Red Lentil pakoras are one of my favorite snacks from one of my favorite cuisines. I prefer this version made with soaked red lentils rather than chickpea flour. They are soo light with a crispy exterior and tender interior. Once the lentils have soaked, they whip together in minutes. However many you make, you will wish you had made more!
1/2 cup dried red lentils 2 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon garam marsala (or curry powder) Optional: 1 to 3 teaspoons seeded and finely chopped green chili; 1 large clove garlic, halved; 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (true confession: I purchase the puree in a jar) 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 small onion, preferably red, quartered and thinly sliced into slivers.
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of skillet Accompaniments: sea salt, chutney and/or vegan raita Garnish: snipped scallions or chives
In a small bowl, soak lentils in water with 1 teaspoon salt for at least 3 hours, but preferably more. Drain. In food processor, pulse lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, spices and optional ingredients until quite smooth. Carefully remove blade and stir in cilantro, and onion. Heat oil over medium high. Scoop up rounded tablespoons batter, carefully drop into oil a few at a time, and cook a couple of minutes on each side, adjusting heat if necessary. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a few grains sea salt. Serve warm with chutney and/or raita topped with snipped scallions or chives.
Besides the obvious devastation of a global health crisis, closer to home, one of the hardest parts about this pandemic for cooks is not being able to share our food with others, except those in our households.
For me, that is just two, and Bob typically eschews my vegan creations just on principle. Plus, he gravitates to the very simple, the familiar, and the repetitive. I, on the other hand, am a curious and restless cook, constantly developing new recipes and new iterations of old recipes.
So, I have ended up making small batch recipes and, generally, keeping it light and healthy so that I don’t emerge on the other side of this a larger version of myself.
I find myself working more with fruit than other kinds of sweet ingredients, those some of that inclination was precipitated by reorganizing the freezer and finding four partial bags of frozen fruit that I purchased ages ago for erstwhile smoothies. And while I love crust–and cookies and cake–as much as the next person, (and used my go-to press-in crust for the last few tarts that I posted), I decided on a different approach. This one is still simple, quick, and press-in, but it requires no baking and is made from almonds, coconut, and just a tablespoon of coconut oil. No flour whatsoever.
And, while we are at it, let’s talk about whipped toppings. I love them all, but they can do some serious damage in the calorie department. So, I had wondered about this for a while and finally decided to give it a try: I foamed my unsweetened soymilk just like I do for my chai tea or my hot chocolate and spooned a dab of on top. It was delicious, creamy, pretty, and held its shape!
I hope you love these pretty little confections, the filling for which could be used for tartlets, a pie, or Even a filling between cake layers.
Mini-Fruit “Pies”-in-a-Glass
Filling:
4 cups frozen fruit (I used a combination of mango chunks and mixed berries)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons coconut liqueur or your favorite compatible flavor
Thaw fruit (I helped it along in the microwave), puree, and then simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and liqueur. Drizzle into fruit puree while stirring constantly. Adjust heat as necessary and cook until the mixture is thick and holds its shape when a little is lifted up with a spoon. By feeling cools, prepare crust.
Crust:
1/4 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 tbsp coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
Pulse together in food processor a few times or until the ingredients cling together in balls of dough. Divide among 6 small serving cups slightly larger than a shot glass and press gently into the bottom. Fill each cup with fruit puree.
Topping and Garnish:
1/4 cup or less unsweetened soy milk (or whatever whipped topping you prefer)
Grated coconut, lemon or lime zest, and/or edible flowers
Heat soymilk for 30 seconds in microwave and, with a battery operated foamer (I use the Aerolatte), foam until thick and creamy, almost like shaving cream. Spoon a dab on top of each serving. Refrigerate or serve immediately. Nite: Topping will hold its shape for a good while but you may want to top just before serving. Garnish each dessert or the tray with fruit zest, coconut, or fresh edible flowers if you like.
While they aren’t exactly health food, though they are made of all healthy ingredients, they add up to quite a few calories. So moderation is the key for you tuck into these moist slices of decadence.
They contain no vegan butter, but a little coconut oil, no sugar, but a little agave syrup, and no flour. Because they are vegan, they include no eggs or dairy of course. Their dense, moist, sweet texture comes largely from dates and unblanched almond flour.
