March 20, 2010July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Puff Pastry Sandwich Filled with Roasted Asparagus, Green Pea Hummus and Vegan Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise

Yield: 6 sandwiches (with lots of leftover Vegan Green Pea Hummus)

I created this “go green” sandwich for my “Veggie Table” column in the Virginian-Pilot, as it was published on St. Patrick’s Day, though it can be enjoyed whenever asparagus and peas are at their peak. If you can’t get fresh peas, frozen ones work just fine.

The Food Network’s Giada de Laurentiis’s use of puff pastry as the “bread” in her double-decker chicken and avocado sandwich inspired may approach, though I opted for only one layer because, while puff pastry is free of animal products, it is fairly rich and high in calories. So two pieces per sandwich are plenty. Her technique of baking the pastry between two baking sheets prevents it from puffing so that it lends itself perfectly to sandwich-building.

For my meat- and dairy-free green-on-green filling, I pair homemade Vegan Green Pea Hummus with skinny roasted asparagus. A thin layer of my Vegan Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise adds just the right kick of heat and citrus to complement the veggies. Like any sandwich worthy of the name, this one can be eaten with your hands, but is quite a bit neater with a knife and fork. Enjoy it served with fresh raw pea shoots as a side garnish along with some plantain chips. My favorites are spiked with chili, lime and salt and are available locally at Hispanic markets.

Vegan Green Pea Hummus

12 ounces Silken firm tofu
16 ounces fresh or frozen peas, thawed
Zest of one lemon
Garlic and onion powder to taste (about ¼ teaspoon each)
Coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional: 2 generous tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Puree until almost smooth and then drizzle in olive oil until very smooth. Refrigerate covered.

Vegan Orange Chipotle Mayonnaise
1 generous tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
2 generous tablespoons vegan sour cream
1-2 teaspoons adobo sauce, to taste (from a can of chipotle chilies in adobo found on the international aisle of some grocery stores and in Hispanic markets)
Zest of one orange

In a small cup or bowl, whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Refrigerate covered. Puff Pastry “Bread” Slices 1 box of Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed according to package directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line one baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper and have another baking sheet and Silpat or piece of parchment paper ready. Unfold both sheets of puff pastry and cut each lengthwise along the fold lines into three strips and then crosswise into three equal pieces. (Each sheet should make six approximately 3 x 5” rectangles.) Arrange the 12 rectangles of pastry on a baking sheet, not touching. Prick the tops of each one with a fork. Cover with the remaining Silpat or piece of parchment paper and top with second baking sheet. (This will prevent the puff pastry from “puffing.”) Place on rack in the lower third of your oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a rack and allow to cool almost to room temperature. Meanwhile prepare and roast asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 bunch of, preferably, ultra thin asparagus, rinsed, drained and trimmed into approximately 5-inch pieces (thicker asparagus works, but is not quite as nice or easy to eat in a sandwich; you might slice it in half lengthwise before roasting)
Coarse sea or kosher salt to taste

Pour olive oil into a roasting pan. Add asparagus, toss lightly to coat, and sprinkle with salt to taste. Place on a rack above puff pastry and roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring once, until tender, but beginning to wither and develop slight caramelization. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Assembly: Spread a nice layer of Vegan Green Pea Hummus on half of the puff pastry slices. Top each with 1/6th of the asparagus. Turn the remaining puff pastry slices upside down and spread with a thin layer of the Vegan Orange-Chipotle Mayonnaise. Then place them, mayo side down, on top of each sandwich. Serving suggestion: fresh raw pea shoots and plantain chips seasoned with chili, lime and salt (available at Hispanic markets)

August 30, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Thai Chicken Salad

Yield: approximately 4 cups

Today is the last day of summer break for teachers in our district, as we go back tomorrow for a week of “pre-service” before the students return on September 8. School means school lunches, so I enjoyed spending some time this afternoon grocery shopping and creating a couple of different wholesome spreads for quick and satisfying mid-day meals throughout the week.

This time, my favorite Vegan Smoky Chicken Salad is back but with a Thai twist. (See also the Chinese version in the previous post.) Like its inspiration, this iteration emphasizes color, texture, taste and nutrition. But the ingredients, in virtually identical proportion, are decidedly Thai: red bell pepper, dried pineapple, carrots, green onions, cashews, cilantro, curry powder, vegan fish sauce and lime juice.

Enjoy as you would any chicken salad, only maybe with chopsticks.

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

August 30, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Chinese Chicken Salad

Yield: approximately 4 cups

The veggie-resistant members of your clan will never know they are eating their broccoli and carrots when you serve up this Chinese-inspired twist on my Vegan Smoky Chicken Salad.

