September 11, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Pimento Cheese Spread–From School Lunch to Weekend Brunch

DSCN1953 The theme of school lunches continues with my nifty Vegan Pimento Cheese Spread that packs up beautifully as a sandwich or celery stick filling. I love it on a toasted everything bagel, including for a weekend brunch–half is plenty!–but it is so tasty, that I’ve been known to enjoy it right off the spoon!

1 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup raw cashews

3 to 4 ounces extra firm tofu (I used 1/4 of a 14 ounce box)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon light miso

1 tablespoon beer

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

optional: 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (I like a neutral tasting one like Vegenaise)

4 ounce jar diced pimentos, well-drained

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse chickpeas and cashews until coarsely chopped. Add tofu, nutritional yeast, miso, beer, soy sauce, smoked paprika, onion powder, and optional garlic powder, and continue pulsing until a coarse-creamy mixture results. Transfer to a medium bowl, and fold in mayonnaise and pimentos until evenly distributed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I like to chill it before serving, while also allowing flavors to marry. Serve in a sandwich or spread on a bagel, crackers, or celery sticks.

September 7, 2013September 7, 2013 by betsy

Five-Ingredient Vegan Chicken Salad (a la Yorgo’s Bageldashery in Norfolk, VA)

Our schools just started last week and it’s going to be a super year!

As a teacher, my culinary mind has turned to healthy, tasty, quick treats I can pack for satisfying mini-meals throughout the day.

I live in VA Beach, next door to Norfolk, VA, where you can regularly find me “Jonesin” for Yorgo’s Bageldashery’s vegan chicken salad (Yorgo’s has a VERY vegan friendly menu). I try to pick up a carton when I “cross the border” for some other reason, but the deli closes at 2 p.m., so I can only make it on the weekends during the school year. And I have been known to drive to Norfok just for the chicken salad. I know, it’s a shameless waste of gas. But I drive a Prius…does that make it almost okay?

At any rate, I have tried–unsuccessfully–in the past to duplicate their vegan chicken salad. But, I tried again and I do believe I got it!

In addition to the taste, the texture is divine. It’s almost a spread, but not quite. It’s more like a very fine mince bound together with a creamy vegan mayo. Pulsing the ingredients in the food processor a few times after each addition did the trick. But, from past experiments, I knew that using all mayo overpowered the other flavors, so keep reading to learn my secret. And, finally, I also realized that I was trying to add too many additional flavors. Keeping it VERY simple was the key.

3 celery hearts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

3 green onions, white and green part, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

1-8 ounce package Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chick’n Strips (or 1/2 pound purchased or homemade chicken-flavored seitan, cut into thin strips or chunks)

3 tablespoons vegan sour cream

1 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, purchased or homemade (I like a neutral tasting mayo like Vegenaise for this)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional: for a Vegan Dill Chicken Salad, add 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill weed or, in the summer, 1 tablespoon of fresh minced dill and stir to evenly distribute.

Place celery in food processor and pulse a few times until finely chopped. Add green onions, and process until very finely chopped. Add vegan Chick’n Strips or seitan, and process until chicken is finely chopped. (Other ingredients will be minced at this point.) Add mayo and pulse a very few times, just until combined. Throughout the process, scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary for uniform chopping. Transfer to a serving bowl or storage carton and stir in salt and pepper to taste. Stir in dill weed or fresh dill if desired. Serve as you would any other chicken salad or cover and refrigerate until serving time. Because of both its taste and texture, this chicken salad is especially well-suited to spreading on a cracker, a toasted “everything” bagel or rolled in fresh spinach leaves to create healthy little wraps.

August 9, 2013August 9, 2013 by betsy

Vegan Potato Chip-Encrusted Baked “Chicken” Salad Sandwich–Think Vegan Chicken Casserole in Sandwich Form

Yield: 8 sandwich halves

You can take the girl out of the Deep South, but you can’t take the Deep South out of the girl…

This crunchy-creamy cleaned-up community cookbook classic is a delectable vegan chicken casserole in sandwich form It telescopes me right back to my teen years in Mississippi where my dear Mama’s culinary curiosity–though a different style than mine and not vegan–inspired my love of the kitchen while producing some seriously good eats like this sandwich that is as pretty as it is yummy.

For the recipe and more of the back story, click HERE to visit One Green Planet, who generously published it just this week!

