Du'in It in the Kitchen » vegan

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

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.