The Full Helping

Red Curry Dumpling Soup with Kimchi

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 22:57:57 GMT

This red curry dumpling soup with kimchi is the epitome of a meal that’s as flavorful and filling as it is fast. Thanks to ready to eat dumplings and kimchi, it comes together in just about fifteen minutes.

I often enjoy cool soups, like this carrot lemongrass soup or this gazpacho, during the summer months. But now New York City is entering fall, and it makes me excited for warm soup season.

This curry soup with dumplings is actually a perfect in-between for that time of year when it’s possible to have a very chilly morning followed by a warm, sunny afternoon. It’s served warm, but it requires less simmering than most pots of soup. The use of some pre-made ingredients is what allows it to be ready so fast.

Vegan meal helper: Nasoya’s Thai Basil Vegetable Dumplings

Much as I wish I had the skills to make homemade dumplings, I don’t. At least not yet: Lisa’s tutorial will come to my rescue when it’s time to learn!

For now, depend on Nasoya’s organic, vegan dumplings. They’re completely ready to cook: all it takes to have them on the table is a few minutes of simmering. You can prepare them with water or a broth, as I do in this recipe. And they’re delicious, with a toothsome exterior and a savory, tofu-based filling.

Thanks to the tofu filling, the dumplings have 6g of plant-based protein per serving. The filling also has some veggies (onion, carrots, peas, bell pepper, carrots), which complement the other vegetables in the dish. I like the texture at the center of the dumplings, which is tender but not mushy—it still has some texture.

Red curry dumpling soup ingredients

Red curry paste

The dumplings are the star of this soup, but Thai red curry paste is the runner up. The flavors in most red curry paste products—garlic, lemongrass, chili pepper—will complement the flavors in the Nasoya dumplings well.

I’m still learning about the differences between flavor profiles of different Thai style curries. Based on my knowledge and experience using both green and red curry pastes in recipes, I think that either would work in this recipe. I tend to have red curry paste at home more often, so that’s what I used here!

Kimchi

This red curry dumpling soup gets a punch of flavor and texture from Nasoya kimchi. Longtime readers know that I’ve gotten to know this kimchi well! Last fall, I had the privilege of traveling to Korea to learn about how Nasoya’s kimchi is made. The trip also taught me about the history of kimchi and how its culinary origins have become modern day traditions.

I sometimes serve kimchi as a condiment, but I also love folding it into dishes, like this pumpkin porridge or my smashed kimchi chickpea salad. For this soup, you can either pile your kimchi into a bowl right before eating or stir the kimchi into the soup in the final minute or two of cooking. It’s up to you.

Vegetables

I used some of the vegetables that I often keep in my fridge for this soup: onion, red pepper, broccoli. I also stirred in some snow peas toward the end, so that they’d keep their lovely, crisp tender texture. I like how their sweetness compliments the savory and spicy flavors of the dish.

You can substitute a few other vegetables here, including cauliflower, sugar snap peas, green peas, or green beans. Zucchini would be great, too. Use what you’ve got.

Coconut milk

Coconut milk feels like the most appropriate source of creaminess in this recipe, as many Thai curries are made with coconut milk or water. It’s also a convenient choice, as adding it is about as easy as opening a can. If you don’t have, or would rather not use coconut milk, you can use my all purpose cashew cream in the red curry coconut soup instead.

Storing & serving red curry dumpling soup

The dumpling soup will last up to four days in the fridge. I recommend storing all of it except for the kimchi in an airtight container. The dumplings are sturdy enough to hold their shape as you store the soup, which is great.

You can store the kimchi and any additional toppings, like cilantro or green onion tops, separately, adding them before you’re ready to serve your soup.

This was actually my first-time enjoying dumplings in a while—maybe even since my trip to Korea last fall. New York City has a lot of wonderful places to order plant-based dumplings, but with the shadow of quarantine this year, I haven’t been getting out much. It’s been a treat to eat dumplings at home, along with a nourishing, spicy bowl of broth and veggies.

You can find the entire recipe for this red curry dumpling soup, along with more information on finding the Nasoya dumplings near you, over at the Nasoya website.

Enjoy it, and I’ll be back here soon.

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 17:46:51 GMT

This vegan crispy broccoli Caesar salad is the most satisfying vegetable dish I’ve made in a while!

Before I get into it, a thank you for the kind words and messages I’ve gotten in the last week or so. I’ve been OK. Just focusing on my mom as she copes with a loss and weathering some challenges in my own life. I’ve missed weekend reading as usual, and I’ll be back to it this weekend.

In the meantime, I’ve been turning to comforting recipes, just as I have through the entire whirlwind of 2020. Salad may not customarily be classified as a comfort food, but I find many salads to be very comforting! This is true of pretty much any panzanella, any pasta salad, my tahini mustard sweet potato salad, my protein-packed bean and quinoa salad, and many other hearty salads that I make regularly. I love greens, and when they’re a vehicle for nutritious grains and legumes, I love them all the more.

My crispy broccoli Caesar inspiration

The inspiration for this vegan Caesar comes from Lekka Burger, which is a local eatery in NYC. Lekka burger features traditional diner food: burgers, milkshakes, crinkle fries, and soft serve. Yet all of the dishes are vegan, and they aren’t just imitations of traditional fare. They feature global flavors—from a masala burger with crispy pappadum and coconut chutney to zatar sumac fries—and unusual twists, like a halvah milkshake.

When I ate at Lekka Burger for the first time, my favorite two dishes were not, surprisingly, my burger or my fries. Those were both excellent, but I was blown away by the Lekka milkshakes and by my broccolini Caesar salad. The latter featured a nori caesar dressing, smoked crouton crumble, and romaine. It was unexpectedly complex, full of texture and rich in salty, umami-flavor.

I won’t even try to recreate Lekka’s heavenly milkshakes here at home. (I’d probably need to perfect my vegan soft serve game first.) But I’ve been thinking about the Caesar salad since I first ate it. Last week, I started to think about how I might be able to make one of my own, inspired by Amanda Cohen‘s creation.

Something old, something new

This crispy vegan Caesar salad features a dressing that is very familiar and two components that are very new. The first is the crispy broccoli that gives the salad its name.

The Lekka burger Caesar uses broccolini (sometimes called baby broccoli, even though it’s technically not), rather than broccoli. I love broccolini for its sweet, mild flavor and the fact that it’s so easy to prepare and cook. That said, regular broccoli is usually cheaper and easier to find, which is why I ultimately chose to test this recipe with it. You can use either broccoli or broccolini in the salad, depending on what you have.

It’s the broccoli florets that crisp up delightfully in the salad, but I recommend chopping and roasting as much of the stems as you can as well. If you’d like to leave the stems out but save them for another recipe, this broccoli stem stir fry is a favorite of mine.

The other new (to me) twist that I made to Caesar salad is to use fresh bread crumbs, rather than croutons, in the recipe. I loved the way these crumbs worked: they disperse more than croutons, so there’s a little bread in every single bite. Making the crumbs involves using your food processor, so if you’d rather have one less thing to clean, you can use croutons instead.

No matter what, you’ll start with three slices of bread and cube them. After that, you can blitz them in the processor to make fresh crumbs and roast those, or you can simply transfer the cubes to the oven. The bread roasts along with the broccoli, which helps to keep the preparation process streamlined.

Crispy broccoli caesar salad fixings

Aside from the broccoli and the bread crumbs, I used traditional fixings for this Caesar. The dressing is my Caesar dressing from Power Plates. I love it so much that I don’t even bother testing out new vegan Caesar dressings anymore. You may have a little leftover once you finish making the salad. This isn’t a problem, I promise! The dressing is terrific on most salads and grain bowls, and it’ll keep for up to five days in the fridge.

I also folded vegan parmesan right into the salad, rather than using it as a garnish. My walnut herb parmesan and hemp parmesan are my go-tos, but there are a lot of store-bought vegan parmesans that I like as well. One is Parma, which tastes similar to my homemade versions. For more cheese-like parmesan, I’m a fan of the Follow Your Heart parmesan and Violife parmesan.

Lekka’s Caesar uses nori in the dressing. I included seaweed as an optional addition to this broccoli Caesar. It can be nori flakes or crumbled nori sheets, kelp granules or dulse flakes. All will help to replace the subtle but distinctive flavor of anchovy that’s usually present in a Caesar salad.

If you don’t have seaweed, though, don’t worry. A combination of nutritional yeast in the Caesar dressing, vegan parmesan, and capers create a lot of umami in this salad, and it’s very flavorful as it is. Anything you’d like to add to the base recipe is simply a way of making it even more vibrant and complex.

Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad

This vegan crispy broccoli Caesar is a fun, flavorful, creative spin on the classic recipe! It features roasted broccoli, fresh bread crumbs, and vegan parmesan for loads of flavor.

Course Appetizer, Salad

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, broccoli, caesar, romaine, salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

blender

Ingredients

For the salad

1 medium head broccoli or 2 bunches broccolini, trimmed and cut into florets and pieces
Olive or avocado oil spray, for roasting the broccoli (or 1-2 tablespoons oil, as needed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, trimmed, and chopped (about 6 cups)
3 slices peasant or sourdough bread (about 100 g), cut into cubes (slightly stale/dry is good!)
2 tablespoons (16 g) drained capers
1/2 cup homemade vegan parmesan (such as my walnut herb parmesan) or store-bought vegan parmesan
Optional: nori, kelp or dulse granules

For the dressing

3/4 cup (95 g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
1/2 cup (120 mL) water
1 teaspoon (5 g) Dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup (20 g) nutritional yeast

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place the broccoli on the baking sheet and spray it with oil, or drizzle it with oil and use your hands to coat everything evenly. Season the broccoli with salt and pepper.
Next, prepare your bread. If you'd like to use fresh bread crumbs, add the bread cubes to your food processor and process until they're coarsely ground (these should be bigger, rustic bread crumbs, not too finely ground). It should take about 30-45 seconds. Add these crumbs to another parchment lined baking sheet. If you'd like to skip the food processor and make croutons, simply add the cubed bread to another lined baking sheet.
Transfer the broccoli and the bread to the oven. Toast bread crumbs or croutons for five minutes, stir, and then toast for another 3-5 minutes, or until browning and crispy. Remove the bread from the oven. Roast the broccoli for 25 minutes, or until the stems are tender and the broccoli is browning and crispy.
While the broccoli roasts, prepare the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor till smooth. You should have around 1 1/2 cups dressing, and you'll use 3/4-1 cup for the recipe. Save extra for other salads or for bowls, or freeze it for up to 6 weeks.
Add the romaine to a large mixing bowl, along with the capers, parmesan, crumbs or croutons, and nori or dulse, if using. Add 3/4 cup dressing and toss well to combine. Fold in the broccoli, then add more dressing as needed until everything is coated well. Serve, with an extra sprinkle of vegan parmesan if you like.

I’m pretty careful about using superlatives when I describe recipes, because my tastes are always changing. And Caesar salad happens to be a recipe that I really, really love, which is why I’ve made so many versions: quinoa chickpea Caesar, kale and white bean Caesar, and the tempeh Caesar in Power Plates.