Like its forebear, this version is flecked with pretty contrasting colors and packed with nutrition. But the ingredients give a nod to Chinese cuisine. The carrots remain, but water chestnuts replace the apple, broccoli florets the celery, and scallions the onion. Peanuts stand in for the smoked almonds while Five Spice Powder is substituted for the tarragon and the smoked paprika and soy sauce for the lemon juice.

Enjoy this spread in a sandwich, with crackers or veggies, or any way you like your chicken salad. Or make it extra-special by serving generous-sized scoops on large Chinese Napa cabbage leaves or daintier scoops on smaller leaves for “roll your own” cabbage wraps. Either way, a few peanuts make the perfect garnish.

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

August 18, 2009February 10, 2011 by betsy

Vegan Smoky Chicken Salad

Yield: approximately 4 cups

Made in a food processor, this riff on ever-popular vegan chicken salad has a texture similar to my Vegan Chicken Paté. I had made the latter recently and was craving more of something similar, but a little less decadent.

Smoked almonds and smoked paprika give this spread its subtle wood-fired flavor. Apple, celery and carrots up the vitamin quotient which, along with parsley, provide nice texture and flecks of color. The tarragon, optional nutritional yeast, and faux chicken seasoning enhance the chicken-y flavor. And the combination of lemon juice and vegan mayo provide just the right amount of tang.

This salad is delicious served in all of the traditional ways, but it is particularly enhanced by a simple side salad of long, narrow seedless cucumbers–preferably home-grown–sliced and sprinkled with vinegar and coarse sea or kosher salt to offset their natural sweetness.

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

August 10, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Tempeh Chicken Salad

Yield: approximately 4 servings

I’ve been out of the country/state for the last 11 days and have truly missed blogging. But my travels to London and to see my family in MS were fun and rewarding on many levels, not to mention filled with delicious vegan food. Stay tuned for Three Bean-Sundried Tomato Cakes with Ale Chutney from one of the many pubs we visited in London and a couple of terrific recipes from my mother and aunt.

But, first, I wanted to post this faux chicken salad inspired by my family’s visit to The New Yokel Market and Side Door Cafe in Hattiesburg, MS (see link under “Platters for Purchase” in my sidebar). We fortified ourselves there before going to see “Julie and Julia” (more on a dinner party inspired by the movie and Child’s August 15 birthday in an upcoming post). Mom is remarkably tenacious at sniffing out vegan food in a state known for rendering vegan food the opposite by virtue of ingredients like fatback.

This utterly charming and rustic market and cafe sells goods otherwise challenging to find in MS and turns out simple mouthwatering vegan chow like this tempeh chicken salad and a curried vegetable soup over dense vegan cornbread. I’d never made chicken salad with tempeh because I don’t think tempeh tastes much like my faint and distant memories of chicken, but it turns out not to matter one bit (or bite).

This salad–as close as I could come to their version–is some very good eats. The addition of fresh red grapes adds color similar to dried cranberries, but without that intense flavor that tends to overpower everything else. They also add moisture and natural sweetness. Lightly toasted walnuts add depth of flavor, crunch and nutrition. And celery, of course, provides even more juicy crunch while contrasting beautifully with the red grapes. My secret ingredients are a mere teaspoon of maple syrup to offset tempeh’s slight natural bitterness and minced fronds of fresh fennel to impart a subtle anise flavor because I think it goes perfectly with “chicken.” Fresh or dried tarragon would be nice too, but I happened to have some fennel with overly abundant fronds that I was going to have to wrestle into the fridge. Dill would be lovely as well. If you use fennel fronds, be sure to mince them very finely or you’ll feel like you’re eating a little lower on the food chain than you intended.

Enjoy this salad in a wholegrain sandwich; with crackers, celery sticks or sliced tomato; or just with a spoon!

2 cups faux chicken stock or vegetable stock
1-8 ounce slab of tempeh, cut in half crosswise (I used the soy variety)
rounded 1/3 cup finely diced celery
rounded 1/3 cup red seedless grapes, quartered
rounded 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, dry roasted for about 3 minutes in a small skillet over medium-high heat
*optional (but delicious!): lightly packed 1/3 cup minced fennel fronds (or minced fresh tarragon or dried tarragon to taste); just use the fine fronds and not the thick stems
4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
4 tablespoons vegan sour cream
1 teaspoon maple syrup
sea or kosher salt and freshly pepper to taste

*Note: Fresh or dried dill would be lovely as well, though it would impart a slightly different taste. Also, you can change the proportion of mayo to sour cream, even using all of one or the other.

