Du'in It in the Kitchen » Vegetarian

Yummy Lemon-Garlic Hummus

Du — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:33:38 +0000

A few weeks ago, my good friend Lori shared a link for making an extra smooth hummus at The Hummus Blog. I never really thought about the smoothness of my hummus and didn’t realize this was an area of concern for so many… I just pureed the hell out of it in my food processor until it was the consistency I desired. I’ve always used canned beans for the speed and ease. When I want hummus, I want it NOW and rarely have patience for the soaking of dried beans. In the name of hummus and all that’s good, I decided to give it a whirl.

At the Hummus Blog, it’s noted that baking soda is the trick to smooth hummus – it helps to break down the fibers and I can faithfully report that I have not experienced the musical symphony aftermath of eating beans the next day… if you know what I mean!

Most hummus recipes call for cumin but I like mine garlicky and lemony and omit the cumin… you can put it back in if you want… everyone has their favorite hummus recipe…

extra smooth hummus

Lemon-Garlic Hummus

2/3 cup dried chickpeas

2 teaspoons baking soda

water

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup lemon juice (approx 1 lemon)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup tahini

2 – 3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

dash or two of cayenne pepper

two shakes of sweet paprika

Soak chickpeas in water and 2 teaspoons of baking soda overnight (enough to cover beans by 1 – 2 inches). Rinse beans with fresh water in morning and soak again for an additional hour or so. Rinse beans again. Cover with water and place on stove over high heat with additional 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda (or a couple pinches). Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Skim off foam that collects on top of the water and discard. Start checking beans after 10 minutes.

When tender, remove from heat and drain. Rinse in cool water. The skins will easily come loose. I find it’s easier to place the beans back in the pan and fill with water as the skins will float on top and can be removed with a slotted spoon. Drain water. At this point, you can store the beans in a covered container with water for a day or so if not planning to use right away.

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse several times. Remove lid and scrape down sides of bowl. Return lid and puree until smooth and creamy.

When hummus is smooth and uniform, store in an airtight container in fridge. Use within a few days (it never lasts that long when I make it).

pita chip and hummus

To VEGAN or not… Key Lime Cupcakes

Du — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:44:41 +0000

Vegan Key Lime Cupcakes

I’m not a vegan, although I did omit all animal products for a couple years. My intro into vegan baking started when I was a cupcake tester for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Romero opened my eyes to vegan baking, showing that you don’t needs special ingredients to make a fabulous cupcake. I almost prefer vegan baking to traditional - it’s quicker from bowl to pan to mouth. Almost every recipe can be made with a whisk – don’t have to deal with an electric mixer (except frosting). Most of the ingredients I always have on hand… no emergency trip to the store for milk, butter or eggs.

So I’ve been thinking about limes/key limes the last few weeks. I’ve always loved key lime pie and have been throwing around ideas for cupcakes. Key limes aren’t in season but you can easily use the regular limes or (heaven forbid) the juice in a bottle. I picked up a bottle of Nellie and Joe’s Famous Key West Lime Juice and set out to make my cuppers.

The following recipe is adapted from the Golden Vanilla Cupcake recipe in Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World as well as their Lime Buttercream Frosting. The lime curd filling is from Bryanna’s Vegan Feast Kitchen

Key Lime Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients

1 oz key lime juice (2Tab) or the juice of one regular lime

zest from 1 lime

7/8 cup of soy milk

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ cup evaporated cane sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.

With a microplane, zest one lime and set aside. Juice lime and place in a 1 cup measuring cup. You should have approx 1 oz. Fill cup to 1 cup mark with full fat soy milk. Stir to blend and set aside for several minutes (it will thicken). Mix in lime zest

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cornstarch, then whisk in kosher salt (kosher salt won’t go through sifter)… I use a mesh strainer rather than an old fashion sifter…

In a large bowl, whisk lime/soy milk with sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Slowly mix in flour mixture a little at a time until no lumps appear. Do not over-mix.