Honestly, though? I think this new one really is my favorite. And while I’ll probably make other Caesars, I have a hard time believing that any will have this one beat for texture. I’m grateful to Lekka Burger for the inspiration; who knew that broccoli was such a good contender for this recipe? If you make it, I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

And I look forward to Sunday, when I’ll sit down and write and reconnect for the first time in a little while.

The post Crispy Broccoli Caesar Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Wed, 30 Sep 2020 21:58:14 GMT

No frills and nothing fancy: just a perfectly moist, classic vegan pumpkin bread!

Pumpkin season kicked off last month. I kept trying to think of cool and creative things to do with my cans of pumpkin purée. But the first thing I really craved was a thick slice of pumpkin bread—no glaze, no add-ins, no frills—to be served with a cup of coffee. It’s a classic for a reason, right?

Components of a classic pumpkin bread

The right amount of sweetness

Unlike banana bread or banana muffins, pumpkin bread doesn’t contain a sweet fruit. And I don’t use applesauce as a liquid ingredient, as I do in a lot of baking recipes. The sugar here provides most of the sweetness, along with some natural sweetness from the pumpkin. For me and my taste buds, this loaf is perfectly sweet.

The right amount of moisture

Speaking of sugar, I use brown sugar in the recipe, which helps to keep the pumpkin bread extra moist. (If you’re out of brown sugar, cane sugar and coconut sugar are fine to substitute.) But the main reason that this loaf has such a lovely, tender texture is of course the pumpkin itself, which keeps the bread moist as it bakes. I used an entire cup of pumpkin purée in the bread, which makes it possible to only use 1/3 cup of oil.

No frills, no fuss

I like loading up my quick breads with fun add-ins as much as the next person. I’ve dumped dark chocolate chips, every type of chopped nut, chopped dates, and raisins into my muffins and quick breads. I’ve done pumpkin bread with chocolate swirl.

Honestly, though? I like an unadorned pumpkin bread best. I’ve seen glazed pumpkin bread and pumpkin bread with walnuts or pumpkin seeds. But when I set out to make this classic vegan pumpkin bread, I wanted it to be as simple. I wanted the pumpkin to shine through, and nothing else.

I guess this is a reflection of what I need and want from food lately: the comforting, familiar, and un-fussy.

Using pumpkin pie spice

I usually stock up on pumpkin pie spice at this time of year (King Arthur’s is my go-to). It’s perfect for so many fall baking recipes, from crisps and crumbles to scones and quick breads. Admittedly, I usually have its component spices in my pantry, but it’s an easy way to season recipes without having to open up lots of different jars.

With that said, you can easily substitute pumpkin pie spice in the recipe as directed. Or, if you’d like to make a big batch of your own and keep it in your pantry through baking season, here’s a good DIY tutorial from Sally.

Storing and serving classic vegan pumpkin bread

Once baked, this bread needs some time to cool: about fifteen minutes in the loaf pan, and another few hours on a cooling rack. As tempting as it is to eat the bread while it’s warm and freshly made, I think the cooling time is important. It helps the bread to hold its shape, so that you can slice it into perfect pieces later on.

If you don’t plan to eat your pumpkin bread right away, you can go ahead and freeze as many slices as you need to for up to six weeks. If you think it’ll disappear quickly (mine sure did), then you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four or five days. I usually freeze half of any quick bread—banana bread, zucchini bread, citrus bread, and so on—as soon as I’ve baked it. The other half becomes my snacking treats for the week ahead.

Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread

Fall's favorite quick bread! Moist and tender, this classic vegan pumpkin bread is just the right amount of sweet.

Course baked good, Dessert, quick bread, Snack

Cuisine American, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pumpkin, quick bread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

2 cups (240 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (substitute 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon allspice or cloves)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, or lemon juice
2/3 cup (158 mL) non-dairy milk of choice
1/3 cup (79 mL) vegetable oil (such as grapeseed, safflower, or refined avocado)
1 1/4 cup (240 g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 cup (250 g) pumpkin purée
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and oil or grease a 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Combine the non-dairy milk and vinegar and allow them to sit for a moment. In another mixing bowl, combine the oil, sugar, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Whisk in the milk + vinegar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients into a batter. Don't over-mix: you want there to be no more streaks of flour visible, but a few little lumps are fine.
Pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan in your oven. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is domed and set. Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack before removing it from the pan. Allow it to cool for at least two hours before slicing and serving.

Making this pumpkin bread, more than any equinox or change in the weather, makes it truly feel like fall. I’m happy to have a recipe that feels like my forever pumpkin bread recipe. Hope that some of you will feel the same way.

And hey: if pumpkin bread isn’t really your thing, there are other options, and I’ll enjoy them with you. Now that I’m stocked up on pumpkin purée, I see pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins, pumpkin oat scones, and pumpkin carrot cake in the not-too-distant future.

Sending you wishes of coziness and comfort today, both of which feel more needed than ever.

The post Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 21:26:17 GMT

This vegan eggplant baked rigatoni is the most perfect pasta dish for early fall. It’s a cross between Pasta alla Norma and baked ziti, and it’s a delicious way to use up your eggplant while satisfying your comfort food cravings.

I’m sort of embarrassed to admit how tired I feel of cooking right now. In the early weeks of quarantine last spring, I was hooping that the stay-at-home time would inspire me to get especially creative in the kitchen.

That hasn’t happened at all. 100% of the dishes I’ve craved in 2020 fall into the category of comfort food. About 50% of them are dessert. The other 50% is a mix of pasta and bread, with only a smattering of other foods thrown into the mix.

It is what it is. I’ve learned that I can’t force myself to get excited about food that I’m genuinely not craving. It never works, and if I force myself to cook dishes only for the sake of variety, I usually end up making a mess of them. Better to go with the flow, until the flow changes!

Comfort food, quickly

Baked pasta dishes are usually something of an undertaking. This one is pretty low key, all things considered. Using a store-bought marinara sauce makes a big difference. I like making marinara at this time of year, but I think that the tastiest batches require time. I’ve also noticed that my best homemade marinara is usually no better than store-bought versions, and honestly, it’s often less good.

So, I’ve been relying on Rao’s lately, and a few other local brands (I like Michael’s of Brooklyn, too). The time saved is usually worth it for me, and that’s definitely true in this recipe. Using store-bought marinara will allow you to focus on making a homemade vegan ricotta—which I think it’s totally worth the effort—and on assembly.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni Ingredients

Vegan ricotta

The vegan “ricotta” in this eggplant baked rigatoni is basically a hybrid of my go-to cashew cheese and the tofu ricotta from Power Plates. The cashews give the ricotta richness, while the tofu helps to keep the texture light. Regular cashew cheese is a little too dense to be a stand-in for ricotta, while tofu isn’t quite creamy enough. Together, they’re perfect.

Marinara

Use your favorite brand in the recipe, or—of course!—use your own. You’ll want just over 3 cups, the same as a 25-ounce jar of sauce.

Eggplant

I used a decent sized globe eggplant in this recipe, just about 1 1/2 pounds. You can use two smaller eggplants, too.

As I mentioned recently when I posted stewed eggplant tomato lentils, I’m a big believer in salting eggplant. I know it’s not everyone’s preference, so if you’d really prefer to skip the step, go for it! If you have the time, I think it’s worthwhile for texture and flavor.

Pasta

Sure, this is eggplant baked rigatoni, but any tube shaped pasta will work nicely in the recipe. This includes rigatoni, ziti, penne, and reginelle. I think it could also work well with larger shells or macaroni.

Prepping and storing eggplant baked rigatoni

The baked rigatoni will be easiest to prepare if you have the tofu and cashew ricotta made ahead of time. I’ve made the dish twice now, and that’s how I chose to prepare it each time.

Once the rigatoni is baked, you can store the leftovers for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge. Like many baked pasta dishes, this one also lends itself well to freezing. You can freeze individual portions (or however much you’d like to freeze) for up to six weeks.

Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni

A perfect dish to make with your late summer eggplant, your favorite pasta shape, and a jar of your favorite marinara sauce. Simple, vegan comfort food at its best.

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword eggplant, pasta

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

For the pasta:

1 large or 2 small globe eggplant
10 ounces ounces (285 grams, or about 3 1/2 cups) ziti, rigatoni, or penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
25 ounces (3 cups) of your favorite store-bought or homemade marinara sauce

For the ricotta:

2 ounces (60 g, or a heaping 1/2 cup) raw cashews, soaked for several hours and drained
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons water
14 ounces (1 average sized block) extra firm tofu, pressed gently to remove excess moisture
2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and lightly oil a 2.5 or 3 quart rectangular casserole dish.
Trim and cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Place it into a colander. Sprinkle it generously with salt, then allow it to sit for 25 minutes. Rinse the eggplant well, then pat it dry firmly.
To make the ricotta, place the cashews, lemon juice, and two tablespoons water in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process the mixture for about a minute, stopping once to scrape the bowl down. When the cashews have been broken down (they don't have to look smooth at all, just ground up), add the tofu, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Continue processing for 2-3 full minutes, a few times to scrape the processor bowl down. Stop when the mixture is smooth and resembles something like ricotta, only thicker. Add an extra tablespoon water if needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Set the ricotta aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions, till it's al dente. Drain.
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the eggplant. Allow it to sizzle for 4-5 minutes, until it's just starting to brown. Reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking the eggplant for 8 (or so) more minutes, until it's meltingly tender. If it's not cooking quickly enough, try covering the skillet for a minute or two.
When the eggplant is cooked, add the pasta and marinara sauce to the skillet. Mix and heat everything through.
Layer a third of the pasta mixture into your casserole dish. Dot this with a third of the ricotta, using a knife to spread the ricotta around a bit. Cover this with another third of the pasta and ricotta. Finish with a layer of pasta and lightly dot the top with the remaining ricotta. Transfer the casserole to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve.

Normally when I make vegan baked pastas or lasagnas, I top them with vegan cheese shreds or a homemade alternative (like a cashew cream sauce). The nice thing about this baked rigatoni is that the tofu cashew ricotta is substantial, and there’s a lot of it in the recipe. It adds so much creaminess that you don’t really have to worry about a melted cheese.

I’m still battling ambivalence about cooking here, hoping that my sense of inspiration comes back to me soon. Until it does, it’s nice to have meals that soothe my spirit and feel homey. This is one of those. Hope it’ll give you the same feeling.

The post Vegan Eggplant Baked Rigatoni appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Corn Pudding

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 22:36:23 GMT

I know I just posted corn chowder, but it’s still corn season here, which means sweet corn is still on the menu. This vegan corn pudding is an easy, multipurpose side dish that straddles the space between savory and sweet.

Pudding vs. casserole vs. soufflé

I recently got Toni Tipton-Martin’s wonderful cookbook, Jubilee. Martin has a recipe for corn pudding that she describes as “a way for families to enjoy corn in a lush custard.” She also notes that corn pudding is also sometimes known as corn soufflé, which “gives you a sense of how refined and light it can be.”

Martin bases her recipe on Carla Hall’s recipe, which involves beaten egg whites and a stir halfway through baking. The recipe that I’m sharing today isn’t nearly as light as the recipe that Martin describes. Truthfully, it may be closer to a corn casserole than a corn soufflé.

