and trying them out.

Sincerely,

barry m

February 29, 2016February 29, 2016 by betsy

Day 13: Vegan Curried Couscous AND Vegan Pear, Walnut and “Blue Cheese” Sandwiches–“Cooking ‘The Blooming Platter Cookbook’ Julie & Julia Style”

(A sequential installment from Kim Hastings, my photographer friend and, along with her vet husband, owner of Independence Veterinary Hospital, who decided on her own to cook her way through The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes Julie & Julia Style for her omnivorous family as a strategy for more healthy eating.)

[Betsy’s Note: the “F” on Kim’s photo is the grade she gave herself for her adlibbed cheese layer of the sandwiches, NOT for the recipe.]

Today I was super ambitious and decided to take on two recipes.

The first one, Curried Couscous, was the easiest one I have made to date. My biggest challenge was the fact that I had no idea what couscous was. My family has never eaten it. So of course I’m standing in the rice aisle at the grocery store searching up and down. I suppose I looked lost because two of the store managers who were in a deep discussion behind me stopped and walked over to see if I needed help. I said I was looking for couscous explaining that I had never used it before and one pointed it out to me and then proceeded to show me all the different kinds. The other manager told him to stop confusing me and just handed me a box of the plain. They were both so kind that I took two and was on my way.

Putting this recipe together was totally uneventful, thus a real confidence builder for me. I’m totally getting the hang of this vegan cooking… until I took on the Pear Walnut and “Blue Cheese” Sandwiches.

Ok I had already decided that my “blue cheese” wasn’t going to have quotation marks around it. I was buzzing on a total confidence high from the couscous. Pears, bread, mustard, and brown sugar? I got this! The assortment of flavors sounded a little strange, but one thing I have learned from cooking The Blooming Platter is to just go with it and it all comes together in the end.

So I now have the sandwiches under the broiler and go to the fridge for my cheater blue cheese dressing and once again…I can’t find any. It’s gone. So now what? The sandwiches are now out of the oven and sitting on top of the stove not looking so appetizing to me (I was really looking forward to the blue cheese). I searched the fridge again hoping it would magically appear. It did not. So I started reading the recipe for the “blue cheese” and I have none of those ingredients. Time to get creative I guess.

I chose pepper jack cheese and cream cheese – I know, don’t judge me – and I layered it on the sandwiches and put them back under the broiler. Then I remembered I forgot to put the walnuts on it so I quickly took it back out and buried them under the cheese. It came out a little burnt around the edges so I cut the crust off and I honestly did eat it for lunch. I have to say it wasn’t bad!

I did not make this for my family because they really don’t like pears for one, and two, they would definitely object to using fruits with mustard and cheese; and my husband hates walnuts as well. I can definitely say I will be making both of these again. The couscous tasted really good! We served it right out of the pot so fast that I did not get a photo of it but it was beautiful. However I regret to say that I did get a photo of the “sandwich” even though I am sure it looks nothing like a pear, walnut and blue cheese sandwich. I promise to do it by the (cook)book next time!

~Kim Howard Hastings

Kim Hastings