Using a scoop, fill cupcake liners ¾ full. Place on center rack in oven for 20 minutes. Cupcakes will have a nice golden edge.

Cool completely on a wire rack.

BRYANNA’S VEGAN LIME CURD (veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com)
Servings: 12
Yield: 2 cups

This makes a lovely cake filling-quite tangy, so it contrasts with the icing. It’s important to use freshly-squeezed lime juice in this recipe. Refrigerate the leftovers to spread on toast or scones, or to fill tarts.

1 cup fresh lime juice (or 8 regular limes)
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated organic unbleached sugar (evaporated cane sugar)
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt (I used kosher salt)
grated zest of 2 small organic limes,
6 Tbs full fat soymilk
2 Tbs Earth Balance (regular)

Whisk together the juice, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into a heavy saucepan with the zest. Whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a full boil. Boil 1 minute, not stirring. (OR microwave in a Pyrex bowl 2 minutes and whisk, then 2 minutes more.) It should be thickened and turning clear. Remove from heat. Add soymilk or alternate and Earth Balance. Blend well with the whisk. Cool the curd, then refrigerate in a covered container. It thickens as it cools.

Lime Buttercream Frosting (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening

1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine (I use Earth Balance)

3 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lime juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

Beat shortening and margarine together until well combined and is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for 3 minutes. Add vanilla and lime juice, beat for additional 5 – 7 minutes, until fluffy. Add zest and mix. Chill until ready to use.

top replaced

scooped out cupcake

filled cupcake

To assemble cupcakes, use a small sharp knife to cut a circular hole on top of each cupcake (saving the top) and scoop out a little of the cake with a spoon. With a teaspoon, spoon a little lime curd into each cupcake on place top back on. Frost with buttercream and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from fridge about 15 – 30 minutes before serving… unless it’s hot and humid.

inside of vegan key lime cupcake

Crispy Spicy Kale Chips

Du — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:25:27 +0000

This is a recipe by Jack Ricci. I thought it was too good not to share. I haven’t had a chance to try it yet – gotta dig out the dehydrator… not to mention find a place to put it when using…. I’m NOT kidding!!

If you try it, let me know what you think!!

Crispy Spicy Kale Chips (by Jack Ricci)

1.5 Tbsp untoasted sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1-2 Tbsp Tamari
2 Tbsp Agave nectar or Honey (watch your sources of Agave)
1/8 tsp cayenne (or less depending on spicy taste)*
1 clove garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large head curly kale (lacinto) or 2 heads dinosaur kale

-Mix all ingredients except kale
-Remove stems from kale
-Toss and coat leaves in bowl of sauce, well coated
-Place on dehydrator shelves (teflex) for two hours on Low-Medium level (until juices thicken on leaves, then put them directly on the dehydrator trays on Low setting for up to 8 hours… -Test every hour until they are crispy or desired texture.
-Let cool, store in glass containers. Enjoy.

*adjust the cayenne according to taste

Tomato “FUN-nel” Soup

Du — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:39:39 +0000

Yeah, yeah…. “FUN-nel.” I’m just bein’ silly. I’ve had fennel on the brain lately and I’m not sure why. It’s been so rainy here in NYC the last couple days that’s it has put me in the mood for soup. Cream of Tomato was always my favorite as a kid. These days I try not to do very much dairy as it creeps into my baking.

I wanted a hearty soup due to the weather and nothing was sounding good until I thought of tomato soup. It was always a comfort soup for me (rather than chicken soup). Whenever I was sick, tomato soup was what I asked for. I added the fennel for an extra burst of flavor and made this recipe totally vegan.