I did a little more reading as I looked into making a vegan corn pudding of my own. I found that the distinctions between pudding, casserole, and soufflé were a little difficult to parse. This article describes corn pudding as a type of casserole. It goes on to say that corn pudding is a “cross between cornbread and a soufflé,” and “[i]t can lean sweet or savory, depending on how you like it.”

Keep it simple

My vegan corn pudding is a little more sweet than savory, but it’s definitely a bit of both. It’s closer to cornbread than soufflé. This is a matter of preference—I like the substantial texture—and it’s also what happened as I was recipe testing. I kept trying elaborate ways to replace eggs, from beaten aquafaba to silken tofu.

The more I fiddled in an effort to get something that was genuinely soufflé-like, the mushier and heavier my corn puddings became. When I switched approaches and tried something much more simple—basically, a soft/wet cornbread dough—I ended up with this vegan corn pudding.

It was less luscious and silky than what I had imagined, but it was delightful in its own way. Think cornbread that’s tender enough to scoop up with a spoon and serve alongside some baked tempeh, chipotle lentils, tofu scramble, or vegan chili. It would be an awesome Thanksgiving side dish, not to mention a nice savory/sweet breakfast.

Vegan corn pudding ingredients

Vegan “creamed corn”

A lot of corn pudding or corn casserole recipes call for canned, creamed corn. So far as I know, some brands are actually vegan, but I found that it was easy to make a homemade version for this vegan corn pudding recipe. I did this by heating vegan butter, corn kernels, and non-dairy milk in a pot, then using an immersion blender to blend them up. Not difficult at all, and probably fresher tasting than the canned version.

Flour

I like unbleached, all purpose flour for this recipe. But if you’d like to make it gluten free, you can certainly use a gluten-free, all purpose flour blend. I really like King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. While I often make cornbread with whole grain flour, I really prefer all purpose for this recipe. It helps to keep the texture light and tender, as it’s supposed to be.

Cornmeal

Medium or fine grind cornmeal will work best for this recipe. I tested it with corn flour, too, because I sometimes like to make cornbread with corn flour in place of corn meal. That version was dense, rather than tender, so I’d definitely recommend sticking to cornmeal if possible.

Vegan yogurt (or sour cream)

You can use either a plain/unsweetened vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream to prepare the vegan corn pudding. Both are available more widely than ever, and they’ll both work well. The yogurt or sour cream help to keep the corn pudding moist, and their acidity will also help to activate the baking powder and make the pudding rise.

Storing and serving corn pudding

I think the corn pudding tastes best when it’s fresh out of the oven, warm and sweet smelling. Still, it’s a recipe that you can make a day or two in advance, especially if you plan to contribute it to a holiday table. If you do prepare it in advance, simply cover it and store it in the fridge till you’re ready to reheat. I recommend reheating the pudding in the oven: it’s best warm, and the oven will preserve its texture better than the microwave.

I haven’t yet tried freezing the pudding, because it’s a new-for-me recipe. But I’m guessing it could be frozen for at least four weeks. And when I try it—as I know I will, because I plan to make this again—I’ll let you know!

Vegan Corn Pudding

A simple, versatile, and 100% dairy free version of corn pudding. Perfect for holidays!

Course side

Cuisine American, can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword corn, holidays, pudding

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (28 g) vegan butter
2 cups fresh or frozen and defrosted corn kernels, divided (about 3 ears of corn)
1 1/2 cups (355 mL) unsweetened, non-dairy milk
2/3 cup (80 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (75 g) cornmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
3 tablespoons (36 g) cane sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) plain/unsweetened vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream
fresh, snipped chives, for serving

Instructions

Butter or oil a 9 x 9 square or 2.5 quart rectangular baking dish and preheat your oven to 350F.
Heat the butter in a skillet or frying pan over medium low heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of the corn and 3/4 cup of the non-dairy milk. Heat through, then use an immersion blender to blend the mixture partially. It should have some texture but few visible, whole corn kernels.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
Stir the remaining 1/2 cup non-dairy milk and the vegan yogurt or sour cream. Pour it into the dry ingredients, followed by the warm pureed corn mixture and the remaining 1/2 cup of whole corn kernels. Fold everything together until the batter is evenly incorporated and no streaks of flour are visible (little lumps are fine).
Transfer the batter to the baking dish. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is just set and the edges are just browning. Serve warm.

I know that Thanksgiving and the fall holidays are still pretty far off. Then again, September felt very far away back in June, and June felt very far away when quarantine started in March. I still remember thinking that things would be back to the old normal by the time I celebrated my birthday! This year has been both creeping and amazingly swift.

For now, here’s to September, the change of the seasons, and taking it day by day. Till Sunday.

The post Vegan Corn Pudding appeared first on The Full Helping.

Stewed Eggplant Tomato Lentils

Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:42:23 GMT

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate late summer produce than with these stewed eggplant tomato lentils! They’re my first eggplant recipe of the season and a great one to start with.

Soup vs. stew vs. topping

I couldn’t quite decide on what kind of recipe I was trying to make as I made the stewed eggplant tomato lentils. At first, I had the idea of an eggplant and lentil soup. But then I thought to myself that it would be even better to have something for serving over toast and pasta, along the lines of a caponata.

This recipe is neither and both. It’s stewy enough to be eaten in a bowl, if you like. But it’s also hearty enough to be served over a whole grain, like quinoa or farro, or scooped over a slice of your favorite toast.

Maybe I should have pushed it to be something less amorphous, but then, a lot of my favorite recipes are the same kind of in-betweens. I’m thinking of my red wine braised lentils, braised beans & kale, slow cooker chipotle lentils, and Moroccan chickpea tomato stew. All go-to recipes in my home, all similarly adaptable.

Stewed eggplant tomato lentils ingredients

These stewed eggplant tomato lentils are simple and unfussy. I think this is how it should be with recipes that show off the beauty of late summer produce. You’ll need the following for it:

Tomatoes

I used fresh tomatoes for the recipe, since they’re perfect right now. The recipe calls for four small or three large vine or beefsteak tomatoes. You could also use 5 Roma tomatoes in their place. It’s about a pound total.

If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, you can use either a 14.5 or a 28 ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes instead. Use what you have in your pantry; obviously, the larger can size will yield a stew that’s heavier on the tomatoes. Not a bad thing, if you ask me!

Eggplant

I used one medium/large globe eggplant for the stewed eggplant tomato lentils (more on eggplant varieties here, if you’re curious). It was about one and a half pounds, and just over a pound of eggplant after preparation. You could use Italian, Indian, or Japanese eggplant as well. Just be sure that the total amount of eggplant you use is equivalent to 1 – 1.5 pounds.

Lentils

My go-to lentils these days are pardina lentils. These are sometimes called “Spanish brown” lentils, too. They’re a bit rounder and hold their shape better than regular brown lentils in recipes. If you don’t have them, it’s no problem. Brown, green, black and even red lentils will work nicely in the recipe.

Balsamic vinegar

Balsamic vinegar gives the recipe both a little acidity and some sweetness. I tend to save the pricier, more syrupy balsamic vinegar for drizzling. It always ends up on top of my red wine braised lentils. And I use less expensive balsamic for salad dressings, pasta salad, or as a marinade for burgers or tempeh.

If you’d like a different variation that’s still bright and sweet/sour, I’ve seen recipes that call for eggplant and lentils with pomegranate molasses.

Storing & serving stewed eggplant tomato lentils

Store the lentils in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze them for up to six weeks. Like most stewy dishes, they taste even better after they sit for a day or two.

You can sprinkle another handful of fresh herbs over the lentils after you reheat them, simply to add a little freshness to the dish. Vegan parmesan (or hemp parmesan) and an extra drizzle of balsamic are also very nice on top!

Stewed Eggplant Tomato Lentils

A savory, Mediterranean inspired eggplant, tomato, and lentil dish to celebrate the flavors and fresh produce of summer.

Course main dish, Side Dish

Cuisine gluten free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword eggplant, stew, tomatoes

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1/2 cup (90 g) brown or pardina lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 medium or large globe or Italian eggplant (see notes for substitutions), trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/4 lb/567 g after preparation)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, chopped (about 150 g)
4 cloves garlic, minced (15 g)
4 medium sized vine (or 5 roma) tomatoes, trimmed and chopped (about 1 lb/454 g) or 1 14.5- or 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes*
1 tablespoon (12 g) cane or brown sugar (optional, to bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for salting the eggplant
3/4 cup (177 mL) water
dash crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup each fresh, chopped parsley and basil leaves

Instructions

Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil in a pot. Add the lentils. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Gently drain off any excess water in the pot and set the lentils aside. (NB: you can also skip this step and use 1 cup pre-cooked or canned lentils in the recipe.)
While the lentils are cooking, place the cubed eggplant into a colander. Sprinkle it generously with kosher salt and allow it to sit for 15 minutes. Then, rinse the eggplant and pat it dry firmly with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is soft and clear. Add the garlic. Cook for another minute, or until the garlic is fragrant, stirring constantly.
Add the eggplant, tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Cover the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the eggplant is getting soft and the tomatoes have released their juices. Add 3/4 cup water to the skillet, along with the crushed red pepper flakes and vinegar. When the ingredients reach a simmer, reduce the heat to low. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for another 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture resembles a thick stew.
Add additional salt, vinegar, and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh herbs. Serve.

Notes

If using whole, peeled, canned tomatoes, add them to the recipe at the same time you'd add fresh tomatoes. Then, use a spoon or a potato masher to crush the canned tomatoes directly in your skillet. Continue with the recipe.

To salt or not to salt eggplant?

Whether or not to salt eggplant is one of those hotly debated preparation methods. The idea behind salting is to eliminate bitterness, but some argue that eggplants have been bred not to be bitter anymore.

Personally, I think salted eggplant tastes better. Bitterness (or lack thereof) aside, I think that salting improves the texture, making the eggplant softer once it’s cooked. If you don’t have the time or don’t like to salt eggplant, you can skip the step in this recipe. I’m a fan of salting, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

I made the stewed eggplant tomato lentils right after I got back from my refreshing long weekend away with friends. They were inspired by my time outside of the city and the farm stands that I passed by while I was gone.

The recipe was perfect for a Sunday afternoon when I didn’t have much time or energy to cook, but wanted something rustic, homemade, and summery to eat. I’m still enjoying the leftovers, mostly over toast, but tonight I’ve got big plans to serve it over pasta. I’m sure it’ll be tasty, and I’m excited to hear how you serve the dish, too.

The post Stewed Eggplant Tomato Lentils appeared first on The Full Helping.

Classic Vegan Cheesecake

Wed, 26 Aug 2020 13:42:15 GMT

This classic vegan cheesecake is a long time coming. It’s the first traditional cheesecake that I’ve shared on the blog, and it’s taken me a while to get it right.

Early in quarantine, I hopped on Instagram stories and took a poll. I asked what sort of recipes readers would like to see more of during quarantine. Some of the answers were predictable: recipes featuring pantry staples, legume recipes, soups and stews, etc. There was enthusiasm for recipes featuring shelf-stable ingredients, which made sense at the time.

