VeggieTalk

I’m working on a new cookbook, the manuscript of which is due in February (under a deadline, this seems to be looming already!). Since, as most readers of my books and blogs know, my thing is simple, fast recipes that are healthy and taste good (sometimes a tall order), I’m always trying new things. Sometimes they fly right away, sometimes they flop, and some attempts are in between. For example, the other night I had an idea to stuff peppers with pasta puttanesca (olive sauce). It seemed like a good idea, and it tasted good, but I used whole wheat spaghetti (cut into thirds), which flopped messily out of the peppers. I could theoretically try again with orzo or some other small pasta, but I’ll probably pass.

Last night I made giant quesadillas, which were super easy, tasted great, and need just a bit more tweaking. The oven is turned on, and while heating, the entire production can be assembled. Once the quesadillas are in the oven (they took only 10 minutes to get perfectly hot and just crisp enough), I made an interesting new sauce to put over them, which I was quite pleased with.

What’s in the quesadillas are black beans which are mixed with salsa (I used a medium chipotle salsa), little broccoli florets and pre-sliced portabella mushrooms that are steamed together, and diced avocado. The only mistake I made was with the avocado—it turned an unappealing black in the oven. What I would do differently next time is to sprinkle the top of the quesadillas with the diced avocado, on top of the sauce.

These quesadillas are enormous, but for some reason, did not feel heavy. I was in a real rush last night and had time only to make a simple tossed salad to go with these. A full quesadilla and salad is a nice meal (with some stone-ground tortilla chips), but I think a baked sweet potato or a quinoa dish would have been nice additions. In that case, half of one of these could be a sufficient serving. So it’s the ugly duckling recipe that won out over the more colorful and photogenic one.

I got this idea from going out to eat one night last week. The quesadilla was not much like this save for the black beans, but it had a good sauce and got me to thinking what a nice quick meal it could be at home. The quesadillas came with sweet potato fries, but no salad, which would have dressed up the plate and acted as a palate cooler.

So this is one way in which a recipe idea gets started. I like the idea of coming up with some other offbeat, giant quesadillas with various fillings. Any ideas for me, anyone?

Here’s the recipe, as it is right now. I’ll likely make other tweaks to it, so comments are welcome if you try it out:

Big Quesadillas with Black Beans, Broccoli, and Portabella Mushrooms

4 big servings or 8 smaller ones

• 2 1/2 cups small broccoli florets (use fresh, frozen, or precut)
• 6 ounces sliced portabella caps
• Two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup salsa (any favorite kind—use something interesting like chipotle)
• Four 12-inch flour tortillas or wraps
• 6 ounces (about 1/2 package) firm silken tofu
• 6 ounce jar roasted red peppers
• Handful of cilantro or parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium-large avocado, diced
• Thinly sliced scallion, optional

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Steam the mushrooms in a skillet with a small amount of water until they soften, covered. Add the broccoli and continue to steam, covered, until it is bright green and tender-crisp. Remove from the heat and drain.

Combine the beans and salsa in a mixing bowl.

Lay a tortilla on a baking sheet. Spread one half of it with 1/4 of the black bean mixture, followed by 1/4 of the broccoli and mushroom mixture. Fold over to cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, using an additional baking sheet if needed.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tortillas begins to turn golden and crisp. Watch carefully!

Meanwhile, combine silken tofu, red peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a food processor or the container of an immersion blender with 3 tablespoons water. Process until completely smooth, then transfer to a spouted container.

To serve, place each quesadilla or half of a quesadilla on individual plates. Top with some of the sauce, then sprinkle with avocado, and, if desired, some sliced scallion.

Shopping for food on Friday, I spotted the season’s first organic sugar pumpkins, and I couldn’t resist. Everyone in my family loves pumpkin pie (I often use butternut squash, which I think is even better!), and it’s a snap to make once the pumpkin or squash, as the case may be, is baked.

Okay, here’s a secret. It may not be the politically correct thing to do, but I like to microwave small squashes and pumpkins. I just pop the whole thing into a small pyrex-type container; an acorn or delicata squash takes about 5 minutes; a bit more for a small butternut. Sugar pumpkin, which is usually a little bigger and plumper, takes from 10 to 14 minutes, depending on the size. This just seems more efficient than running a 375 degree oven for 45 or more minutes.