July 4, 2012July 4, 2012 by betsy

Vegan Tuna “Fish” Salad with Secret “Boiled Egg” Ingredient

[Photo caveat: I apologize for the quality of this photo. My trusty camera finally went on the fritz. And, while I plan to replace it soon, I want to upgrade, but don’t want to spend the money just yet. So, this photo was taken with my phone, which is a Droid rather than an iPhone, and I don’t believe the quality is as good as the latter. However, before the summer is out, I plan to have a new camera!]

Okay, so it’s not exactly standard July 4 fare, but…cold and creamy, tuna fish salad (vegan of course) sounded so good to me on a recent hot and humid day that I decided to create a batch, holiday appropriate or not. (BTW, does it amuse you like it does me that the weather reporters act like 90+ and a hundred degree weather in July is “news”?)

I had never tried a vegan version. I do make a Vegan Clam Chowder that receives rave reviews, so I felt sure I could capture that briny taste…and I did (!) courtesy of some Dulce granules available in health food stores and, possibly upmarket grocery stores. I buy it at our local Organic Depot.

But my mother always made tuna salad with chopped boiled egg and I wanted to try to capture that flavor as well. My Vegan Egg Salad is tops in many folks’ (recipe) books so, I decided to add a little of the secret eggy ingredient: Indian black salt. It has an aromatic sulfury taste that mimics that of cooked eggs perfectly. You can buy it most affordably at Indian markets, but you can also order it online.

But what about the protein? The only one I had in the house after a whole week away at TICA (what a beautiful honor and experience that was!) seemed oddly appropriate: chick peas, lightly mashed.

The rest was easy: a little mayo, finely chopped celery, pickle relish and, for good measure, celery salt (though celery seed would substitute nicely). Enjoy this salad as you would any tuna salad: on crackers; in a sandwich with toasted bread and some curly lettuce; stuffed inside a firm, ripe tomato as we do “down South;” as a lighter canape on cucumber slices; or as the ultimate indulgence: on fried green tomato slices as in the photo! I garnished them with dab more mayo, a sliver of dill pickle (because I didn’t have sweet), and a tiny pinch of both Dulce granules and Indian black salt.

I simply couldn’t resist the tomatoes at the farmer’s market. To fry them, just slice them about 1/4-1/3 of an inch thick, dredge them first in a little flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then in unsweetened soymilk seasoned with the same, and then back into the flour before sauteing a couple of minutes on each side in canola oil over medium-high heat. Drain on paper towels.

2-15 ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup finely diced celery

4-5 tablespoons mayo (I like my own homemade mayo or Vegenaise the best, but can rarely find the latter, so Nayonaise is fine; it just has a stronger taste. If you use milder Vegenaise, you may need slightly less Dulce granules.)

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (use dill pickle relish if you prefer)

1 tablespoon Dulce granules (see note above next to “mayo.” Also, feel free to substitute Kelp granules, but you may need to adjust the amount.)

1/2 teaspoon Indian black salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon celery salt or celery seed or to taste

In a medium bowl, coarsely mash the chick peas with a fork or a potato masher and sprinkle celery over the top. In a small bowl, whisk together mayo and remaining ingredients. Pour over pea and celery mixture and toss well to fully incorporate. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container.

Though published a year ago, I hope my cookbook The Blooming Platter: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes will always be relevant with its emphasis on tasty, nutritious, beautiful, and seasonal vegan fare. If you need a little gift for yourself or a friend/family member, you can obtain it simply by following the link. And thanks in advance !

January 14, 2012January 15, 2012 by betsy

The Blooming Platter Cookbook Sneak Preview: Apricot-Studded Date-Walnut Spread Topped with Cucumber Slices for Open-Face Sandwiches or Crackers

Yield: 4 servings

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 of Delta 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.

September 11, 2011September 11, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Tarragon-Tempeh Salad with Pecans–My Back-to-School Lunch Solution

As a teacher, figuring out what to do for a healthy, quick, and satisfying, but not heavy, lunch is always a bit of an issue. Believe it or not, I often get a little something in our school cafeteria because I can almost always count on some kind of dark leafy greens, not to mention a hot meal that doesn’t involve a microwave. And the cafeteria workers are so solicitous of my vegan diet.