Why these? Why now? Sometimes, late in the afternoon, I crave just a little something sweet. I had been taunted by various raw bars and balls on Pinterest. The balls appeal because you can make as few as you like, and since we aren’t entertaining during the pandemic, I like that approach.
But I prefer the shape and presentation of bars for brownies and such. So I decided on a small batch that would fit in a 5×9-in loaf pan.
I wanted to create a double layer of brownie and chocolate chip cookie dough, but the raw versions of the latter tend to include peanut butter and, though I like peanut butter and chocolate just fine, I did not want that flavor for this. I figured I coukd make the dough moist enough by using dates and agave syrup, and I was right!
I believe the only ingredient preventing these bars from being totally raw is the chocolate chips that I used in the cookie dough layer. But you could substitute cocoa nibs.
Regardless, enjoy!
Brownie Layer
20 moist pitted dates
3/4 cup unlanched almond meal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder or extra dark cocoa powder (I used the latter)
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer (recipe follows)
8 pecan halves
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Optional: chocolate drizzle
Oil a 5×9-in loaf pan and line it with a strip of parchment paper that covers just the long sides and bottom with a little hanging over the edge on both sides. In the bowl of a large food processor, place all ingredients and process until dough comes together. Press into bottom of prepared pan in an even layer. Make Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer and press evenly over brownie layer. Press pecan halves into top surface, four in each of two rows. Drizzle with chocolate if desired. Freeze to firm up, and then store covered in refrigerator until serving time. Slice into 8 bars with a serrated knife and serve immediately.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer
20 pitted dates
1 1/4 cup unblatched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
2 teaspoons dark or light molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup broken pecans
1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Drizzle
1 tablespoon coconut oil (solid at room temperature)
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons cocoa powder or dark cocoa powder (I used the latter)
Melt coconut oil in a small bowl in microwave, and whisk in agave syrup and cocoa powder. Whisk in more agave syrup or cocoa powder if necessary to desire drizzling consistency.
I split the atom with this recipe! It checks all of my boxes for what I did and did not want from my naan.
First, it had to be flavorful AND soft: a little pillowy and a hint chewy. I did not want to use yeas—which is hard to come by at the moment–nor spend time on even a short rise. And I didn’t want to use vegan yogurt because I never purchase it, as I don’t care for the flavor or the texture.
One recipe I read indicated that substituting buttermilk for yogurt made no difference, so I used homemade vegan “buttermilk.” But I still feared that, without yeast, the dough wouldn’t be soft enough, so I added both baking powder and soda, the latter of which would be activated by the vinegar. Finally, not wanting to take the time to create a vegan garlic butter, I added a pinch of garlic powder to the dough.
That’s it! The perfect naan that you can customize with your favorite flavors from garlic to cilantro and more.
1/4 cup unsweetened soymilk 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup flour + more for dusting work surface 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1 to 2 tablespoons vegan butter, garlic butter, or butter-oil combination
In a small cup, whisk together soymilk and vinegar. In a medium size bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour and remaining ingredients, except vegan butter. With a fork, mix wet ingredients into dry until dough comes together. Melt butter in skillet over medium to medium high heat. Divide dough into two balls and press or roll out to about 1/4 in thick discs on a lightly floured surface. Lay in skillet and then flip over to oil both sides. Cook for a couple of minutes on first side or until golden with a few brown spots, flip and cook for a couple minutes longer. Adjust heat as necessary. Serve immediately.
I’m not sure what inspired this creation other than seeing these beautiful peppers in the grocery store and craving something creamy, and decadent, but without doing calorie damage.
I had actually been craving a cheesecake that I make with a spicy peanut and ginger snap crust. However, since we can’t entertain during this pandemic and only two of us and our beloved mutts live here, I knew I didn’t need a whole cheesecake on hand.
So I went in a savory direction and I am so glad I did! The flavor and texture, not to mention the brilliant color, is seductive. And best of all the peppers are exactly the right consistency to pick up with chopsticks and eat in three or four bites.