Tomato Fennel Soup

Tomato Fennel Soup

8 servings

2 cans (28oz each) of whole, plum tomatoes w/ juice

2 bulbs of fennel, chopped

4 – 5 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups veggie stock

½ teaspoon dried thyme (tab fresh)

½ teaspoon dried oregano (tab fresh)

½ teaspoon dried marjoram (tab fresh)

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add fennel, onion and garlic and sauté approx. 10 minutes, or until fennel begins to soften. Season with 2 -3 large pinches of kosher salt and pepper.

Stir in canned tomatoes, and stock and bring to a low boil. Add herbs. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 – 45 minutes.

Turn off heat. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. If using a blender, cool the soup before blending in batches.

Serve with a crusty bread or garlic croutons.

Thai Me Up – Broccoli Slaw Wrap

Du — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:41:30 +0000

Thai Broccoli Slaw and Wrap

What is with this broccoli slaw craze?? I keep hearing people mention it, “you can buy it already prepared in a bag – just add whatever dressing you want!” I’ve looked countless times when grocery shopping but had never seen it… until the other day. In with the bagged lettuce in the produce section of a large health food grocer, there it was – a package of “broccoli slaw.” I picked it up to look at the ingredients – “broccoli, carrots.” That’s it! It was $2.99 for 8 oz. Sheesh! I can buy a head of broccoli and carrots for less than that and run it through the shredder blade of my food processor or just grate it by hand. For that matter, I can add other interesting veggies to boot.

I decided I would make a healthy, all raw dinner wrap. Instead of using the food processor, I decided to do it all by hand just to see how long it would take. Not really such a big deal – I may have shaved off 10 minutes if I had used the food processor…

I served this as a salad with the slaw placed on a bed of greens and as wraps.

shredded veggies

Thai Broccoli Slaw

3 broccoli stems, shredded

1 medium carrot, shredded

½ small jimcama, peeled and shredded

Dressing

½ cup cashew butter

1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu

1 tablespoon agave syrup

1 tablespoon grated ginger

Thai Dressing

juice of 1 lime

½ jalapeño pepper, finely minced

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1/4 mango, sliced into strips

Place shredded veggies in a large bowl and mix together.

With a fork, whisk dressing ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add dressing to veggies and mix thoroughly. May need to thin dressing with a little water if too thick. Store in fridge.

Broccoli Slaw

To make wrap:

Collard Green Leaves

Take collard green leaf and slice down the middle, close to the stem, removing it. You should now have two halves. Place a spoonful of broccoli slaw near bottom half of leaf (on the inside part of the leaf) and a couple slices of mango, then roll up. Place on plate, seam side down.

Tamarind Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup tamarind concentrate

1 -2 tablespoons agave syrup

1 teaspoons Nama Shoyu

1 teaspoon olive oil

Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust to taste and store in fridge. Serve with wrap.

Thai Broccoli Slaw Wrap

Raw Vegan Fudgy Balls!!!

Du — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:09:20 +0000

Raw Vegan Fudgy Balls

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I’ve got chocolate on the brain. Okay… I always have chocolate on the brain – I don’t need February hearts and cupid to set my taste buds a tingling!! I am always working on a new dish with chocolate or sometimes pulling out something tried and true.

However, I decided to revisit a raw vegan treat I created a few years ago when I was dying for something chocolaty sweet while following a mostly raw vegan diet. Those prepared sweets were just too expensive and I was sure I could come up with something easy and quick and wouldn’t need to be dehydrated.

The following recipe is as close as I can remember. I didn’t write it down or follow exact measurements. I know the name is silly but it makes me (and everyone else I tell about them) laugh.

Fudgy Balls (raw vegan fudge brownies)

12 – 13 balls

Using raw ingredients:

10 – 12 pitted dates

cashews, pecans, dates and cocoa powder

1 handful of cashews

1 handful of pecans

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

Drizzle of agave syrup (1/2 half – 1 teaspoon)

Place all ingredients in small food processor and pulse until ingredients come together.