I created this salad a week ago on Labor Day, as school started the day after, thinking that I would start the week with my own greens–I had some leftover from a restaurant spinach salad–in this really tasty and beautifully textured Tarragon-Tempeh Salad made into a sandwich. In addition to the spinach, I happened to have a package of tempeh that needed to be used, some leftover pre-diced onion and orange bell pepper from some nachos, and chopped pecans leftover from some mini apple bundt cakes.

I enjoyed it all week, never tiring of it on Nature’s Own whole grain 100 calorie sandwich bread with some fresh Romaine hearts. For the photo, I piled a bit of it on a Wasa cracker. Served that way, it still delicious and a little fancier. You could serve it to comapany as an appetizer without them ever knowing it’s a lunch box standard!

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-8 ounce package tempeh, any flavor (mine was a flax variety from Trader Joe’s)

sea salt

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

1/2 of an orange pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice

3/4 cup finely chopped fresh baby spinach

2 stalks of celery, finely diced

5-6 tablespoons of vegan mayo

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried

1/4 cup pecan pieces, lightly toasted if desired

freshly ground black pepper

In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Crumble tempeh into the skillet, add a pinch of salt, and saute, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, onion, and bell pepper and continue sauteeing and stirring for another 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt. Remove mixture to a shallow bowl to cool slightly. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients, except pepper, in a medium bowl (I mix it right in a lidded storage container). Stir in tempeh mixture just until well combined, and season to taste with more salt and pepper. Store covered in the refrigerator. To make into a sandwich that won’t be eaten for a few hours, consider transporting the filling and bread separately, and make the sandwich just before enjoying. Or if you prefer to go ahead and make it, spread a tiny bit of additional vegan mayo on one side of both slices of bread–or inside a pita pocket–before filling, as the mayo will create a barrier that will help prevent the bread from getting soggy. This salad is also delicious stuffed into a fresh tomato or eaten with celery sticks and/or crackers or toasts.

July 25, 2011August 27, 2017 by betsy

The “Dark” Secret to Perfect Vegan Egg Salad!

My vegan egg salad is–if you’ll allow me to brag for just a minute–divine. Last year, it was even included in a Vegan Top 50 List.

But, at some point, perhaps in her vegan brunch cookbook, Isa (who needs no last name, like “Madonna” or “Sting”), mentioned that the addition of Indian black salt has a sulpher-y flavor uncannily similar to eggs. One sniff, and you know she’s right!

I’ve been intending to try it for a long time, but just never remembered when I’ve been in one of our Indian markets (we have two now!). However, a couple of weeks ago, we were in the Napa Valley and happened through Yountville, home of the famous (non-vegan) French Laundry and the food/home boutique Napa Style.

So we passed on the former, but popped into the latter where we were greeted with a stunning salt display! It happened to be a huge mosaic hunk of gorgeous pink Himalayan salt–my newest obsession–but I inquired about black salt and was offered a tester. One taste and I was sold, so a a perfect little canister went home with me tucked in my luggage. (BTW, “black” salt is actually a pearly gray-pink.)

I paid too much for my stash, but, again, after one whiff, I knew it was the missing ingredient in my egg salad. To confirm this belief, I had whipped up a batch a day or so ago and two friends dropped by yesterday, separately. I offered them a spot of it and, though neither are vegans, they pronounced it the best egg salad (not vegan egg salad, but egg salad, period) that they’ve ever eaten.

So, I’m sharing the recipe again here with this substitution. However, if you don’t have and can’t get black salt, just make it with sea salt and you’ll still love it on a cracker as depicted, on a sandwich, or my favorite low-cal/high-health way: on a cucumber slice.

Yield: approximately 2 cups

14 ounces firm tofu, drained (not Silken–a test proved it to be unsatisfactory)

1 1/2 teaspoons black salt, or to taste (you may substitute sea salt for a different, but still delicious, result)

2 stalks of celery, trimmed, sliced vertically into 4 strips and sliced thinly crosswise

3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (if you don’t have any on hand, use white vinegar or even sweet or dill pickle juice)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon yellow mustard (I like a generous 1/2)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed

1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill

1 teaspoon natural sugar or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mash tofu with salt in a medium-size bowl using a potato masher or a fork. Don’t worry about over-mashing, as the texture seems to improve with additional mashing. Fold in celery with a fork. In a small cup or bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except black pepper and fold it into the tofu mixture until the dressing is completely incorporated. Adjust seasoning with additional black salt, sugar, and pepper if needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

April 29, 2011May 17, 2015 by betsy

Blooming Platter Vegan Egg Salad in Top 50 List

Goodness Bakeshop has named my Vegan Egg Salad as #12 in her List of Top 50 Vegan Recipes, and it tops her list for lunch choices! Click on the link and check out her delightful virtual bakery.

