First an announcement: my black forest oatmeal is entered into the So Delicious recipe contest. To vote in the contest you have to like them on your Facebook page. (My oatmeal is the one on the bottom right corner.) Please take a minute to vote for it! You can vote once a day and I’d love to see you vote a few times before the end of the week. Now back to the blog post…

Strawberry season seems to sneak up and that’s one surprise I never mind. I love the complexity of berries. When picked perfectly ripe they are juicy and sweet, yet they still retain a tartness to them – even if it’s only a hint at the end.

I did play with some at the very beginning of the season which was even earlier than normal due to a warm winter.  I’m saving my infused strawberry vodka for after the closing of our new house later this month. It’s an awesome modernist house and I’m counting the days down until I get to move into that huge kitchen surrounded by windows!

I’m a little busy with buying a new house and working on my next book. (Which should be out next spring/summer if all goes as planned.) But I want to make sure I enjoy more of these sweet, red nuggets before they aren’t around any longer.

Here are a few of my past ideas for your future strawberry cooking:

• Strawberry Basil Mini Donuts
• Salad with Strawberries and Asparagus
• Strawberry Balsamic Oatmeal
• Strawberry Lemonade Oatmeal
• Strawberry Layer cake Oatmeal
• Strawberry Orange Mint Oatmeal

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My favorite last minute meal is a few tortilla chips served up with a cup of queso. If you’re tired of spending a fortune on jars of vegan queso this is the recipe for you.The base recipe is mild, but you can spice it up to suit your taste.

The beans create a stable base and the cashews add a richness that’s so creamy you might not believe it’s really dairy-free. The nutritional yeast adds the cheesy flavor. On top of that you can add some elements from your favorite queso like tomatoes, hot peppers from your summer garden, or even some chopped cilantro. It’s all up to you.

Vegan Cashew-Bean Queso
soy-free, gluten-free
makes about 4 cups

• 1½ cups cooked white beans (or 1 -15 ounce can white beans rinsed and drained)
• ½ cup raw cashews
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ½ cup So Delicious Coconut milk (unsweetened is best)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green chilis, to taste
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ to 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• a few slices of pickled or fresh jalapeño, optional

Add everything into a food process or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Feel free to add hot chili powder to get more heat in.

Also if you’d prefer a thinner sauce add an additional 1/2 cup nondairy milk. Now you can put this in your slow cooker to heat up so you can enjoy your party!

One of the recipes I get asked for the most is a simple version of a pumpkin spice frozen coffee. It seems to have a cult following. But believe it or not the pumpkin spice syrup at your local coffee chain just may contain dairy and the one at you-know-who’s definitely does. So one reason to make this yourself is if you are vegan or have a dairy allergy. The other is this isn’t made with an artificially flavored syrup but real good-for-you sweet potato (or pumpkin). No pumpkin on hand? Use sweet potato instead for a spicy twist on your morning wake up drink!

You probably know the coffee concentrate drill by now, but here it is again just in case! The one thing that you need to make ahead is the cold brewed coffee concentrate. You can make it on the weekend and use it all week long. There is very little hands on time and it cold brews by sitting out overnight while you sleep. (My favorite way to make food!)

You can buy a toddy maker if you drink a ton of iced coffee, but a French press works great for a smaller amount of concentrate. However, you can make the larger batch and freeze the coffee concentrate in ice cube trays.

My favorite benefit of cold brewing coffee is that there is less acid in the final product making it much easier on your stomach. That means if you’ve given up coffee because of your stomach there might still be hope.

This is the same as making a pumpkin spice one so if you have pumpkin pure on hand feel free to use that instead of the cooked sweet potato. Pumpkin is available all year round in cans or if you cooked up a few pie pumpkins last fall and stored your homemade puree in the fridge. If you are like me and have already gone through your pumpkin stash, cook up a sweet potato and make it into a sweet potato pie cheap-o-chino. It taste just as good and still gives you a nutritional boost with your daily coffee.