Using your hands, break off small chunks and form balls. Place on plate and refrigerate or store in airtight container in fridge

Fudgy Ball dough comes together in processor

Potatoes Anna

Du — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:53:02 +0000

Potatoes Anna just out of the oven

I don’t know who Anna is, but she sure makes great taters! A friend sent me a link on this… based on a recipe from http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/blog/ Apparently there are recipes for this using exact measurements…. but I don’t think it’s necessary. This is one of the easiest and simple dishes to make and it’s OH so good! I used one large baking potato for the picture shown and it was plenty for two people.

Ingredients

1 large baking potatoes

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potato very thin with a knife or mandoline.

thinly slcied potato

Brush the bottom of a pie plate with the melted butter and begin placing the slices in a circular pattern until you have one layer (you don’t need to go to the edge of the pan). Brush melted over the top then sprinkle a tiny pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper on the layer. Continue to make layers, brushing with the butter then salt and pepper until you run out of slices.

just before covering with foil

Pour remaining butter over top and sprinkle kosher salt and pepper and cover with foil.

Place covered pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15 – 20 minutes until top is brown.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

Du — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:20:07 +0000

I don’t know what it is about the cooler weather that brings to mind fruit crisps. Warm, cooked fruit with a crunchy topping makes my heart sing. Overly sweet desserts are too overwhelming to me but there’s something about the tartness of cranberries mixed with apple that’s extremely appealing.

This recipe came about because I had some apples on hand and leftover homemade Apple-Ginger Spiced Cranberry Sauce from Thanksgiving and thought – what a great combo!!!

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

3 large apples (tart baking apples), cored, peeled and sliced

½ – ¾ cups cranberry sauce (see recipe above or use your favorite)

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup cane sugar

TOPPING

¾ cup rolled or quick oats

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

* extra cold pats of unsalted butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Toss apples with lemon juice in a large bowl then mix in sugar. Add cranberries and cranberry sauce and mix until combined. Place mixture in a greased 8 X 8 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, brown sugar, pecans and spices with a fork until combined. Slowly drizzle melted butter into dry mix while stirring with a fork until butter is incorporated into topping.

Sprinkle topping over apples and cranberries. Place in oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until apples are tender and topping is brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Serve while still warm – with ice cream if desired!

* for extra goodiness, place a few extra pats of butter over the topping before placing in the oven.

Apple-Ginger Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Du — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:15:42 +0000

APPLE-GINGER SPICED CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 12oz package of fresh cranberries

Apple-Ginger Spiced Cranberry Sauce

1 cup cane sugar

1 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Mix apple cider and sugar in a medium pan and bring to a boil. Add cranberries, spices and fresh ginger and stir to incorporate. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to simmer at a low boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Country Buttermilk Biscuits

Du — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:02:00 +0000

Country Buttermilk Biscuits

Country Buttermilk Biscuits

Makes 12 biscuits (preheat oven 475 degrees F)

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups unbleached all purpose flour

3 ¾ teaspoons baking powder

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cold vegetable shortening (no trans fats)

¾ cup + 2 teaspoons buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients. Cut vegetable shortening into pieces and add to dry mixture. Blend shortening with fork, pastry blender or hands until the shortening is in pea size pieces.

Add buttermilk into mixture and blend with a spatula. Place wet dough onto floured working surface and knead (with floured hands) very gently 6 -7 times, being careful not to overwork dough. Begin to gently press dough to roughly 3/4 inch thick. (while pressing, flip dough over, making sure it doesn’t stick to surface).

Cut dough with floured biscuit cutter (or glass) approx 2 inches in diameter. Gather leftover dough and gently press together, repeating cutting until no dough is left. The last biscuit is usually pressed together rather than cut.

Place biscuits on a large, parchment covered baking sheet approx 1 inch apart and brush tops with melted butter. Place biscuits in center of oven.

Bake biscuits for 5 – 6 minutes then rotate baking sheet. Bake an additional 5 – 7 minutes until biscuits are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.