Note that her link to my recipe will take you to my old site, but if you’re reading this, you know where to find me now!

Yield: approximately 2 cups

As a vegetarian, one of my all-time favorite old-fashioned sandwiches has to have been fluffy egg salad. Once I became a vegan, I figured they were a thing of the past. Happily, that turned out not to be the case. However, all tofu egg salad recipes are not created equal. I have made recipes and tasted purchased varieties that didn’t satisfy the craving. But this creation made the grade.

Feel free to adjust proportions to suit your taste, but do keep in mind that, while it is an indispensable ingredient to an authentic taste, celery seed is a little bitter, so avoid over-doing it. Also, if you don’t eat sugar, you may leave it out. I found, though, that because boiled eggs are ever-so-slightly sweet–at least according to my best recollection–the sugar is a necessary addition if authenticity is your goal. Similarly, I use apple cider vinegar for its subtle sweet note but, by all means, use white vinegar if you have it on hand or even dill or sweet pickle juice.

14 ounces firm tofu, drained (not Silken–a test proved it to be unsatisfactory)

1 1/2 teaspoon black salt (available at Indian markets or online) or sea salt or to taste

2 stalks of celery, trimmed, sliced vertically into 4 strips and sliced thinly crosswise

3 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2-1 teaspoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill

1 teaspoon natural sugar

salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste

Mash tofu with salt in a medium-size bowl using a potato masher or a fork. Don’t worry about over-mashing, as the texture seems to improve with additional mashing. Fold in celery with a fork. Whisk together all remaining ingredients except additional salt, black pepper and sugar. Pour over tofu mixture and mash until dressing is completely incorporated. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and sugar if needed. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

April 6, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Steak Sandwich Salad with Vegan Horsearadish-Mayo

Yield: 4-6 servings

No animal was harmed in the making of this sandwich, yet here it is in salad form: all of the things meat-eaters love about a juicy steak sandwich with onions and peppers and a dollop of horseradish-mayo piled high on a toasted sesame seed roll.

This salad is mouth-watering served in individual lettuce-lined bowls or martini glasses, but it is also a very tasty sandwich or unique pizza topping. In the photographed version, I combined the two by shaping my favorite pizza dough (made with half all-purpose and half whole wheat four) into four individual oblong pieces that were a little thicker than normal, baking them, and then splitting them lengthwise. A little extra horseradish-mayo moistens the bread or pizza crust nicely.

I made the photographed version of this salad with Morning Star brand barbecue riblets, though without most of the sauce that comes in the package. My intention was to use Morning Star Meal-Starters beef strips, but my grocery store was out of them. So, I decided to just go with the background hint of barbecue-style sweetness and play it up with a bit of celery since it is so good with vegan “wingz.” When I make the salad with beef strips (or home-made beef-flavored seitan), I may omit the celery; but we’ll see. It’s not a typical steak sandwich ingredient, but I love its juicy-crisp goodness.

8 ounces of vegan beef, such as beef-flavored seitan (homemade or purchased), Morning Star Meal Starters beef strips or Morning Star riblets without the sauce, cut into bite-size chunks or strips (if you use a frozen product, defrost before continuing with the recipe)
4 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise and medium-finely diced
6 green onions, the white part and only half of the green part, sliced thin
1/2 of a yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded, and medium-finely diced
16 grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Amino Acids
1/4 teaspoon soy sauce
pinch garlic salt
coarse kosher or sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, dry toasted in a small skillet over medium-high just until fragrant and golden

Gently mix together first five ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate small bowl or cup, whisk together mayonnaise and next five ingredients. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss together lightly. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top and either leave as a garnish or gently mix in. Serve in individual lettuce-lined bowls or martini glasses for a festive presentation, in a sandwich (preferably on warm, toasted bread) or piled on a warm homemade pizza crust.