In a large cast iron skillet, bring the 2 cups of stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat so that the stock is just simmering, add tempeh, and simmer for 8 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove from heat and allow tempeh to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, use this cooking time to prepare other ingredients, placing them all in a medium bowl. With fingers, crumble tempeh into the bowl and stir everything together with a spoon or fork.

Serve in a sandwich, with crackers or veggies, or on a bed of lettuce.

June 27, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Cucumber-Dill Spread, Dip or Sauce

I wanted to share this photo of my Vegan Cucumber-Dill Spread, Dip or Sauce recipe as a Roma tomato topper–a cooling and refreshing summer appetizer or accompaniment to a savory soup. Doesn’t it look like a little boat? Served this way, the spread is even more healthful and colorful than on bread. You could alternatively serve the spread on cucumber slices for twice as much cucumber goodness. Just make sure that, whichever slice you choose, it is thick enough to support the topping when lifted from the plate. Find the recipe in the post below or at:

/2009/06/vegan-cucumber-dill-spread-dip-or-sauce.html

Note: the spread in the photo was actually made with silken, instead of regular, tofu. It is a little softer, but it is firm enough to hold its shape quite well.

June 27, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Cucumber-Dill Spread, Dip or Sauce

Yield: 2-3 cups spread, dip or sauce

Every good southern girl needs a tasty filling for tea sandwiches in her repertoire. This one was inspired by a favorite of my mother’s: cucumber-dill. The timing of this post was prompted by the gift of a home-grown cucumber from my friend and co-worker, Mylinda. Mom’s version was made with cream cheese and, while I could have simply substituted vegan cream cheese, it is expensive and has a fair amount of calories. So I experimented with regular firm tofu and the result was a sumptuous light spread, as delicious–and more healthful–on Roma tomato slices as it is on crustless bread. When prepared with silken firm tofu, it doubles as a dip or a sauce (delicious on vegan fish fillets or over fried green tomatoes). A few simple ingredients enhance the flavor so that you never even miss the cream cheese…what cream cheese?

1 cucumber, ends trimmed, grated, and left to drain for about an hour in a medium-fine strainer (I leave the skin on and the seeds in for added nutrition)
14 ounces regular firm tofu (or 12 ounces silken firm tofu)
2 garlic or roasted garlic cloves or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Amino Acids
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch granulated sugar or raw sugar (optional, but I like it for balance)
2 generous tablespoons fresh dill (you don’t need to chop first; just break off a couple of pieces equivalent to about 1 tablespoon each
zest of 1/2 of a lemon

Place tofu, garlic, lemon juice, Amino Acids, salt, seasoned salt, pepper and optional sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and gently fold in dill, zest and cucumber until well-combined. It is a perhaps better if made a few hours ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container so that flavors can marry, but you may serve it immediately.

Note: the spread in the photo was actually made with silken, instead of regular, tofu. It is a little softer, but it holds its shape quite well.

May 24, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Egg Salad

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 recent 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)

1/2 teaspoon salt

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 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon dried dill weed or 1 tablespoon fresh minced dill

1 teaspoon granulated 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 30, 2009July 21, 2010 by betsy

Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Yield: enough “cheese” for approximately 8 sandwiches

Merci33, this one’s for you, you grilled cheese virgin…
Have no fears, this recipe does not recommend slicing vegan block cheese (you call that cheese?).
Nope, it gets its yummy creaminess from the same “sauce” I created for my mac-n-cheese, as it’s very thick. I’m reprinting it here as a filling so it’s at your fingertips. I love these sandwiches with any kind of pickles, natch, but also sliced tomatoes, grapes and a glass of unsweetened soy milk.

Cheese Filling:
1-2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 of a large red bell pepper, cut into large cubes
6 ounces firm Silken tofu, drained
1 cup cooked carrots
2 generous tablespoons cashews
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon miso (dark or light)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet or smoky Paprika
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk
salt and pepper to taste

To make 2 sandwiches:
1 tablespoon vegan butter (I like Earth Balance)
4 slices of your favorite bread (I like pre-sliced country whole wheat)
approximately 4 tablespoons of cheese or enough to make a nice layer of filling in each sandwich (refrigerate remainder in an airtight container)

To make filling, heat olive oil in a skillet. Add pepper hunks and saute until slightly browned in some places. Combine peppers with remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth and creamy.

To make sandwiches, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread a nice layer of cheese filling almost to edges of two slices of bread. Top with remaining slices. Melt half the tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Place sandwiches into the sizzling butter and cook approximately 2 minutes. Add remaining half tablespoon of butter (it will melt quickly), flip sandwiches and cook approximately 2 minutes on the second side. Serve hot.