June 26, 2024June 26, 2024 by betsy

Smoky Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk (vegan & plant-based)

Yield: 4-6 servings

All the veg we need without all the moaning and groaning from the veg-phobic…like my beloved spouse!

Created as an antidote to restaurant meals and other “fancy” cooking for our Starlight Supper Club and a happy hour this week while my cousin, Earl, is visiting from Houston, I loaded this recipe up with camouflaged vegetables so that Bob was none the wiser and he loved it! The guys enjoyed it with a plant-based grilled cheese sandwich for dipping, natch, but I thought it was perfectly satisfying unaccompanied. Note: If smokey isn’t your jam, use regular canned diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced (approximately 1 cup)
1 carrot, diced (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 stalk celery, diced (approximately 1/2 cup)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch slivers
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, halved
2 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons vegetable base or 1 large bouillon cube
1 teaspoon dried basil
2-15 ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1-15 ounce can coconut milk ( I use lite, but you do you!)
Optional garnish: drizzle olive oil and/or vegan sour cream thinned with water or non-dairy milk, fresh minced parsley or basil

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add fresh vegetables, except garlic, with pinch salt and pepper, and saute, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Transfer to bowl of large food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add tomato paste, vegetable base, basil, and 1 can tomatoes, and puree again until smooth. Add remaining can tomatoes and coconut milk and puree a final time. Return to skillet and heat until bubbly. Serve warm, garnished as desired.

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June 13, 2024June 13, 2024 by betsy

10-Minute Riced Cauli & Kimchi: a Summer Obsession

If lite, nutritious, colorful, and filling is your jam, this dish–warm or cold–is ready to devour in 10 minutes…you’re welcome! Plus the texture contrasts and bursts of layered flavors makes this “throw together” exciting to eat and share.

I can eat an entire recipe when famished, but it should serve two. I doubled the recipe for a luncheon with a pair of dear friends yesterday–they are retired and I am on summer break–and we had one serving left over (which will be my lunch today).

To my delight–and surprise in one case–they both asked for the recipe.

I hope you will enjoy this dish often this summer as I already have! When I dreamed it up while trying to devise a dish to go with my husband’s bulgogi for an upcoming supper club party, it quickly became my go-to.

Enjoy!

-Betsy

10 ounces frozen riced cauliflower, steamed in the bag in the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes, according to directions

2.5 ounces baby spinach, wilted for about two minutes in bowl in microwave

2 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese, flavored or not (I use Tofutti “Smoke”)

1/2 cup mild kimchi with vegetables (I use Cleveland brand from Harris Teeter; in Eastern VA and NC, it is in the cold case in the produce section where vegan items hang out)

1 tablespoon chili crisp (more or less to taste)

Garnishes: Peanuts, sliced scallions, sesame seeds–I like “tuxedo” (black & white mixed)–and optional carrot chip

Stir together cauli and spinach with cream cheese until melted. Stir in kimchi and chili crisp, reheat if necessary, or chill, and serve garnished as drsired.

January 13, 2019December 28, 2019 by betsy

The Jazzy Vegetarian’s Vegan Miso-Parsley Hummus

Yield: 4 servings

Laura Theodore, aka the Jazzy Vegetarian, is hitting all the high notes and winning awards and accolades in the process. From her latest vegan cookbook, to the Jazzy Vegetarian on public television, to her podcast radio show, to her pop-up restaurant, this vibrant recording artist never misses a beat. She is everywhere: from Netflix to CBS to HBO, just to mention a few forums where she has been featured.

Her recipes are simple and straightforward; the resulting dishes colorful and flavorful. In fact, I gifted good foodie friends with one of her cookbooks, Vegan-ease this Christmas. Like me, they like to use recipes as a starting point for their own iterations, and no better place to start than with Laura’s, though her recipes are perfectly balanced as is.

When her latest cookbook, Jazzy Vegetarian’s Deliciously Vegan hit the stands, I had promised to participate in a “blog tour,” but life got in the way. So, better late than never. Today, I finally had an opportunity to return the favor to this energetic and supportive member of the vegan community, for years ago, she interviewed me on the Jazzy Vegetarian Radio when my cookbook, The Blooming Platter: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes was published.

Says Laura of her quick and easy recipe featured here, “Miso provides texture and taste to this hummus without adding any oil, keeping it a light and low-fat option for a satisfying snack.”

True confession, I added a tablespoon of oil because I love the mouthfeel of a hint of oil, but I also love Laura’s idea of using good ‘ole tap water for most of the moisture. Also, though I know the prevailing wisdom is to make a recipe as printed the first time and then adjust, I didn’t have any chickpeas on hand, it is pouring rain here, and I didn’t want to run into the grocery store. So, I made it with the edamame which I had in the fridge. Yum. And I used my food processor rather than blender.

Also, because my hummus was leaning in an Asian direction–and because I have been cooking and developing award-winning recipes for a very long time–I made a couple of other alterations: I added 2 large cloves of garlic, minced, and, over the top, I drizzled about a tablespoon of my Blooming Platter Mayo (basically, a white tangy “sauce”) and another of Asian Sweet Chili Sauce for color and zing. I think Laura would approve of my “jazzing up” my version just a little.