Are you a coffee hater? Leave it out completely and just add a touch more nondairy milk.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cheap-o-chino

Makes about 2 to 3 servings
soy-free, gluten-free

• 1/4 cup sweet potato puree
• 1/4 cup (63ml) cold brewed coffee concentrate (or 1 cup (250ml) regular brewed coffee)
• 1/4 cup (63ml) So Delicious Coconut creamer original flavor (to make it extra rich – you can use only non-dairy milk if you prefer)
• 1 cup (250ml) Unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• pinch cloves
• pinch allspice
• pinch nutmeg
• Sweetener to taste: brown sugar, stevia, agave nectar, or maple syrup, etc. (I used 1 packet Nu-Stevia)
• 1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin (do not leave out – it holds it together!)
• 2 cups ice

In a blender mix everything except for the sweetener, xanthan gum and ice. Taste and adjust sweetener as needed. Remember this is a concentrated flavor so it needs to be a little sweeter now to be just right later.

Then add xanthan gum (or pectin) and blend. This will keep the different ingredients from separating.

Add the ice. Depending on your blender you may have to add it 1/2 cup at a time. I have a really powerful one so I can blend it all in at once.

You can add more coconut milk if it’s too thick or you can add more ice if it’s too thick.

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I’m at it again tomorrow at 11 am – this time at McIntyre’s Books in Pittsboro. You know the drill I’m sure. I’ll be there and would love to answer questions for you. Of course, there will be snacks! I may even make Thai iced tea this time.

McIntyre’s Books

Saturday, April 28, 2012
11 to 12 pm
Fearrington Village
Pittsboro, NC

919-542-3030

Happy Friday!

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This recipe is one of the easiest of them all. You can make your own pizza dough or just use English muffins or tortillas. The filling probably takes about 15 minutes to throw together and you can make it a day or two before you want to use it.

If you are avoiding soy you could certainly use seitan or add extra veggies in place of the tofu. To make it gluten-free simply buy or make gluten-free pizza shells.

Don’t feel like taking the time to make pizza dough or all out of pre-made shells? This is also good on English Muffins, flat-bread, light toasted tortillas and even in a bun. (See, I told you it was easy!)

BBQ Tofu Pepper Pineapple Topping

Makes about 4 mini pizzas or 1 large (feel free to double or triple if you have a gang of vegans stopping by.)

• 1/2 block tofu
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh (or canned) pineapple, chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Pepper Jack Daiya (or keep it cheese-less)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite bbq sauce (use more or less depending on how saucy you like it)

Press the tofu. This gets all the water out and give it a very firm texture. Chop the pressed tofu, red pepper, and pineapple. Add to a bowl and mix together.

You can either put the Daiya on top of this mixture on your pizza or mix it in before hand. I think Daiya melts best with a little liquid so I mixed mine in.

Spread topping on pre-made crust(s). Bake in oven at 425 until crust is done. Time will vary wildly depending on the thickness of your crust.

You may want to make a little extra for any non-vegans. They are usually curious and want to try some too.

Another way I like to make this is to mix the tofu, green pepper, and 1 cup bbq sauce in a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker and let it cook all day on low. You can cook the pineapple with it, but I like to add it at the end. It’s also great on buns and perfect for cocktail night on the deck!

A Spring CSA often seems much like a Winter one. There’s a great assortment of greens, turnips, and radishes. Granted the greens and turnips are baby ones instead of the turnip I got that  was as big as my head. Make life easy and turn your CSA into a quick meal by making this Potato Turnip Soup with Spring Greens Pesto.

I was digging in the pantry and fridge to see what I had on hand to make into an easy bowl of soup. And guess what I had? That’s right – turnips and greens! If you don’t have any potatoes go ahead and use all turnips it will work just fine.

I love making pesto, especially with all the greens that come in my CSA box. The pesto in the photos is made with collard greens, but it would work with kale, arugula, and other greens.

You can do the soup without the pesto, but I have to tell you that you’ll be missing out on the best part.

Slow Cooker Potato Turnip Soup

• 2 cups turnips, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon vegan chick’n bouillon
• 1 sprigs rosemary, 2 to 3 inch or 1/2 teaspoon ground
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 cups unsweetened non-dairy milk, optional

Add everything except salt, pepper, and almond milk to your slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Remove rosemary sprig and discard. Puree using an immersion blender. If you want a thinner soup add the non-dairy milk and blend it in also. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a swirl of Spring Greens Pesto on top.

