Category: Vegan Spreads

by betsy

Vegan Lemon-Artichoke Tarte

Yield: 4 large or 9 small servings

This is an ultra-quick and tasty vegan appetizer or side dish that was inspired by that non-vegan hot artichoke dip beloved of so many. Tofu provides the creamy base and controls the calorie count while nutritional yeast imparts a cheesy flavor and lemon juice a bit of brightness. This spread has many uses such as a filling for this simple tarte which makes good use of prepared puff pastry sheets–what a happy day it was when I discovered that Pepperidge Farm’s puff pastry is vegan! But try the spread also as a filling for stuffed baked mushrooms or stuffed baked peppers. See my recipe for the latter. Just search “Vegan Baked Stuffed Bell Peppers with Lemon-Artichoke Filling” on this blog.

1 sheet of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (remove from box and bag and thaw for about 40 minutes, covered, on the counter top)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into small-medium dice
3-4 large cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Coarse sea or kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 box Silken firm tofu
juice of one-half to a whole small-medium lemon (start with one-half)
2-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 can artichoke hearts, drained (or 8 frozen-thawed or fresh artichoke hearts)
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves to taste
a pinch of paprika or more to taste

Garnish: thyme leaves removed from the stems, paprika and lemon slices

Make crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil a baking sheet or line it with Silpat. Carefully unfold the pastry onto the baking sheet. With a knife, gently score a line about one-half inch from the edge of the crust all the way around, making sure not to cut all the way through the dough. Using a fork, generously but gently prick inside the scored line. Place baking sheet on the center rack of your oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes (check after 15) until golden brown and very puffed. After crust has baked, remove from oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and use the back of a spoon to gently crush down the puffed area inside the scored lines leaving a raised half-inch rim all the way around.

While crust bakes, make filling: In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and saute, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper and continue sauteing and stirring until mixture is golden brown. I like to add just a little water to speed up the process and remove caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan. Place tofu in the bowl of food processor fitted with a metal blade and process with lemon juice and nutritional yeast until smooth. Add remaining filling ingredients and pulse until artichokes are chopped and all ingredients are well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Fill crust: Spread crust with filling; it will make a thin layer. Bake for about 10 minutes or until heated through. Slide tarts onto platters and cut into as few as 4 or as many as 9 squares each. Garnish with a sprinkling of thyme leaves and paprika plus lemon slices.

Note: If not using crust immediately, remove from oven to a wire rack to cool. Wrap and store at room temperature. Keeps for quite a long time. If starting recipe with a pre-baked crust, heat filled shell in oven for 20 minutes instead of 10.
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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

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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

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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

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by betsy

Vegan Chicken Paté with Sautéed Pears

Yield: approximately 12 appetizer servings

Following is one of the recipes I created and prepared for our “Happy Birthday, Julia Child!” dinner party this past Saturday night (see the post below for a photograph, menu and more). Though this is my own concoction rather than a veganized version of one of Julia’s, I created it in the spirit of her passion for all things French, including paté with butter!

Originally, I called this recipe a chicken liver paté, but a reader thought that “liver” sounded unappetizing, so I changed the name because there is nothing liver-like in the dish. Rather, it combines vegan chicken strips with all of the addicting ingredients for a chicken liver paté that my good friend and caterer *Monica Holmes used to make: toasted pecans, onions, mushrooms, cognac and more.

Often patés are served with cornichons but, for some reason, lightly sauteed pears sounded more beautiful and tasty with this dish…and they were! It was a hit with all of the guests, as was everything on our potluck menu.

Bon Appetit!

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 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.

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by betsy

Vegan Beet Muhammara (Middle Eastern Spread)

Yield: approximately 4 cups

If you think you hate beets, that’s all about to change. If you actually like beets, this recipe will deepen your relationship with this most misunderstood of root vegetables. My stunning and addicting spread is perfect for a number of festive occasions or any regular day or night of the week. It is based on Muhammara, a Turkish spread typically made from red peppers and walnuts that happens to be on my “best seller” list. Here in Virginia Beach one of our favorite restaurants, Garrison’s, serves a beet and walnut spread that I find mesmerizing on their Mediterranean Plate. I wondered if I could come close to it by substituting raw red beets for the red peppers in my Muhammara recipe and playing around fairly significantly with the proportions of the other ingredients. The answer is a resounding “Yes!” My concoction is to die for and even prettier than its inspiration. If you’re thinking, “Beets? Ick.” Please think again. True confession: I am not a huge beet fan. I have tried to love them; really I have. But they can be tricky. I think they are lovely and appealingly earthy. And, while I have roasted them and really liked them–provided I used enough acid to dress them–for the most part, as my father would say, “I don’t wake up screaming for them.” That is until I tried Garrison’s spread and, now, my own version which is a bit different but dare I say it, maybe even better??? Thinking of substituting canned ones? Don’t do it! Have you ever read the label? They have NO nutrition nor, to my way of thinking, anything else to recommend them. Make this spread with raw ones and you will be a fan for life.

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 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:

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.
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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.

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