But, I guarantee that her unadulterated Miso-Parsley Hummus would be delicious as is:

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 to 3 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (see note)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon mellow white miso
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Chef’s Note: For a more lemony taste, add 1 more tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and process until smooth. Add a bit more water, as needed, to achieve the desired consistency.

January 13, 2019January 13, 2019 by betsy

Vegan Edamame Buddha Bowl (only 25O calories per huge serving)

Yield: 1 large serving; easily multiplies

Dinner on Friday night was delicious, nutritious, beautiful, and almost more than I could eat…but only 25O calories.

We had considered Chinese takeout, but I didn’t want to get back out after walking the dogs. So with Asian cuisine on my mind, I did a mental scan if what was in the fridge and created this satisfying and beautiful bowl.

Be sure to enjoy it with chopsticks; it is so much more fun that way.

1/2 cup shredded cabbage and carrot slaw mix (12.5 calories)

4 green onions, sliced

1 cup frozen, shelled edamane, thawed (110 calories)

1-8 ounce package Shirataki noodles, rinsed and drained (20 calories)

2 tablespoons vegan Fish Sauce (sold as vegetarian in Asian markets–20 calories)

1 to 2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Blooming Platter Mayo (20 calories)

2 tablespoons Asian Sweet Chili Sauce (60 calories)

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro + 1 spring for garnish

Barely cover the bottom of a large skillet with water. Saute cabbage and green onion, just until slightly tender, but still bright in color. Add edamame and do the same. Add all remaining ingredients in order and heat through, stirring until hot and well-combined. Serve immediately in a bowl garnished with a sprig of cilantro.

November 18, 2018November 19, 2018 by betsy

Cheesy Vegan Low-Fat/Low Calorie Taco “Meat” Filling
Holy (Non) Cow!

Honestly, this filling is a rave and impossibly healthy. Not only is it made with no oil, but no calorie-dense ingredients like nuts. It is made from what virtually everything I make is made from nowadays: riced vegetables, but you would NEVER know it. Rich, thick, and beautifully spiced, this filling can be used in tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and quesadillas or spooned over nachos.

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups riced vegetables (I used a hash made of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrot, but any single or combination of these vegetables would work great)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried cilantro (or 1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped)

1 vegetable bouillon cube (the size to make 8 ounces broth) or 1 teaspoon vegetable broth base

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sauce from a can of Chipotle Chilies in Adobo Sauce (it is very spicy, so you might want to start with the smaller amount)

Sea salt to taste

1/2 cup my Luscious Vegan Low-Fat/Low-Calorie Cauliflower Cheese Sauce

Add water to a large skillet just to cover the bottom. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Add riced vegetables and enough water to not quite cover. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and moisture is mostly evaporated. Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro, bouillon cube, Adobo Sauce, and sea salt to taste. Stir in cauliflower cheese sauce and heat through. Serve immediately.

Serving note: I love it spooned over a brown rice cake and topped with a dab of vegan sour cream, a spoonful of pico de gallo, and two or three halved cherry tomatoes. A sprig of cilantro would be just right, but I didn’t have any for the photo shoot.

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November 18, 2018November 18, 2018 by betsy

Luscious Vegan Low-Fat/Low-Calorie
Cauliflower Cheese Sauce

This rich, thick and creamy cheese sauce–which contains no added fat and is ridiculously low in calorie–owes a debt of gratitude to Susan Voisin. I consulted her recipe, but then tweaked the flavor to suit my taste. It instantly became a staple in my home.

Angela Phillips, my friend and the owner of the yoga studio where I can be found every Saturday and Sunday morning, came over for happy hour on Wednesday evening, bringing with her some lovely baby Romaine. So, instead of serving the sauce with a spoon as I’d threatened, I served it with Romaine leaves and waffle-cut carrot slices. So pretty and delicious. And Angela, who is not a vegan, loved it, reporting this morning when I saw her at the studio, that the leftovers with which I sent her home were delicious with plain broccoli last night.

Our happy hour would have been practically virtuous except that Bob decided to make some of our famous French fries. Angela and I allowed ourselves a very few and, boy, were they good dipped in this cheese sauce! I’m quite sure there is not much that wouldn’t be improved with some of this addicting sauce, perfect in taste and texture. And so easy to boot.

4 cups cauliflower florets

4 cups lightly salted water

Juice of 1/2 medium-large lemon

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons yellow miso paste

1 teaspoon stone ground mustard

1 teaspoon Liquid Aminos

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower and water. Microwave for about 10 to 15 minutes or until very tender. (Alternatively, you may simmer, partially covered, in a large saucepan over medium to medium-high heat.) Transfer cauliflower and about a half cup of the water into the bowl of food processor. Save remaining water. Process until cauliflower forms a thick paste. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl of the processor and process until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until desired consistency is reached, adding remaining water a half cup or so at a time. Serve immediately as you would any cheese sauce. It is delicious for dipping, drizzling, or stirring into casseroles and fillings. Or…eaten with a spoon.

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