12 tri-color mini-Bell peppers, stem and sliced off and seeds in membrane removed (there won’t be much and removal is a snap)
1/2 diced yellow onion
Approximately 1 cup water
Pinch sea salt and more to taste, as needed
Approximately 4 cups riced cauliflower
1 clove garlic, minced, raw or roasted
1/3 to 1/2 cup canned coconut milk (not the coconut milk beverage in a carton)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce (sold as vegetarian in Asian markets)
1 to 2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Approximately one handful let serving fresh baby spinach or kale
Approximately 1/4 cup spiced roasted peanuts, chopped
Optional garnish: fresh Thai basil and cilantro
Oil an 8-in casserole dish, preferably ceramic or glass, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet ever medium to medium-high heat, place onion, pinch of salt, and about 1/4 cup water. Saute onion, stirring, until it begins to soften. Add cauliflower, garlic and more water. Saute until very tender, adding more water as necessary, but cooking until almost all moisture is released and evaporated. Stir in coconut milk, 1/4 cup fish sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce, and continue cooking and stirring until virtually all moisture is absorbed or evaporated. This could take a few minutes. The texture should be that of risotto. Renewed from heat and allowed to cool slightly. Divide mixture evenly among peppers using a small spoon to pack it down into the tip. Arrange peppers in a single layer and bake, covered with foil, for 1 hour. Steam or wilt spinach or kale in skillet or microwave and divide among serving plates. Nestle 3 to 4 peppers on top, sprinkle with demeaning two tablespoons fish sauce and peanuts, and garnish with optional Thai basil and/or cilantro. Serve immediately with chopsticks.
These whip-together treats were inspired by my dear, dear friend, Allison Price’s, Lemon-Ginger Cookies (veganized years back and posted on this site). We shared many in-home dinners, including study dinners–way before staying home was an order–while in graduate school together at Vanderbilt in Nashville. She was, and still is, an inspired home cook whose specialties run toward healthy, simple comfort food with a twist: soups, sides, breads, muffins, and such.
The cookies are a soft very gingery gingersnap, perked up with lemon. Here, I remove the butter, sugar–except on the exterior–and eggs, along with the need to bake, preserving the soft beautiful texture and deep spicy flavors with that irresistible note of tart lemon.
Note: I believe the only ingredient that prevents these treats from being totally raw is the sugar they are rolled in, so if you want them in the raw, perhaps roll the balls in more ground almonds.
(Mostly) Raw Vegan Lemon-Ginger Molasses Balls
3/4 cup processed blanched almonds (make them as fine as you can, though thet won’t become flour)
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
8 large, soft pitted dates
11/2 to 2 tablespoons ground ginger OR pumpkin or apple pie spice with a lot of ginger; (I used pumpkin pie spice for my first batch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dark molasses
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
2 or so tablespoons natural sugar for rolling
Process together all ingredients until mixture comes together in a ball. Form into 12 3/4-inch balls, roll in sugar, nestle into mini-muffin papers if desired–or just in a lidded carton or tin lined with parchment paper–and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
I feel in the need of a little indulgence during these pandemified days, but I am fully aware that, though I am exercising a lot, since I am teaching from home, I am not up out of my seat making endless circuits around my classroom. So I have to keep the calories in check.
When I started craving chick-un sour cream enchiladas, I knew I needed to capture the same flavors and decadence but without going to extremes in the sauce and cheese department. Hence the birth of my:
Warm Chick-un Sour Cream Enchilada Salad
Heat together the following and serve half each over one serving Fritos topped with pico de gallo and a dab of sour cream. Serving this simple dish in a martini glass makes it seem extra special, especially if you tie a bandana or colored napkin around the stem:
7 ounces flavored seitan (mine was a prepared garlic version)
1/4 cup salsa verde
2tablespoons vegan sour cream
Optional but delicious: one tablespoon chimichurri
4 tablespoons shredded vegan cheese (I used half mozzarella and half cheddar)
My tasty Asian-ish lunch went together in a snap. It had to, as our power is out and the kitchen is in half light! But we are lucky, as Mississippi is in the state of emergency after storms ripped through the South-Central part of the state where I have family and friends.
Crunchy Asian Tofu Salad
Simply combine 7 ounces crumbled teriyaki flavored tofu, two diced celery hearts, two thinly sliced green onions, one-quarter cup lightly salted and roasted cashew halves and pieces, 1/2 teaspoon each garlic paste and minced ginger, 1 to 2 teaspoons yellow miso, and 1 to 2 teaspoons vegan mayo. I didn’t have any on hand, but diced water chestnuts would be a lovely addition.