Once the pumpkin or squash is done, I leave it out to cool, then cut it in half, remove the seeds, and peel. And once that’s out of the way, the rest is just tossing everything else into the food processor, pouring into a shell, and baking. I’m so lazy that I don’t even make pie crust. I love using natural graham cracker crust for pumpkin pies. It’s less heavy and caloric than pastry crust. For this, I used a chocolate crust from the brand “Wholly Wholesome,” though I’ve seen other brands at the natural foods store (caution, I think supermarket brands might still contain trans fats, but I’m not sure). I love the synergy of chocolate and pumpkin, good in a pie, and even better in pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, which are next on my list to make.

Here’s the recipe, from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook:

Not-Just-for-Thanksgiving Squash or Pumpkin Pie

Make: One 9-inch pie, 6 servings

I find that the smooth, sweet butternut puree tastes just as good as sugar pumpkin—perhaps even better! Once you’ve got the squash or pumpkin baked, which I do ahead of time, making this nourishing pie is a snap. It contains no eggs or dairy, but no one will notice the difference.

• 2 cups well-baked and mashed butternut squash or sugar pumpkin
• 3/4 cup silken tofu (about half of a 12.3-ounce aseptic package)
• 1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ginger)
• One 9-inch good quality graham cracker or whole grain pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the pumpkin or squash pulp in a food processor with the remaining ingredients (except the crust, of course). Process until velvety smooth.

Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture is set and the crust is golden. Let the pie cool to room temperature. cut into 6 or 8 wedges to serve.

A mystery book by Lillian Jackson Braun is “The Cat Who Came to Dinner,” but we have a cat who always comes to dinner. Each day, as I start making dinner, Jasmine positions herself under the table to wait patiently until we are all join her at the evening meal. We have imposed a vegan diet upon Jasmine—a specially formulated cat food called Evolution Feline, which I purchase on line from Vegan Cats.. I say imposed, because left to her own devices, Jasmine would eat birds and small rodents. Anyone who tells me, then, that the diet we give her is “unnatural,” is given this reply: Of course it’s unnatural. But so is a diet of the canned worst parts of chicken, turkey, cow, etc (not to mention the remains of other shelter pets that wind up in canned animal food). When was the last time anyone saw a cat take down a cow?

Jasmine seems really happy with her Evolution Feline food (and is an extremely healthy and beautiful 5-year-old kitty), but she also loves to eat with us for pleasure. Her favorite foods, in approximate order, are: corn kernels, peas, black beans, seitan, noodles (esp. with some sort of tomato sauce), potato, and broccoli. Does anyone else have a cat or dog with unusual taste in food? Please share your stories with me and other readers!

Thinking ahead to what to make for dinner tonight, my eyes lit on the cover of the just-off-the-press soups book and I realized I have all the ingredients for the cover soup, Cool Carrot Puree with Broccoli. Broccoli has been horrendous this summer, but just the other day at my CSA, there were some gorgeous crowns, at last. I think I’ll make some “TLT” wraps (tempeh “bacon,” lettuce, and tomato) to go with it. You know, lately, I’ve been so busy that I have not been practicing what I preach, which is to plan meals for the week. Truthfully, the busier one is, the more important it is to plan. It’s fun to improvise, but not during the week when every minute is accounted for. So, tonight is taken care of, and with some luck, there will be enough soup left for tomorrow!

By the way, all the orders from the September Book Sale (of this book with the freebie of slightly hurt Vegetariana) have been shipped, so anyone who has ordered should be getting their books soon. Media Mail is somewhat unpredictable, but I would say that everyone should look for their shipment within the week. Thank you for a tremendous response, by the way! And those of you who would still like to take advantage of this pre-publication sale can still do so; see Special September Book Sale.

Since evenings are getting nippy, I don’t plan to chill the soup, but I will make the vegan sour cream garnish, as it adds a nice touch to the presentation. Adapted from the newly revised and veganized Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons.