One answer surprised me: cheesecake. I knew that everyone (including me) seemed to be craving comforting baked goods. But I didn’t expect vegan cheesecake to rise to the very top of the list. It was the number one dessert that readers requested, by far. And I didn’t have a recipe to offer them—yet.

Classic vegan cheesecake base: to cashew or not to cashew?

Cashews or no cashews? This was my first question about making a dairy-free, classic cheescake recipe.

My love of cashews in any kind of creamy-textured recipe is nosecret. I use cashew cream in pretty much everything, from soups and stews to whipped cream to pasta dishes. Not to mention my love of cashew cheese, cashew queso sauce, and even homemade cashew yogurt.

But there are nut allergies to think of. Not to mention the fact that cashews require a high speed blender or a food processor for breaking down, and not every home cook has one of those appliances. It’s tough for me to not use cashews in recipes, because they’re my favorite source of creaminess for non-dairy eaters, but I also try to give other options.

I tried so many different bases for this classic vegan cheesecake. All of them involved vegan cream cheese for the characteristic flavor, along with something else. That something else ended up being coconut milk, coconut cream, silken tofu, non-dairy milk + cornstarch, and vegan yogurt.

Not a single one of these recipe trials was unpleasant to eat! But in the end, the one with cashews really did turn out best. By best, I mean a perfect texture: set at the edges, soft but still sliceable in the center. Yogurt and plant milk varieties were always a little too jiggly on the inside. Silken tofu varieties had that slight flavor of, well, silken tofu. Not a bad thing, but not quite the cheesecake I remember from my pre-vegan days, either.

Cashew substitutes in classic vegan cheesecake

Fortunately, my recipe attempts encouraged me to test a bunch of options for the cheesecake base. In place of the cashews in this recipe, you can use one of the following:

1 can full fat coconut milk

This cheesecake will be more wobbly in the center than mine, but the flavor will be wonderful. Increase the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons if you make this substitution.

1 14-ounce container silken tofu

You may be able to taste the silken tofu in this version if you’re accustomed to knowing what silken tofu tastes like. But those who don’t use it in cooking regularly probably won’t be able to detect a big difference. It’s a nice option for making this cheesecake a little lower in fat and richer in protein. Increase the cornstarch to 1 1/2 tablespoons if you make this version.

1 3/4 cups non-dairy yogurt of choice

A great option if you’d like to customize this for special dietary needs or food allergies. If you try this version, increase the cornstarch to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Aim for an unsweetened or plain yogurt, so that the ratio of sweetness remains the same with the substitution.

Tips and tricks for a perfect cheesecake

I’ve now made this classic vegan cheesecake recipe enough times to know the steps that make it turn out best.

Soak your cashews beforehand

This is especially important if you’re using a food processor, which is what I used. I recommend at least 4 hours of soaking, but overnight in the fridge is fine. If you’re in a pinch with time, you soak the cashews in boiling water instead. This way, they’ll only need 1-2 hours of soaking. Drain them completely before moving on.

Blend your cashews before adding cream cheese

The recipe calls for blending up your cashews a bit before adding the cream cheese to your food processor (or high speed blender). You’re aiming for about the same texture as my cashew cheese, but a little less smooth. This will ensure that the cashews continue to blend easily once you add your cream cheese.

Blend to a silky smooth texture before baking

Once you add your sugar and cream cheese, allow your food processor to run a whole 2-3 minutes. You want the cheesecake batter to be silky smooth before it enters the oven.

Allow the cake to cool slowly

I learned a lot about the art of baking and cooling cheesecake as I constructed my own classic vegan cheesecake. Namely, I learned that one is aiming for a subtle wiggle, but not a sloshy jiggle, when a traditional cheesecake is done. I also learned that vegan cheesecake works a little differently.

The trick to getting this cheesecake right is to allow it to cool for about an hour (preferably in a cool part of your home) after it emerges from the oven. Then, you want to cool it overnight in the fridge. Don’t skip this step! The overnight chill is completely essential for getting a set texture. Once in the fridge, the cheesecake can sit for 2-3 whole days before slicing and serving, so it’s a good dessert to make ahead.

Cheesecake toppings & flourishes

This cheesecake is what it claims to be: a classic vegan cheesecake. You don’t have to give it a bunch of interesting toppings or add any sauces or flourishes if you don’t wish to.

I liked adding a simple vegan blueberry lemon sauce to my cheesecake, because a) blueberries are still in season near me, and b) I love the pop of color and the tart flavor. I’m including that sauce, which could be made with berries or plums or peaches or apples, too, in the recipe.

Other fun classic vegan cheesecake toppings could be melted dark chocolate, chocolate shavings, vegan caramel sauce, or fresh berries. But really, this rich enough that it doesn’t need too much adornment. You do you.

Classic Vegan Cheesecake

The rich, smooth, creamy vegan cheesecake of your dreams! Featuring non-dairy cream cheese and cashews as a base. A great make ahead dessert option.

Course Dessert

Cuisine can be soy free, tree nut free option

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cashews, cheesecake, dairy free

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Chilling time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 50 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

food processor
High-speed blender

Ingredients

For the crust

8 sheets (125 g) vegan graham crackers
1/4 cup (48 g) cane sugar
5 tablespoons (70) vegan butter, melted

For the cake

1 cup (120 g) raw cashews, soaked beforehand and drained (see notes above)
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
24 ounces (672) vegan cream cheese of choice (3 8-ounce containers)
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (216 g) cane sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch

Optional blueberry lemon sauce

1 pint blueberries (about 1 1/2-2 cups)
2 tablespoons cane sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350. Grease with vegan butter or lightly oil an 8 or 9 inch round cake or cheesecake pan with a removable bottom. Line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment.
To prepare the graham cracker crust: place the graham crackers and sugar into a food processor fitted with the S blade. Process for about 20 seconds, or until the crackers are turning into crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and continue processing for about a minute. The crust is ready when a small amount will stick together when you squeeze it in the palm of your hand.
Remove the blade from the processor and pour the crumbs into your prepared pan. Use the back of a measuring cup or a regular cup to smooth it out over the bottom and to the sides. You can use some pressure here! Pack the mixture down till it's smooth, solid, and even.
Transfer the baking pan to the oven and bake the graham cracker crust for 8-9 minutes, or until just starting to smell nutty. Remove the pan and set it and the pre-baked crust aside.
Clean and dry your food processor. Place the cashews into the food processor (fitted with the S blade). Alternately, use a high speed blender, such as a Vitamix. Add the three tablespoons of water. Cover the processor and pulse a few times. Run the processor for about 1 minute, until the cashews are broken down. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the processor, then continue processing for another 2-3 minutes. The cashews should become relative smooth and blend without effort. Keep scraping the processor sides down if needed.
Add the lemon juice, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch to the processor. Process for 3-4 minutes, or until you have a completely smooth mixture. You can stop and scrape down the side of the processor as needed. You'll have a smooth, thick mixture: pourable, but not runny, and it'll coat a spoon or spatula.
Transfer the cheesecake batter to your prepared, round baking pan. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the cheesecake from the oven carefully. At this point, the center will still be very, very jiggly! It'll firm up during cooling. Allow the cheesecake to cool in a cool place for about 1 hour. Then, gently cover the top of the pan and transfer the cheesecake to your fridge. Chill the cheesecake overnight.
To make the blueberry sauce, place all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. When the mixture becomes bubbly, reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Allow the sauce to cool before enjoying.
To serve, slice the cheesecake and top it as desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Leftover cheesecake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 6 weeks.

Which vegan cream cheese should I use?

This classic vegan cheesecake recipe calls for three whole containers of cream cheese, which is a lot! The good news is that it doesn’t really matter which brand you pick. I tested Kite Hill Foods, Miyoko’s, Violife, and Tofutti. They all worked equally well.

Since three containers of cream cheese is a lot, I’d recommend Tofutti, simply because it’s usually the least expensive vegan cream cheese. But you can pick whichever brand you like, or choose the one that fits your health needs.

Ditto, by the way, with graham crackers! Here’s a list of some store-bought vegan options.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about moving slowly. It’s a tendency that seems to be creeping up on me more and more, and I’m learning to appreciate it for what it is.

When so many readers asked enthusiastically for a classic vegan cheesecake recipe all the way back in March, I was sure I’d be able to come up with one within a few weeks. Clearly, that didn’t happen. And the cheesecake I did construct isn’t a quick and easy recipe: it takes a lot of time, if you take into account the cooling/chilling.

But some things are worth waiting for. This cheesecake was worth the wait. It was worth tinkering and testing until I’d found a recipe that I loved: creamy, luscious, sweet and subtly tart. And, once prepared, the cheesecake is worth a wait before eating. Trust me.

Till soon,

The post Classic Vegan Cheesecake appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Potato Corn Chowder

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 18:14:52 GMT

Corn season has officially arrived! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with this hearty vegan potato corn chowder.

This chowder has it all. Its got sweetness from corn, stick-to-your-ribs satisfaction from russet potatoes, and smoky flavor, as well as plant protein, from vegan meat. It’s also a simple, one-pot recipe that’s substantial enough to serve as a meal.

Soup vs chowder

When I was throwing this soup together, I kept thinking of it as a chowder and calling it by that name internally. But what’s a chowder, exactly? How is it different from soup?

I did a little googling and learned about the difference between bisque and chowder (pureed vs. chunky texture) along with the difference between chowder and soup. Chowder contains cream, and traditionally it contains potatoes and onions as well. It’s usually associated with seafood, but some versions contain meat instead.

Vegan Potato Corn Chowder Ingredients

Vegan meat (or something similar)

This vegan potato corn chowder includes vegan meat. That can be either vegan sausage or vegan bacon, depending on what you have and like. I’ve now tested it with both. Veggie sausage and bacon will both lend a smoky flavor to the recipe, along with some protein. Including one of the two makes this a power plate, and it also helps to make the dish more filling.

If you can’t find, or don’t like, vegan meats, you can use something homemade instead. Try my lemon pepper tempeh cubes, my smoky tempeh strips, the tempeh sausage crumbles from Power Plates, or pre-baked and marinated tofu. You could also substitute a vegan beef-style crumble, such as the Beyond Beef Crumbles.

Potatoes

I used russet potatoes in the recipe, but yukon gold or creamer potatoes will work well, too. While I often think that sweet potatoes can be used in place of white in many recipes, I wouldn’t recommend them for this one. The combination of sweetness from corn plus sweet potatoes could end up overpowering other flavors in the dish!

(Non dairy) cream

You can choose your own adventure from the creamy element in this recipe. I used an unsweetened vegan creamer. There are many to choose from nowadays: soy, oat, almond, macadamia, and more.

If you don’t have, or can’t find, a plant-based creamer, you can substitute either full fat, canned coconut milk, or some of my all purpose cashew cream.

Garnishes

You can add heat, herbs, or something cheesy to the recipe with the garnishes that you use. I added fresh chopped cilantro leaves and chilis, which gave the recipe a kick of heat, as well as a fresh component. Vegan cheese shreds (cheddar or pepper jack style) would be delicious, too.