Spring Greens Pesto
gluten-free, soy-free

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 4 cups greens (collards, kale, arugula, spinach, etc.), stems removed and chopped
• ¼ to ½ cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or extra orange juice
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or plain lemon juice)
• ½ teaspoon smoked salt (or plain salt to taste and a few drop liquid smoke)

After you prep the greens add the water and orange juice to a sauté pan on medium heat. Add greens and cook until greens are tender, but still bright green (about 10 minutes). You can add extra water in cooking if it gets too dry.

Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until grainy or finely minced but not pureed. Add extra olive oil, water, or orange juice if the mixture is too thick.

Makes 1 to 2 cups pesto

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When people find out I’m vegan one of the first things they say to me is they could never give up dairy. They don’t realize that there are alternatives to keep that cheesy flavor in their lives even without involving a cow. If you are working on a dietary change or just like to try new things, these Vegan Almond “Parmesan” Sprinkles will prove to you that vegans eat delicious food.

I’ve tried a few brands of vegan Parmesan substitutes and I like this recipe better. Store-bought ones can also be ridiculously expensive. This recipe is ridiculously easy to make and isn’t very expensive (especially if you have the almonds on hand already). I love the way it tastes and your guests or picky eater won’t even be able to tell it’s vegan.

The key to the cheesy flavor in this faux Parmesan is the nutritional yeast. If you haven’t tasted it before you probably think it is something you should use in a science experiment instead of topping your homemade pasta. But bear with me. When I teach classes I love to play show and tell with nutritional yeast. Once you see it up close and personal it’s just not that scary anymore. Nutritional yeast is not bread yeast, so please don’t make the mistake of using it instead. Nutritional yeast is yellow and flaky.  It adds a umami flavor that leans towards a cheesy flavor, though it is often used in vegan not-chicken bouillon too.

One thing that people tend to forget is that cheese is pretty salty, especially Parmesan. This is one recipe I would not recommend leaving out the salt. The almonds create the perfect Parmesan texture, and the three together make the perfect topping for pasta, salads, or casseroles.

You can add some olive oil to get a richer mouth-feel, but depending on what you plan to use it for you can leave it out altogether. I use granulated garlic instead of fresh because it will keep longer in the fridge, but you can use fresh or leave it out completely if it doesn’t fit with your dish.

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (the ones without the skins)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• a small amount of olive oil, optional
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Use these DIY Vegan Almond “Parmesan” Sprinkles to make a quick and simple pasta dish. Simply cook up some whole wheat angel hair pasta, toss it with some olive oil and a few tablespoons of finely chopped herbs, and a handful of the Vegan Almond “Parmesan” Sprinkles. I often use a combination of oregano, thyme, parsley, and rosemary.  But really I just grab whatever I have the most of in the garden. Make sure to top with some coarse black pepper to give that extra kick.

Remember, you’ll get culinary bonus points for trying something new ; )

Lucky for me the first strawberries of the year already showed up at the farmers market and made their way into these bold donuts.  The next batch I’m getting is to going to be made into some strawberry vodka for a few herb cocktails on the deck. I love Spring!

These donuts are cakey and baked with no added fat. They are cooked in a mini donut pan. If you don’t have one go ahead and make them in a mini muffin pan. The cake part is lightly sweetened with agave nectar, but gets its real sweetness from the powdered sugar glaze.

The glaze isn’t all sticky sweet though, the lemon juice and zest give the donuts a bright burst that cuts through the sweet. Add some minced fresh lemon basil or some fresh mint from your herb garden and it all melds into the perfect Spring donut.

If you’re looking for a lower sugar donut try my Baked Almond Donuts with Chocolate Glaze or Lemon Donuts with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting - they are only sweetened with stevia and agave!

Strawberry Basil Mini Donuts
soy-free
makes 12 mini donuts

wet ingredients:

• ⅓ cup unsweetened So Delicious coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• ⅓ cup minced strawberries (about 4 or 5)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

dry ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (use gluten-free flour as a sub)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another. Spray your mini donut pan with a little oil so they will be easier to get out.