Cool Carrot Puree with Broccoli

6 to 8 servings

This cheerfully colored soup can be the centerpiece of a late summer meal, served with crusty bread or sandwiches, and a bountiful salad.

• 2 tablespoons light olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 4 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, or other stock option (page 00)
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 1 large potato, peeled and finely diced
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt-free seasoning (like Spike or Mrs. Dash)
• 1 large broccoli crown, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rice milk, more or less as needed
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill, to taste, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Vegan Sour Cream (see below) for garnish, optional

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until golden.

Add the water with bouillon cubes, carrots, potato, and tomatoes. Stir in the bay leaves and seasoning. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Discard the bay leaves.

Transfer the solid ingredients to a food processor, in batches if necessary, and process until smoothly pureed. Return to the soup pot. Or insert an immersion blender into the pot and process until smoothly pureed.

Steam the broccoli in a large saucepan with about an inch of water until bright green and tender-crisp. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly with cool water. Stir the broccoli into the soup.

Add enough rice milk to give the soup a slightly thick consistency. Stir in the dill, then season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, or let the soup cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. Garnish each serving with a dollop of sour cream, if desired, and a sprinkling of dill.

Vegan Sour Cream

Makes a little more than 1 cup, about 8 servings

• 1 cup crumbled firm or extra-firm silken tofu, or one 8-ounce container natural nondairy sour cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice milk or Silk creamer, as needed
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or the companion container to an immersion blender. Process until very smoothly pureed, then transfer to a container with an airtight lid. This keeps well for 3 to 4 days, refrigerated.

This past weekend, I took my older son Adam on a trip to look at colleges in Amherst, MA. The Amherst-Northampton area is home to the 5 College Consortium (consisting of U Mass, Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, and Mt. Holyoke—a kind of paradise for us northeastern liberal types) and is in general, a very cool, progressive area.

Two of my good “food buddies” live in the area. Leslie Cerier, a vegetarian caterer, cooking instructor, and the author of several books, most recently Going Wild in the Kitchen, put us up for the night. Pictured above, a tofu chocolate mousse pie with teff crust, which she made for dessert in this pretty pie plate that I really liked. Of course, I really liked the pie, too—the crust is prebaked (you can use any favorite crust) and filled with chocolate mousse made of 1 pound pureed silken tofu and 1 3/4 cups melted vegan chocolate chips. What could be simpler? By the way, Going Wild in the Kitchen is a really lovely vegetarian cookbook, filled with innovative recipes. It has not gotten the recognition it deserves. It’s a fun book to use, warm and friendly, and most of all, the recipes are easy to make yet quite delicious. I love her blueberry cornbread!

After a brief visit to Amherst College, which did not excite Adam very much (too preppy and traditional for him), we met my friend Reed Mangels and her family for a picnic lunch on the grounds of a school where her 11-year-old daughter was playing soccer. Reed is the nutrition advisor to the Vegetarian Resource Group, a lecturer at U Mass, and a writer specializing in vegetarian nutrition (she also wrote a great foreword for my Vegetarian Family Cookbook), among other accomplishments. She laid out an tasty spread, highlighted by these “tea rolls” pictured above. Sorry about the funky photo; a menacing shadow fell across the rolls just as I took the shot! These are unusual rice rolls filled delectably with pad Thai; curried rice and tofu; lettuce, carrot, and bean-thread noodles; and a few others I can’t describe. Wow, were these tasty! I’ve really never had anything like them, as they were not quite like rice paper rolls; a little less delicate, a bit more substantial, and altogether a smashing treat. They were from a place called Fresh Side on Amity Street in Amherst.

If Adam ends up in Amherst (he especially loved Hampshire College), it would be comforting for me, with these two friends nearby. Ironically, Leslie’s daughter is looking at colleges in my area. So I told her that if she ends up here, we can be Guest Moms for each other’s college kids.