Prepping, storing, and freezing vegan potato corn chowder

This chowder is simple to make in advance. In fact, like most soups and stews, it tastes more flavorful a day or two after it’s made. I enjoyed the leftovers for easy lunches a few days in a row. It’s also a great leftover dinner on a busy day. I served mine with a little salad and a square of my whole grain vegan cornbread; there are almost always a few slices of that in my freezer.

Speaking of freezing, the leftovers of the chowder can be frozen for up to six weeks. And if you prefer not to have too many leftovers in the first place, you can absolutely cut the recipe in half.

Vegan Potato Corn Chowder

A creamy, smoky, satisfying vegan summer chowder made with sweet corn and potatoes. The addition of vegan sausage or bacon makes the chowder even more satisfying!

Course main, Soup

Cuisine American, can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword chowder, corn, potato, raw, vegan, cashews, whipped cream, summer, soup, vegan meats

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 poblano or jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 slices vegan bacon, diced, or 2-4 vegan sausage links, sliced crosswise
Kernels from 3 large or 4 small ears of corn (about 3/4 lb/340 g of kernels)
4 medium/large or 5 small russet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 1/4 lbs/570 g after preparation)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened vegan creamer, full fat, canned coconut milk, or homemade cashew cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro leaves and stems, chopped or pickled chilis, and/or vegan cheese shreds, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and peppers. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the vegetables are soft and onions are clear. Stir in the smoked paprika and vegan bacon. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently.
Add the corn, potatoes, broth, and salt to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in the creamer or cashew cream. If the chowder is too thick for your liking, you can add an extra splash of water or broth as well. Season to taste with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve, with any toppings or garnishes you like.

It’s still warm where I live, but it feels like August, which is to say that there is the faintest hint of fall in the air. With that, I’m starting to crave hearty soups, stews, and other comfort foods. Not that my taste for them is really diminished in summer, but my patience for cooking them is sometimes significantly lower.

The reality of September being around the corner feels complex this year. In a normal year, I’d be excited, since fall is my favorite season. This year it feels more bittersweet. Summer passed by so quickly in spite of my days being pretty repetitive. The ability to be outdoors feels especially precious with Covid in the picture. A part of me fears what the cooler weather will mean for the still delicate reopening of my city.

But fall is fall. And it’s a season that I love with all my heart, from start to finish. I doubt that’ll change, no matter the circumstances. For now, here’s to the sweetness and continued long days of August.

The post Vegan Potato Corn Chowder appeared first on The Full Helping.

Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 16:47:57 GMT

How is it that in all of this time blogging and baking things, I’ve never posted a classic vegan zucchini bread recipe? I’m correcting that today, having happily enjoyed this moist, tender loaf in the past week.

This is a really great thing to do with all the zucchini that might be stacking up at your local farmer’s market. Or, if you have a garden and it’s teeming with zucchini right now, this is one place that your vegetables can go.

Why this is my favorite vegan zucchini bread

Here’s what I love about this quickbread: simplicity. It’s pretty much a one bowl recipe. No complicated steps, as with this pumpkin chocolate marble loaf. No mix-ins aside from the zucchini, though you’re welcome to add chocolate chips or nuts if they’re calling to you. Unlike a lot of quickbreads that I make, it isn’t heavily loaded with autumnal baking spices. It’s only mildly spiced with cinnamon.

The loaf is plenty moist and tender, thanks to the zucchini. And that’s what stands out about it: no bells or whistles, nothing more or less. It’s delicious the way it is. Like many of my favorite baked goods—banana bread, cranberry walnut muffins, and more—it’s nice as an afternoon treat and also very nice at breakfast.

Classic vegan zucchini bread tips

Zucchini prep

There are lots of approaches to handling the zucchini in zucchini bread. Some recipes call for leaving the grated zucchini as moist as it is upon grating. Others call for squeezing the zucchini before adding it to batter, so as not to make an overly wet loaf.

For this classic vegan zucchini bread, I took a middle-of-the-road approach, pressing my grated zucchini gently with a tea towel to remove a little extra moisture, but not squeezing it dry. It’s the perfect amount of moisture, at least for me!

Proportions

Most zucchini recipes that I’ve looked at have a range of one to two cups of grated zucchini. I found that two was too much (my loaf turned out “salady,” to quote this column). On the other hand, the zucchini seemed to get lost when I used only a cup.

In the end, I went for a cup and a half, or about 145 grams. It’s a lightly packed, level cup. If you like a more cake-like texture in your quickbreads, you can grate your zucchini on a microplane grater, as I do in my favorite carrot cake recipe. If you do use finely grated zucchini, one and one quarter cups is perfect (and should also be about 145 grams).

Keep it simple (and skip the egg replacer)

You’ll see that this recipe doesn’t call for egg replacer of any kind. I often find that quickbreads don’t really need an egg replacer to rise and have good structure. Adding flax egg to a loaf or muffin unnecessarily can make for a gummy texture, at least in my experience. And I love using aquafaba, but I usually save it for layer cakes and cookies, which have more delicate texture.

There’s no flax egg, yogurt, mashed banana, or applesauce in this classic vegan zucchini bread. Just vegetable oil and vegan buttermilk (non-dairy milk + lemon) in the wet ingredients. The combination of leavening agent and buttermilk is really enough to help this bread rise and keep its shape.

Don’t rush the baking time

Speaking of, I tend to find that my quick breads can be a little flat—or even sunken on top—unless I bake them about 5 minutes longer than I think I need to. The same goes for this recipe. I had the nicest rise when I left the bread in the oven for at least a full fifty minutes. Fifty-five minutes didn’t hurt. A longer baking time means a beautiful, deep golden exterior and a light, set interior.

Ingredient swaps and subs

I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, though I’m pretty sure that white whole wheat or light spelt flour would work as well. If there’s a gluten free flour mix that you love and use often, you can swap it directly for the all-purpose flour.

In place of oil, you can try using applesauce or non-dairy yogurt. I haven’t tried either in this loaf yet, but I’ve had good results with both substitutes in other quickbreads. Sometimes, I stir a little tahini into either applesauce or yogurt for extra moisture.

As I mentioned, I kept the spices pretty minimal here, so that the simplicity of the vegan zucchini bread could shine through. But you’re welcome to add a spice that you love to the batter. A pinch of cardamom, some nutmeg, and a bit of ground ginger would all be very nice.

Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread

The best vegan zucchini bread recipe: simple, tender, moist, and light. Put all of your summer zucchini to good use in this delightful afternoon treat!

Course baked good, baked goods, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free, no oil option, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword bread, quickbread, summer, zucchini

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings slices

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (210 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup (177 mL) non-dairy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup (96 g) cane sugar
1/2 cup (108 g) lightly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil (such as safflower, grapeseed, canola, or melted coconut)
1 1/2 cups (145 g) grated zucchini, pressed gently with paper towels or cloth to remove some moisture

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and lightly grease or oil an 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inch nonstick loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and lemon juice. Allow it to sit for a moment. Then, stir in the sugars and oil. Whisk the wet ingredients together.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or spoon to fold them together. When the batter is fully mixed (some small clumps are OK, but you shouldn't have any more streaks of flour visible), fold in the zucchini.
Pour the batter into your baking pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and the top is domed and set. Start checking the loaf at 45 minutes, just to be certain that it's not burning or cooking too quickly.
Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack for 15-20 minutes before turning it out of the loaf pan. Then, gently invert it to remove the loaf from the pan. Allow the bread to cool completely—another 2-3 hours—before slicing and serving. Store leftover slices in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

It’s funny: zucchini always registers in my mind as a late summer vegetable. And so zucchini treats are usually something that I make in August and September, even into October. It’s hitting me for the first time that August is really and truly in full swing.

I guess that quick passage of time is the least remarkable thing to say about this strange period we’re all living through. But still, where did the unusual summer of 2020 go? I’ve so appreciated having warm weather as part of reopening in NYC: it makes sitting and walking and meeting outdoors a lot easier.

I’m intent on enjoying this last official month of summer as much as I possibly can, regardless of the circumstances and all that’s happening in the world. Zucchini bread is one extra way to make it sweet.

Till Sunday,

The post Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread appeared first on The Full Helping.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Burgers

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 17:05:23 GMT

As a New Yorker who doesn’t have outdoor space of her own, I don’t have a regular grill. But I do have a grill pan, and these summer months are when I use it the most. These balsamic grilled vegetable burgers are my new favorite way to put it—and all of my summer produce—to good use.

As you can see, these vegetable burgers are really just that: burgers made with veggies. I love homemade bean and grain patties, like my quinoa artichoke burgers and black bean sweet potato burgers. They’re a lot of work, though. These burgers entail marinating and then grilling (or roasting) vegetables, so they’re pretty hands off. I found that trimming and slicing the veggies was actually the most time-consuming step!

Burger-friendly summer vegetables

I chose to make the balsamic grilled vegetable burgers with some of my favorite summer veggies, eggplant, and red bell peppers. I added portobello mushroom caps to add a dense, hearty texture to the burgers, and I threw in red onion slices for sweet savoriness.

You can definitely be creative and seasonal with the veggies you use for this recipe. Zucchini and summer squash would be a great addition. Any color of pepper will work. I think grilled tomatoes are a cool idea. Cauliflower steaks would be fun, too.

The only thing to be mindful of is that some vegetables (zucchini) will grill a lot faster than others (cauliflower steaks). So, keep an eye on all of your vegetables as they sizzle away in the grill pan. You can flip and remove them piecemeal, making sure that everything is perfectly cooked. Same if you’re roasting the vegetables instead of grilling them, which is an option in the recipe.

Balsamic grilled vegetable burger tips

Marinate overnight

If you’re in a rush, it won’t hurt to marinate the vegetables here for only a few hours. But if you have the time, I recommend allowing them to marinate overnight. The veggies will absorb more flavor and soften up considerably if you give them lots of time to soak up the marinade.

Choose a good storage vessel

If you stack the vegetables while you marinate them, they may not be able to soak up lots of of the marinade. You can layer them in a wide casserole dish or a roomy storage container. But I think it’s even easier to marinate them in one or a couple of storage bags (these silicone bags are a great alternative to plastic bags, and I use them for marinating often).

Be watchful

Not only do vegetables cook at slightly different speeds, but depending on how evenly/thinly sliced they are, some pieces might cook faster than others. Keep an eye on your grill pan as you go, and work in smaller batches (I needed 3 total) to make sure that everything cooks carefully. If you roast your veggies instead of grilling them, check them in the oven ever 5-10 minutes to ensure that they’re not burning.

Serving balsamic grilled vegetable slices

Of course, the savory sweet grilled vegetables don’t only have to be used in burgers. They’re great in sandwiches and wraps, for roughly chopping and throwing into grain bowls, or even for dumping into a casual pasta dish at dinnertime. I’ve doubled the vegetable portion of the recipe once now, so that I’d have extra vegetables to use up as the week went by. I was never sorry to have them in my fridge.

Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Burgers

These plant-based burgers are simple to make: just marinate and grill some of your favorite summer produce before stacking it on veggie buns. Hearty and juicy!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine can be gluten free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword burgers, eggplant, mushroom, onion, pepper

Prep Time 3 hours

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

grill pan

Ingredients

For the marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
2 tablespoons maple or agave syrup
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or dried oregano
1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional and to taste)

For the burgers:

2 large or 4 small portobello mushroom caps, stems trimmed and gills removed
1 small eggplant or 1 baby eggplant, sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, cut into 2-inch strips
1 large or 2 small red onions, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
4 burger buns, toasted

Instructions

To make the marinade, whisk all marinade ingredients together.
Marinate the vegetables for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. I recommend overnight for extra flavor. You can spread the vegetables in a casserole dish or two and pour the marinade over them, flipping them to ensure that both sides of the veggies get coated. Or—my preference—marinate them in gallon sized silicone or plastic storage bags (this is especially easy if you're throwing them in the fridge overnight).
Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Remove the veggies from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Grill them for 6-10 minutes, flipping now and then so that both sides grill evenly. You can baste the vegetables with the reserved marinade every so often as you flip them. When all of the vegetables are soft and nicely grilled, remove them from heat. You may need to remove ones that cook more quickly (eggplant) before others (peppers).
Alternatively, you can roast the vegetables on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet at 425F for about 25-35 minutes, flipping and basting them halfway through, or until they're tender and browning.
To serve, pile the vegetables on burger buns in hearty stacks. Feel free to add any condiments, herbs, greens, or garnishes you like!

Notes

Store the grilled vegetables in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The marinade I used for the balsamic grilled vegetable burgers would be pretty great with either tofu or tempeh. I’m pretty sure that balsamic grilled tofu is in my near future—maybe as an addition to these burgers, as well as an everyday staple.

It was a difficult week here. Nothing serious or dire, just an intersection of my mood and the customary ups and downs of life. I responded in what I’m increasingly realizing is the sensible way: with as much tenderness and patience as I can muster. It’s not easy, this gentleness, but it’s important. Till Sunday, sending you some gentleness, too.

The post Balsamic Grilled Vegetable Burgers appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cereal Bites

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:08:58 GMT

Baking has been a wonderful companion through quarantine. However, it’s now the height of summer. The last thing I’d like to do on a 90-degree day is turn on my oven, which makes my apartment hot even if the AC is running. It’s the perfect time for no-bake treats, and these vegan peanut butter cereal bites are my new favorite!

Technically speaking, this is a three-ingredient recipe. That’s not something I’m often able to pull off, but in this case, it works. You can jazz the recipe up with a pinch of sea salt, a little vanilla extract, or a drizzle of melted dark chocolate, but each one of those things is an option. To make the no bake cereal snack bites, you only really need peanut butter, agave syrup (or maple syrup), and cereal O’s.

My Favorite Sprouted O Cereal

The O’s in this case are the Sprouted Oat O’s from my favorite cereal maker, One Degree Organic Foods. I could go on and on about this brand and how much I love their products. The sprouted grain breads are the most tender sprouted breads I’ve ever tried. The rolled oats are fresh, filling, and not only organic, but also free of glyphosate. (They’re responsible for my favorite, wholesome snack cookies.) The whole grain flours add nutty flavor, fiber, and a wonderful sweet aroma to bread. The brand sources from trusted farming partners and allows consumers to trace all of the ingredients in their foods.

The Sprouted O cereals from One Degree are a wonderful summer breakfast. I add a sprinkle of the One Degree shelled hemp hearts and some fresh fruit to mine, along with non-dairy milk. It’s a filling (but not hot or heavy) start to the day. The O’s have both fiber and plant protein for satiety, and I love that they contain chickpeas as well as oats. It never hurts to have a legume with breakfast!

Vegan Peanut Butter Cereal Bite Varieties

One Degree’s Sprouted O’s come in two flavors: sprouted oat and sprouted cacao. You can use both flavors for these vegan peanut butter cereal bites. Or, you can use a combination, as I did above. When I tested the snack bites, I tried three different versions:

Plain

Just One Degree Organic Sprouted O’s, peanut butter, and agave syrup.

Oat & Cacao

A 50/50 mix of Sprouted Oat and Sprouted Cacao O’s, plus peanut butter, agave, and a pinch of sea salt.

Chocolate Covered

Sprouted O’s, peanut butter, and agave, plus some messy drizzling of melted dark chocolate chips. Yum.

Tips for a Perfect Snack Bite

A few things I learned in testing the snack bites:

Don’t overheat your peanut butter and syrup mixture

When I did this, I ended up with peanut butter that actually started to get grainy. Exactly a minute and 15 seconds is the perfect amount of time to warm the ingredients up in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, warm them in a double boiler until they’re easy to whisk and runny.

Stir in your O’s quickly

I found that it was good to incorporate the O’s into the warm peanut butter and syrup mixture fast, using a spatula. Then, I allowed them to rest for about two minutes. That little pause will make it easier to scoop them into little mounds for snacking.

Cooling time

It’s best to allow the snack bites to cool thoroughly before you enjoy them. They won’t end up crispy, like cookies or rice crispy treats. Even after you cool them, they’ll be a little sticky. The bite itself will be pliable, but the O’s will be nice and crispy once you bite into the whole thing. You can store them in the fridge if your home is warm, or at room temperature if it’s cool.

Vegan Peanut Butter Cereal Bite Ingredients

As I mentioned, the ingredient list here is wonderfully short! But there are a few things to know about each of the ingredients you choose.

Peanut Butter

Use a smooth peanut butter for this recipe. In fact, the smoother, the better! If you’d like to add more texture to the bites, you can do that by stirring in chopped nuts or seeds, but be sure to use a smooth nut butter. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use a sunflower seed butter in place of peanut—I tested that and thought it was delicious.

Syrup

I tested the bites with agave syrup, brown rice syrup, and maple syrup. The brown rice and agave syrup bites held together more easily than the maple syrup version. I recommend brown rice syrup or agave syrup if you have either (the former can be a little hard to find in stores), but maple syrup is OK if you don’t.

Mix-ins and toppings

The simplicity of these snack bites is the very thing I love about them, so I didn’t get too fancy with additions. I do think it would be fun to add slivered almonds, mini vegan chocolate chips, or sunflower seeds to the mix! I’d recommend substituting a half cup of any of those ingredients for a half cup of the cereal O’s if you try it. It’s important to keep the ratios of dry ingredients to wet ingredients consistent here.

For my chocolate drizzle, I simply melted 4 ounces of vegan chocolate chips in my microwave. The mixture will be wonderfully rich, not runny. The drizzling is the fun part! Keep your vegan peanut butter cereal bites on the same parchment that they cooled on. Then, use a whisk to drizzle. You might need to wave it around in the air to help spatter the chocolate. Wear an apron and don’t be afraid to make a little mess ????

Once you’ve done your spattering, you can allow the chocolate to cool. At this point, transferring the cereal bites to a fridge will speed up the process. When it cools, it adds the most wonderful chocolate + PB flavor to the bites. It turns them from a simple treat into an extra special—but still pretty simple—one.

Hope you’ll get a kick out of these easy, crispy, sticky, sweet little treats. I haven’t been able to share them with any kiddos, but I’m guessing that they’re very kid friendly. In addition to being an energy-boosting, spirit-lifting snack for the rest of us.

You can find the full recipe for vegan peanut butter cereal bites over at the One Degree Organics website now. Enjoy!

This post is sponsored by One Degree Organic Foods. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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Simple Vegan Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 23:08:34 GMT

Less is more when it comes to summer produce. I think that this is especially true of ripe, sweet tomatoes. Today’s simple vegan burst cherry tomato pasta is proof.

A couple years ago, I discovered Marcella Hazan’s famous tomato sauce via Food52. I was skeptical of how only four ingredients could lead to a flavorful sauce. As soon as I tried it, I understood. The sauce isn’t bold like many traditional marinaras, but it’s a classic in its own way. It has an undeniable richness, thanks to the butter, but it’s minimalist enough to let the tomatoes shine.

The sauce here isn’t “Marcella sauce,” as I always call it. But it’s inspired by the combination of butter and fresh tomatoes. Unlike other tomato sauces that I make, including my beloved vegan pasta alla vecchia bettola, this one takes about 15 minutes to prepare. When you fold it together with freshly cooked pasta, it makes for a perfect summer weeknight meal.

Tips for the simplest summer pasta

Sometimes the simplest recipes can be the hardest to get right. This one has only 4 ingredients, and it took me a few tries to make it what I wanted it to be. None of my test batches were difficult to eat, and I polished off all of the leftovers happily. But this is the version that I enjoyed the most!

Use more tomatoes than you think you need

When I first made this vegan burst cherry tomato pasta, I was sure that two pints of tomatoes would be enough. The finished pasta was good, but it really tasted like spaghetti with burst cherry tomatoes dispersed throughout, instead of a saucy dish.

Three pints of tomatoes, on the other hand, sounded like a lot. But this amount, about two and a quarter pounds, is actually just right. It’s enough to create a true sauce, one that’s full of fresh, juicy pockets of tomato. The sauce is buttery, but also bright and sweet, just like Marcella sauce.

Don’t skip the vegan butter

Because this sauce has so few ingredients, the butter does a lot of heavy lifting. It helps to carry flavor, and it also creates a silky, sweet, rich coating for the pasta. Those three tablespoons go a long way! If you prefer to use olive oil in place of vegan butter, that’s fine. But there’s something magical about the combination of butter and fresh tomatoes, and it’s worth trying.

Use fresh herbs

I substitute dry herbs for fresh in pasta dishes all the time, but this is one recipe that benefits from fresh herbs. They compliment all of the fresh, summery simplicity of the dish, and they add color to the finished plates. If you have an herb garden, lucky you! I use oregano and basil here, but parsley would also be nice.

Vegan burst cherry tomato pasta ingredients

Cherry tomatoes

Yellow, gold, red—any color is fine. A range of sizes is fine here, too, from plumper to smaller, grape (oval) or cherry (round). I used half gold/yellow, half red. The pasta is all the more delicious if your tomatoes are really juicy and sweet, but bursting them deepens their sweetness, so they don’t have to be the finest or most perfect pint in order for the pasta to taste great.

Vegan butter

Any vegan butter brand ought to work well here. I use Earth Balance often in my cooking, but I’m a big fan of Miyoko’s, Milkadamia’s, and a small local brand, the Buttah from Om Sweet Home bakery in New Jersey. If you don’t have vegan butter, you can swap three tablespoons of olive oil in its place.

Pasta

I really love this quick, saucy vegan burst cherry tomato pasta with spaghetti or fettucine. But I’ve now had it with penne, cavatappi, and casarecci. All are delightful in their own way, and the flavors are the same no matter what.

Simple Vegan Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

This vegan burst cherry tomato pasta takes only fifteen minutes to make. A perfect way to show off the fresh, sweet, juicy flavors of summer!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine can be gluten free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pasta, summer, tomatoes

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings servings

Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti (or another pasta of choice)
3 tablespoons vegan butter (substitute olive oil)
3 pints (about 2-2 1/4 lb) cherry or grape tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped oregano leaves
1/2 cup fresh, torn basil leaves

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta. Cook according to package instructions, then drain.
As the pasta cooks, heat the butter in a large, deep skillet or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. When the butter is sizzling, add the tomatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and add the garlic, salt, and oregano. Stir the sauce and continue to cook, uncovered, for 2-3 more min. The tomatoes should be collapsed and the sauce should be juicy.
Stir in the cooked spaghetti. Heat everything through for about a minute. Add additional salt and black pepper to taste. Serve immediately, with fresh, torn basil leaves on top of each serving.