Then add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix just until it’s mixed. If it’s a little dry go ahead and add some extra agave nectar. Divide the batter between the 12 donut molds. Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 13 minutes. (They should be firm to the touch.)

Let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then carefully remove. (If you don’t wait they will stick in the pan even though you oiled it.) Place them bottom side up on a plate and let them site for about 5 minutes then dip them in the glaze (recipe below).

Lemon Basil Glaze

4 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon basil or mint, minced
Mix the glaze ingredients until smooth. Put in a small bowl to make it easier to dunk the donuts in.

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Tapioca is not a pretty food, but there’s something wonderful when you bite into those mini spheres. Slightly gooey but matched with its creamy almond milky pudding it becomes the perfect texture. Straight from the fridge it’s my favorite hot afternoon snack in the summer.

In the summer the last thing I want to do is put a pot of anything on the stove. The slow cooker is the perfect answer. It doesn’t heat up your kitchen and even though the cooking time is short you don’t have to stand there waiting for it to cook. Take a walk, pick some herbs from the garden, or just make the dog happy and go on that walk around the block. It will cook without you.

This is my first public service announcement of the season. Do not, I repeat do not, put away your slow cooker because it’s not chilly anymore. If you like using your slow cooker in the Winter you’ll fall even deeper in love when you cook in it in the hot weather.

It’s a little weird that my red velvet pudding is less than red. But I promise you the flavor is really close to that bright red cake. The tea uses rooibos, beet root, blackberry leaves and chocolate and vanilla. If you can’t get a hold of the tea you can use cocoa, vanilla extract, and a little beet powder to get the same flavor.

To get a better red color next time I’m going to add a slice of peeled beet.

Slow Cooker Red Velvet Tea Tapioca Pudding
soy-free, gluten-free
serves 2 to 3

**This recipes uses a 1 1/2 to 2 quart slow cooker. Double or Triple to use a larger slow cooker.

• 1/2 cup tapioca pearls
• 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 Red Velvet tea bags (From Republic of Tea)
• 1/4 teaspoon Nu-stevia (or your favorite sweetener to taste)
• slice of peeled beet, optional for color

Place all the ingredients into your slow cooker.

Cook on high for about 1 1/2 hours. The size of your slow cooker and how hot it runs will change the exact cooking time.

Remove tea bags and store in fridge for at least 3 to 4 hours.

The pudding will not set up all the way in the slow cooker (and will look like it may never set up). But it will set up perfectly after a few hours in the refrigerator. I like to portion mine out so I can just grab some from the fridge when I want it!
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While some people avoid the “perfumy” flavors of rosewater, orange blossom water and lavender I just love them. In fact, I use them as much as I can.

At one of my favorite restaurants, La Shish in Cary, I get this amazing drink called Lebanese ice tea. It’s a mix of lemon juice, sugar, and black tea with a little something special. It can turn a bad day good with just a few sips.

In my mind it has orange flower water in it. But in looking up recipes it’s mainly made with rosewater. I need to break down and ask  the owner what the real scoop is. The owners are great and if you’re in the area you should stop by. Let her know you’re vegan and she’ll point you in the right direction.

This treat resembles Lebanese ice tea, but it’s frozen, with green tea, etc. I decided my version is unauthentic already so I added orange flower water. And you know what? It tastes pretty awesome.

Orange flower water is also an ingredient in my Thai Tea Concentrate, which is perfect on a hot summer day.

Orange Blossom Green Tea Cheap-o-chino
Makes about 2 servings
soy-free, gluten-free

• 1 1/2 cup So Delicious Vanilla Almond Plus Milk
• 1 teaspoon matcha powder
• 1 teaspoon orange flower water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Nu-stevia or sweetener of your choice
• pinch of xanthan gum or 1 teaspoon pectin (do not leave out – it holds it together!)
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups ice

In a blender mix everything except for the xanthan gum and ice. Blend until smooth.

Then add xanthan gum (or pectin), ice and blend. This will keep the different ingredients from separating.

You can add more almond milk if it’s too thick or you can add more ice if it’s too thick.

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