A few days ago, one of this blog’s regular readers contacted me to suggest a topic inviting other readers to discuss their favorite kitchen gadget. I thought this was a great idea, so here it is. She said hers is an immersion blender, and that gets my vote, too. We are not big fruit eaters (we prefer our veggies!), so making smoothies most days of the week is not a big deal with this hand gadget, and ensures that we get our requisite 2 servings of fruit per day. If I knew I had to wash a blender, food processor, or juicer every time I wanted a fruit drink, I probably wouldn’t make smoothies so often. With this, you just rinse the blade section, toss it in the drainer, and that’s that.

I also love that you can just stick it into a pot and blend all or part of a soup rather than transfering hot ingredients to and from a food processor or blender. And last, I use it to grind nuts, a task at which the immersion blender is very efficient with—almost too efficient, as nuts are ground to a powder in seconds.

What’s your favorite, can’t-live-without-it-kitchen tool? Share your thoughts with me and your fellow readers. Meanwhile, here’s a favorite morning smoothie, perfect for fall and winter, adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook. It’s a delightful change-of-pace fruit beverage to make when summer fruit is out of season.

Cinnamon Apple or Pear Smoothie

2 to 3 servings

• 1 ripe banana, broken into several pieces
• 2 medium soft apples (such as cortland or golden delicious), or ripe pears, peeled, cored, and coarsely diced
• 1 cup vanilla soy yogurt
• 1 cup apple juice or any other any other juice of your choice
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smoothly pureed. Or place in a container and process with an immersion blender. Serve at once in tall glasses.

While kitchen carts aren’t really a gadget your kitchen might find great use for kitchen islands strewn here or there, providing extra surface space that kitchen islands provide—and portable, too.

Here’s an nifty, pre-publication offer I’m making to my newsletter subscribers and blog readers:

The official on-sale date for the revised, expanded, and veganized Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons is in October (that’s when it will be available through bookstores, Amazon.com, and other on-line sources). However, my readers can begin ordering it now, directly through my company, Amberwood Press, Inc. Vegetarian Soups for all Seasons, already considered a classic, has been made completely dairy-free, redesigned and edited, and now has 20 new recipes.

The book’s list price is $15.95, but with this offer, you can get the book for just $10, which is just slightly below the $10.85 price to be offered by Amazon. That’s not all, though! We have a quantity of slightly “hurt” copies of my first book, Vegetariana, which will come free with every order of Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. Books will be signed, too! Shipping not included. For the details of this offer, go to September Book Sale.

Going out for a walk this morning, the chill reminded me that summer is truly almost over. So I’m trying to enjoy summer produce to the bitter end. A few nights ago, I made a main-course soup, so I wanted to serve some sort of lighter sandwich with it. Glimpsing the homely but so delicious heirloom tomatoes on the counter, it came to me—tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches!

Tomato sandwiches take me back to one of my favorite childhood heroines, Harriet the Spy, who made tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches on white bread every day to take to school. A budding foodie even back then, I suppose, I was so enchanted by this idea—so different from the yucky, heavy Eastern European food I was used to, that I made my own tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches. I had to use rye bread, as that what was in the house; I’m also sure that the tomatoes were the terrible, mass-produced kind, but still, I was smitten. Years later, when my sons read Harriet the Spy (and saw the movie), I made them tomato and mayonnaise sandwiches (on soft whole wheat bread!), with better tomatoes, they were also enthralled.

Here’s the ultimate tomato and mayonnaise sandwich: Heirloom tomatoes (which have been so abundant, and so good, this year at my CSA and at local co-ops) and vegenaise on soft sourdough bread. Truly one of life’s simple pleasures!

Last week, when some friends came over on Labor Day, they brought a little basket of green beans from their garden. Skinny and just picked, this is one item I rarely find in such fine form any store or market. And skinny green beans bring me back to Paris, where the haricot verts are the skinniest and most flavorful of all. They are served in every café, and sometimes, I would order some to go with my afternoon coffee. Yes, it is a strange combination and I probably got a few looks. But as a vegan, I can’t order pastry, and really, these big helpings of green beans bring me as much pleasure as a chocolate croissant might otherwise (though I sure wish there were vegan versions of the latter!).

When green beans are this thin and this fresh, I think it’s sacrelige to do anything but steam them until just tender-crisp and serve with a touch of Earth Balance.