Notes

Leftover pasta will keep for up to three days in an airtight container in the fridge.

I’d be lying if I said that the vegan burst cherry tomato pasta isn’t best right after it leaves your skillet or your pot. This is the kind of pasta dish that’s really meant to be eaten right away. The leftovers will definitely keep for a few nights—I know this, because cook for one—but you can easily cut the recipe in half if you’re only cooking for yourself or one other person.

I wait for tomatoes all year long. They’re my favorite part of summer as far as food goes, and they’ve always been one of my favorite things to eat. I make an effort to eat seasonally, but I’m not very strict about it. Except when it comes to tomatoes, which I love so much at their peak that it feels worthwhile to wait for that moment to come.

There’s so much about this particular summer that feels strange. Cooking with burst tomatoes this week did not. It felt familiar, a culinary ritual that I look forward to and cherish each July and August. What a nice, small piece of normalcy. I’ll savor it for as long as it lasts; I think this beloved quinoa dish is next!

The post Simple Vegan Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Cherry Cobbler

Wed, 22 Jul 2020 18:55:58 GMT

I’ve been on a major cherry kick this summer. Aside from snacking on dark sweet cherries from the Northwest, I’ve been roasting them by the pound. I serve them over ice cream and overnight oats, sometimes on toast and a few weeks ago, I even put a bunch of them into chocolate cherry ice cream. Today, I’m sharing a vegan cherry cobbler that’s given me many days of delightful dessert leftovers.

Sweet cherries are so easy to love. There’s the natural sweetness, of course, a treat on its own or as part of a recipe. There’s the plump, juicy texture and beautiful deep red color, but sweet cherries are also a powerful source of nutrition. They’re packed with anthocyanins, a plant pigment that may have anti-inflammatory effects. Anthocyanins are also classified as antioxidants, and like other antioxidants, they may help guard against chronic disease with aging.

It’s nice when a dessert this delicious is also a vehicle for nutrient-dense ingredients. I cherish sweet cherries year round (the frozen ones are a staple in winter), but I savor them more than ever at this time of year.

Building a vegan cherry cobbler

There are lots of different approaches to making cobbler. One is to create a topping with biscuit dough that’s been shaped into rounds (that’s what I do for this peach cornmeal cobbler). You can also forgo the rounds and simply drop biscuit dough on top of fruit for a freeform, rustic effect. Cobbler can also be made with batter rather than biscuit dough. It’s apparently possible for it even to be topped with a layer of dumplings!

I use a soft biscuit dough for this vegan cherry cobbler. It’s not quite as crumbly as the dough I’d use for biscuits, but it’s not soft enough to be like cake, either. This was my first time spreading the biscuit dough over the fruit in dollops, and I loved the effect. It leads to a top layer that covers nearly all of the fruit, with juicy little pockets of sweet cherries bubbling up to the surface as the cobbler cooks.

The dough here is similar to the dough I recently used for my strawberry scones. You cut the butter into a flour, sugar, baking powder and salt mixture. Then you add enough milk to make for a crumbly, yet moist, dough. It’s more wet than what you’d use for scones, but the dough should still be dry enough that it doesn’t all stick together.

Cobbler components

Sweet cherries

The most important ingredient of all! I used fresh dark sweet Northwest Cherries for my cobbler. I stemmed, pitted and halved them before adding to the dish. The halved cherries will stay somewhat intact as the cobbler cooks so that they’re juicy and visible in the finished dessert. You can quarter your cherries if you prefer.

Since it’s summer, I used fresh cherries to make this cobbler. You can use frozen sweet cherries in the wintertime: simply allow them to thaw long enough to cut them in half before proceeding with the recipe.

Vegan butter

Vegan butter is what lends a tender, crumbly texture to the cobbler topping. You can use your favorite brand (I like Miyoko’s Kitchen a lot!).

Cane sugar

I think cane sugar works best for sweetening the cobbler filling and topping. If you prefer to use coconut sugar, that will work, too. Because sweet cherries have so much natural sweetness and are low on the glycemic index, you don’t have to add a ton of sugar in order to make this dessert.

All purpose flour

I use unbleached all-purpose flour to make the vegan cherry cobbler. It’s my go-to for most baking. If you’d prefer to use whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour, either option will work well in the recipe. You can also use a gluten-free flour blend that you’ve used before and trust.

Lemon juice

Don’t skip the lemon juice in the filling! I actually tested the filling without it the first time that I made the cobbler. After I tried a second batch with the addition of lemon, I became sold on its importance. The lemon juice and zest are a perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the cherries. They brighten up the flavor of the whole dish.

Storing and freezing sweet cherry cobbler

One of the nicest things about cobbler is that it freezes well. You can freeze portions of this vegan cherry cobbler for up to six weeks. The rest of the cobbler can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. In my home, at least, even generous amounts of leftovers tend not to last so long!

Vegan Cherry Cobbler

A juicy vegan cherry cobbler made with dark sweet cherries. Features a crumbly, biscuit like crust that's easy to make. Freezes well and great for sharing!

Course baked good, baked goods, Dessert

Cuisine American, can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword baking, cherries, cobbler, dessert, summer

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings servings

Ingredients

For the biscuit topping

1 1/2 cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) cane sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
5 tablespoons (70 g) vegan butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons (90 mL) almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk

For the filling

2 pounds dark Northwest Sweet Cherries, stemmed, pitted and halved (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup (50 g) cane sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 2.5 quart baker.
To make the topping, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry cutter (or butterknives), cut in the vegan butter. The butter should be in pea-sized pieces. Pour the non-dairy milk and vanilla into the center of this mixture. Mix with a spatula or spoon until the dough is moistened throughout and minimal flour remains at the bottom of the mixing bowl. You should have big clumps of dough(not a single mass, but not crumbs, either).
To make the filling, toss the cherries with the cane sugar, flour, lemon juice and zest, and salt.
Turn the cherry filling into your prepared baking dish. Dot the top with all of your topping, distributing it evenly.
Bake the cobbler for 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the top is turning golden brown. Allow the cobbler to cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Perfect cobbler pairings

This cobbler is delightful with raw cashew whipped cream (or plain cashew cream), some vanilla ice cream, or even a drizzle of melted dark chocolate.

It’s not summer for me without a few juicy, messy, rustic fruit desserts. I’m really excited about this one, and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I have. Here’s to the summer season, however different it seems this year. May it stay sweet and abundant!

This post is sponsored by the Northwest Cherry Growers. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!

The post Vegan Cherry Cobbler appeared first on The Full Helping.

Tangy Chili Lime Tempeh Tacos

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 18:49:22 GMT

It’s been a while since I made a tempeh recipe! These tangy vegan chili lime tempeh tacos are a great way to showcase one of my favorite plant proteins. They’re also fast and don’t require a lot of cooking—a priority in these hot and humid NYC summer days.

One of the things I often read about tofu is that it absorbs the flavor of any marinade you give it. This isn’t true of tempeh, which has an earthy flavor all of its own. Some people like it, some people don’t. I happen to be someone who loves the way that tempeh tastes. Even so, I usually make it with bold marinades (my lemon pepper tempeh and balsamic mustard baked tempeh are good examples). This helps to offset any earthiness or bitterness from the tempeh itself, and it also adds flavor to a finished recipe.

Chili lime tempeh tips

One of the ways to make tempeh more user friendly is to steam it before marinading or cooking it. I do this sometimes, and I do think it makes a difference. But it’s another step, and I don’t always want or remember to do it ahead of time.

When I made this chili lime tempeh, I soaked the tempeh in a warm marinade. I brought vegetable broth, lime juice, and tamari to a boil before pouring it over crumbled tempeh pieces. It was sort of like marinating and steaming at the same time. I was impressed by how nicely the tempeh absorbed the marinade; it’s one of the more flavorful batches of tempeh that I’ve made, with no hint of bitterness. Only lots and lots of tanginess from the lime juice.

You could cut your tempeh into small cubes for the vegan chili tempeh tacos instead of crumbling it. I like the way the crumbles brown quickly when you cook them, and I they’re a little more reminiscent of meat that way. But it’s up to you!

Building a satisfying vegan taco

I always include some sort of protein in my vegan tacos. In these tacos, it’s the chili lime tempeh, of course. Sometimes it’s beans or lentils, sometimes refried beans. If I want something extra satisfying, I’ll add rice or roasted sweet potato cubes.

I also like to add some source of healthful fat to my tacos. It’s the macronutrient balance idea that I’m always talking about, and which I wrote about in Power Plates. That can be as simple as some sliced or cubed avocado or as fancy as some homemade cashew cheese. A lot of times, it’s cashew queso or yum sauce.

For these tempeh tacos, I used a sauce that I hadn’t made in a while, which is the creamy avocado dressing from this white bean panzanella. I had forgotten what a nice summertime dressing it is: lemony but not too tart, just the perfect hint of fresh basil. You could substitute a sauce or dressing that you prefer in these tacos, or you can give it a try and save the leftovers for salad.

To keep things simple, I garnished the tacos with corn and chopped romaine. Nothing fancy. You could roast the corn to bring out its flavor, but I was honestly trying to avoid the oven on the day that I made these. You could also add cooked rice, quinoa, or potatoes to the tacos for extra staying power. If you don’t have romaine, you can add fresh kale, spinach, or even just a sprinkling of chopped herbs in its place.

Chili Lime Tempeh Tacos

These vegan tacos are made with crumbled and marinated tempeh for a satisfying alternative to meat. They're full of tangy flavor from freshly squeezed lime juice and drizzled with a creamy, cool avocado dressing.

Course main, Main Course, main dish, Side Dish

Cuisine can be gluten free, no oil option, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword avocado, corn, tacos, tempeh

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings people

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon tamari, Bragg's liquid aminos, or soy sauce
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
2 teaspoons neutral vegetable oil, such as safflower, grapeseed, or refined avocado (substitute a few tablespoons vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
8 6" corn or wheat tortillas
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen and defrosted, or canned)
2 cups chopped romaine or baby romaine leaves
creamy avocado dressing

Instructions

Bring the broth, lime juice, and tamari or Bragg's Liquid Aminos to a simmer in a small saucepan. Place the crumbled tempeh in a nonreactive bowl or a glasslock storage container and pour the warm mixture over it. Cover the tempeh and allow it to marinate for 1 hour, or up to overnight. (Store the tempeh in the fridge if marinating for more than 1 hour.)
While the tempeh marinates, make the creamy avocado dressing (or another dressing of choice).
Strain the tempeh, reserving the marinade. Heat the oil (or broth) in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh crumbles, tomato paste, and 1/4 cup of the reserved marinade. Cook, stirring frequently, for a minute or two. Sprinkle the oregano, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, if using, over the tempeh and stir again. Cook the tempeh, stirring frequently, for another 4-5 minutes, or until the tempeh is becoming crispy and lightly browned.
To prepare your tacos, you can wrap them in foil and warm them in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. You can also gently toast them over an open burner with a very low flame, using tongs.
Divide the tempeh among the tacos. Top each taco with some fresh corn and chopped romaine. Drizzle each taco with a tablespoon or so of the creamy avocado dressing. Serve.