These tartlets are the result of co-influences: beautiful photographs on Pinterest and finding the remains of frozen mixed fruit in the bottom of bags in our freezer. I had purchased them to make smoothies, but I prefer my ritual of popping into Starbucks on my way to school and buying an unsweetened green tea soy frappuccino. The fruit was still good, but needed to be used quickly, so an idea formed.
My mother and my grandmother were excellent bakers and I am not opposed to rolling out a pie crust. But I am also not opposed to shortcuts when they are just as good and when I am remarkably busy teaching from home during this pandemic. So, I turned to my never fail press-in pie crust. The original recipe contained quite a bit of oil and a little bit of non-dairy milk. I have basically reversed those proportions with no ill effect on the end result.
For the filling, I wanted a gel-like consistency, but I had no agar. I had a hunch that if I thawed the fruit, pureed it, cooked it down just a bit, and thickened it further with a cornstarch slurry, I would have the jewel-like color and firm-ish texture that I desired. And I was right!
For the topping, I planned to make aquafaba meringue. But I didn’t have chickpeas and trips to the grocery store are more infrequent these days. The same went for a coconut cream whip. What I did have was about half a can of a surprisingly tasty prepared vanilla buttercream frosting. Normally I would never put frosting on a pie-type dessert–that’s just odd!–but I needed something that would work for the photo shoot at the very least and food stylists are known for their trickery.
It turns out that these tartlets are appealingly “tart” and that the sweet creamy frosting offsets the flavors beautifully with exactly the right consistency. Who knew?
Again, I was inspired by Pinterest for the asymmetrical piping design. I had never thought of not covering the top completely, but it is visually exciting, and it certainly saves on both product and, more importantly, calories, adding just the right amount of color, flavor, and texture contrast.
These beauties were a hit with me and the friends with whom I shared them, handing them off from a safe social distance. I hope you find the same to be true and that you are safe and well.
Mixed Fruit Tartlets with No-Fail Press-In Crust
Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups flour (all purpose, whole wheat, or white whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Approximately five tablespoons non-dairy milk (I use soymilk)
Preheat oven to 350°. Place tartlet or tart pans on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Make a well in center and add wet ingredients. Stir together with a fork, using your fingers if needed to create a crumbly but very moist dough that holds together beautifully when you squeeze a bit between your fingers. Add more non-dairy milk or flour, as needed. Crumble dough into bottom of pans or pan and press evenly onto bottom and sides. You might find it helpful for pressing to use the bottom of a sturdy glass sprayed with non-stick spray or floured to prevent sticking. Prick bottom with tines of a fork and bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, make filling.
Pureed Fruit Filling:
Approximately 4 cups frozen fruit, thawed (I used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, mango, and pineapple)
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar or your favorite sweetener (I used granulated monkfruit with zero calories)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegan fruit liqueur (I used peach and the De Kuyper brand is vegan, probably among others; Google on Barnivore)
Topping: vanilla buttercream, whipped coconut cream, etc.
Place fruit and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until heated through and some of the juice releases and evaporates. Carefully transfer into bowl of food processor and puree until very smooth. Return to saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a small cup, whisk together cornstarch and liqueur. Drizzle into simmering fruit, whisking thoroughly. Allow to simmer for two or three more minutes or until very thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Divide evenly among tartlet crusts or pour into large tart crust. Decorate the top with frosting or your favorite vegan whipped topping. Serve immediately or refrigerate, covered, until serving time. Tarts will remain good in refrigerator for several days, but the crust does begin to get soggy after a couple.
The ‘Rona has us eating light and irregularly. And this was what I craved for Easter Dinner. It was more like Easter apps, but it was perfect on the deck as a storm began to gather.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, slice thin tri-color carrots in half lengthwise, lay on a baking sheet, spray lightly with cooking spray, and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and vegan parmesan. Roast exactly 20 minutes.
Miso Aoili: whisk together equal parts yellow miso and (zero calorie) mayo with a little bit of garlic and ginger pastes. Fresh dill is the garnish.