I know, it really seems silly. But we’re in that goofy period when summer fruit is waning, but apples and pears are not quite in season. I was actually after some blueberries; we’ve had a dearth of organic blueberries in the local stores and markets this year. I saw a tiny container of blueberries—4 ounces—for $6.79. That comes out to $27 per pound! I have never heard of anything so insane. So I can hardly be blamed for choosing the strawberries, which looked ripe and healthy, for $3.69 for an entire pound in one container, a relative bargain.

I was looking for a quick dessert to make for friends who were coming over for lunch and a hike this past Labor Day Monday, and had decided on parfaits, which take minutes to make, but seem so very impressive. After lunch, and even after the hike, we were all still too full, so the parfaits were left for breakfast the next morning. These make a terrific breakfast, served with whole grain toast or English muffins. For fall parfaits, you can use thinly sliced apple, pear, or Asian pear with a few thawed frozen organic blueberries (I AM going to get those blueberries, one way or another!); or a combination of banana with another fruit. The recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet. If you don’t have fancy parfait glasses like these that I bought at a yard sale a few years ago—very 1950s!—you can use clear glass tumblers.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits

4 servings

• Two to three 6- to 8-ounce containers vanilla or lemon soy yogurt
• Two cups fresh fruit (see suggestions, following)
• Toasted sliced almonds and/or granola for topping

Use 4 parfait dishes if you have them; if not, medium-sized glass tumblers will do. For each serving, layer about 1/4 cup each of fruit, then yogurt, in the parfait dish; repeat each layer, then do the same for the other parfaits.

Sprinkle with the topping of choice, and serve.

FRUITS AND COMBINATIONS FOR PARFAITS

For four parfaits, you can generally figure on using 2 cups of fruit. Try the following combinations or come up with your own.

Strawberries: Remove the hulls from 1 pint very sweet, ripe strawberries and slice them.

Strawberries and blueberries: Combine 1 cup strawberries, hulled and sliced, with 1 cup fresh blueberries.

Peaches or nectarines with berries: Combine 1 cup diced ripe peach or nectarine, with 1 cup berries.

Mango and berries: Combine 1 cup diced mango, with 1 cup blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries.

Mango and banana: Combine 1 cup diced mango, with 1 cup thinly sliced banana.

Fresh apricot: Use 2 cups (from about 6 fresh apricots) sliced fresh apricot. Or combine 1 cup sliced fresh apricot with 1 cup small seedless grapes or berries.

I’m pleased to let you know that there are lots of new articles, recipes, and tips on the Vegetarian Kitchen site. I’ve added some great information from guest experts on many topics of interest in the vegetarian realm (I’ll be announcing this in my September newsletter as well, along with lots more news, tips, and recipes; subliminal message: subscribe to my newsletter! You’ll find the subscription box on every page of Vegetarian Kitchen). Here are the new articles:

In Vegetarian Tips:

• Planning Vegetarian Meals by by Nikki Goldbeck
• Vegetarian Nutrition for Teenagers by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.
• Fiber for Plant-Based Diets by Connie Sarros
• Slow-Cooking, Vegetarian-Style by Robin Robertson
• The High Performance Vegan Athlete: It Is Possible! by Brendan Brazier
• Go Nuts for Goodness Sake! by Zel Allen
• Super Foods for Vegetarian Pregnancy and Lactation by Cathe Olson
• Vegan Substitutions Guide by Erin Pavlina
• Fats: Choose the Best, Avoid the Worst by Sally Kneidel
• Plant-Based Calcium: Sources and Absorbability by Beverly Bennett

In Kid-Friendly Recipes:

• Organic Foods and Children by Elaine Marie Lipson
• Do you have a picky eater in your family? by Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring

And in Recipes Galore, my own recipes and tips in some new topics (you’ll see these new topics marked with the word New):

• Versatile Tofu
• Five Easy Pizzas
• Seitan, Anyone?
• Savoring Soy Sausage
• Spring’s Leafy Greens
• Herbal Harvest
• Fresh Corn
• Hardy Grains for Cool-Weather Meals
• Roots

I hope you enjoy the new info!