Storing chili lime tempeh tacos

I think it’s easiest to store all of the components of this dish—tempeh, corn, tacos, dressing, greens—separately. This will keep them crisp and make for better texture in your leftover tacos! You can definitely do some meal prep in advance of eating these. The cooked tempeh will keep for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge. The dressing will also keep for five days, and you can freeze any leftovers for up to a month (or use it in salads).

These definitely aren’t the most complex or involved tacos I’ve made, but they are so very tasty and summery. I love that bright, tangy citrus is the main flavor here. It’s a good compliment to the earthy flavor of the tempeh and just a little dash of heat from cayenne. I’ll probably make these again soon and turn them into a breakfast staple, but for now I’ve been enjoying them for low-key, unfussy work-from-home lunches.

Hope you’ll enjoy a taco or two with me. Wishing you a good end to the week, and I’ll be back for weekend reading.

The post Tangy Chili Lime Tempeh Tacos appeared first on The Full Helping.

The Best Vegan Strawberry Scones

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 17:42:26 GMT

I can eat strawberries by the pint during these summer months. I have no objections to enjoying them just as they are, with vegan yogurt, or with some cashew whipped cream. However, I’m also delighted to bake with my them, which is what I was up to last week. These are the best vegan strawberry scones I’ve had. They might also be the best vegan scones I’ve made myself!

I’ve always loved scones, but I didn’t actually discover them until high school. There was a place around the corner from my school that sold raisin, chocolate, chip, and cranberry scones. As soon as I tasted them, they became my favorite after school treat—long before I was a regular enough baker to consider making them on my own, let alone veganizing them.

Ingredients for a perfect vegan scone

Scone consistency is someplace in between biscuits and cake. Scones are supposed to be somewhat crumbly and layered, but they’re usually softer and more tender than a traditional, flaky biscuit. It probably won’t come as a surprise that I prefer my scones to be on the more cake-like side of the spectrum. My perfect scone is soft and tender on the interior, crisp and a little crumbly at the edges. More importantly, it’s sweet-but-not-too-sweet, with plenty of buttery flavor.

To achieve that flavor, I use vegan butter to make my scones. But I’ve tried making them with solid coconut oil, too, and while it isn’t as buttery, it still works. Most scone recipes also call for cream. I’ve used cashew cream and a bunch of different non-dairy milks in its place. This recipe uses full fat coconut milk in place of cream. It’s rich enough to mimic cream easily, but there’s not enough in the recipe to make the scones taste overly coconutty.

Vegan strawberry scone making tips

The main trick of the trade with scones is to keep everything cold, just as you would with pie crust or biscuits. Cold butter and minimal handling of the dough make for a more crumbly scone. The dough for these vegan strawberry scones will be crumbly in some places, which is OK: it should be a little messy as you shape it into a round.

I used to use a food processor for both scones and pie crust. Over time, I’ve come to prefer using a pastry cutter. It gives me a little more control and makes it easy to see how small my pieces of butter have become. The aim is to have pieces of butter distributed throughout the flour that are the size of peas, or a little smaller. It’s easy to do this with a pastry cutter, but you can also use a fork or butter knives.

Two things make it easier to shape these scones: first, turning the dough out onto parchment for shaping. You can definitely shape the dough on a pastry board or floured countertop if you like, but I think doing it on parchment is less messy. Especially with little berry pieces that are likely to tumble out of the dough! I like to shape the dough into a round, then cut it into 8 slices.

My second tip is to use a pie server, if you have one, to transfer the scones to your lined baking sheet. The scones will still be crumbly as you do this, and a pie server is the right shape for keeping them intact.

Decorating options

If you’d like to get a little fancy, you can definitely add some glaze (like the glaze in these sweet cherry bars) to your vegan strawberry scones. But I usually keep my scone decorations minimal. Combining non-dairy milk with agave or maple syrup makes for a good vegan egg wash. Once that’s ready, you can brush it over the tops of the scones and use sparkling sugar for a little sparkle and crunch

Sparkling sugar isn’t too hard to find—I like this one from Bob’s Red Mill—but there are substitutes if you don’t have it. A dusting of cane sugar or demerara sugar will look festive, too.

Storing and freezing scones

If your home space warms up and gets humid as quickly as mine does during the summer, it will be a little difficult to keep your scones crumbly. The good news is that leftover scones are delicious even if they lose a little crispness. If you like, you can warm and crisp them up in the oven at a low temperature (200 or 250F) for ten or fifteen minutes before enjoying.

You can also freeze your scones to preserve their freshness. They’ll keep for up to six weeks in the freezer. Otherwise, store the scones in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to three days. If you suspect you won’t finish a batch within that time, you can freeze half or more once they’re baked.

Vegan Strawberry Scones

Dairy free, vegan scones made with fresh, sliced strawberries. These scones are simple to make and completely delicious!

Course baked good, baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword coconut, scones, strawberry

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (270 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons (75 g) cane sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons (112 g, or 1 stick) cold vegan butter, sliced
1/2 cup full fat, canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup washed, trimmed, and chopped fresh strawberries
1 tablespoon non-dairy milk (oat, almond, soy, and coconut are all fine)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup
sparkling sugar, for decoration

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Use a pastry cutter (or butter knives, or forks) to cut your cold butter slices into the dry flour mixture. You're aiming for pieces of butter that are about the size of peas, or a little smaller, once you've incorporated the butter.
Make a well in the middle of the butter and flour mixture. Pour in the coconut milk and vanilla. Use a spatula to roughly mix everything. The dough should be a bit dry and crumbly in parts but holding together if you gently squeeze it. Gently use your hands to fold in the strawberry pieces.
Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of parchment or a floured work surface. Use your hands to quickly, gently shape the dough into a disk that's about 9 inches in diameter and about 3/4-1 inch high. Cut the disk into 8 slices.
Use a pie server (or spatula) to gently transfer each slice to your prepared baking sheet. Alternately, you can nudge the slices apart on the parchment you've been working on and gently slide it onto a baking sheet.
Whisk together the tablespoon of non-dairy milk and the syrup. Gently brush this mixture (a vegan egg wash!) onto the scones. Sprinkle the tops with sparkling sugar.
Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Bake the scones for 20-25 minutes, or until browning at the edges and still pale on top. Allow the scones to cool on the sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for another 15-20 minutes before enjoying!

Ingredient swaps and substitutions

You can successfully try the scones with either white whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour. If you have a go-to gluten free flour blend, you can use that in place of all purpose flour, too. I don’t recommend all whole wheat flour for these, as the texture might become dense. But you can definitely swap some of the all purpose flour for a small amount of wheat flour, if you like.

In place of the coconut milk, you can use a vegan creamer or my all purpose cashew cream.

Vegan strawberry scones are a taste of summer sweetness at breakfast or as a tea time snack (or an afternoon cold brew snack, if you’re a coffee lover like me). I think they’d be nice for sharing at a brunch or for gifting to friends who need a homemade treat. I had big plans to deliver some of my scones to friends last week, but a few days of rainy weather got in the way. It’s a good excuse to make them again soon.

Hope you’ll enjoy these treats and the juicy berries that make them special. I’ll be back later this week with a new, simple taco recipe.

The post The Best Vegan Strawberry Scones appeared first on The Full Helping.

Creamy Avocado Macaroni Salad

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 21:10:30 GMT

When I first became vegan, I spent a lot of time cooking dishes that were unfamiliar to me. I sampled new ingredients, including tempeh, quinoa, and a slew of other grains and legumes. Now that I’ve been vegan for more than a little while, I find myself gravitating toward comfort foods and nostalgic dishes. This has been especially true lately, with all of the uncertainty and unrest in the world. Macaroni salad was a childhood favorite of mine, and this creamy avocado macaroni salad is a simple tribute to it.

I’ve made vegan macaroni salad a few times before, but I’ve always taken the easy route of using store-bought vegan mayo as a base. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s nice to make a sauce from scratch, and I also love the way that avocado adds fiber, folate, and other nutrients to the dish—along with the creaminess, of course.

The creaminess in this macaroni salad isn’t over-the-top: it’s there, but it’s subtle. I tried a few different versions of the dressing as I was playing around with the recipe. One only included avocado, another avocado and olive oil, another—the one I ended up like the most—avocado blended with unsweetened vegan yogurt. I love the tanginess that the yogurt adds to the sauce, and the consistency of it was my favorite of all three batches.

Avocado macaroni salad ingredients

The ingredients for this salad are pretty flexible: you don’t have to use the same vegetables that I used, and there are lots of ways that you could jazz up the sauce. I wanted to keep the dish very, very simple, and the recipe reflects that. Here’s what it’s made with:

Avocado

I used about half of a large, Hass avocado. If you have a smaller avocado, you can just use a little more than half. I give a cup measurement in the recipe!

Vegan yogurt

Any plain, unsweetened, non-dairy yogurt is fine here: almond, cashew, coconut, or soy. My go-to vegan yogurt lately is the Forager brand cashew-gurt, but I’ve used a lot of other yogurts in meals and cooking. Just be sure that the yogurt is unsweetened, as it’ll make the sauce too sweet otherwise.

White vinegar

I often use lemon juice in dressings and sauces like this, but sometimes the lemon can compete with other flavors. I’ve been using white vinegar a lot in dressings lately, originally because it was always on hand at the start of quarantine, whereas lemons tended to run out. But I’m enjoying the fact that it can add acid to a dressing without being overly assertive.

Elbow pasta

I use elbows in the salad, but another small pasta shape will also be fine! Try the dish with mini shells, tubeti, or even orzo.

Vegetable mix-ins

I almost always come back to a combination of bell pepper, carrots, celery, and red onion when I make macaroni salad. The proportions fit my tastes: lots of bell pepper, very little onion, but enough to impart some flavor. I think chopped scallions, broccoli florets, peas, and grape tomatoes would all be lovely. And I didn’t add herbs to the recipe, but you certainly could.

How to make avocado macaroni salad

Making this recipe is nice and easy: cook and drain the pasta, blend your dressing ingredients together, add veggies of choice, and mix. I used my food processor to make the sauce, but a blender is equally fine (for sauces and dressings, I tend to use both appliances, sometimes without any good rhyme or reason).

Once the macaroni salad is ready, you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three or four days, if it lasts that long!

Creamy Avocado Macaroni Salad

A vegan spin on classic macaroni salad, made with a simple avocado and non-dairy yogurt dressing.

Course main, main dish, quick and easy, Side Dish

Cuisine American, can be gluten free, can be nut free, can be soy free, no oil

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pasta salad, macaroni salad, side dish, cookouts, grilling

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings people

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

food processor or blender

Ingredients

Macaroni salad

8 ounces elbow pasta (or another short pasta shape)
1 1/4 cups finely chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped or grated carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion (substitute chopped scallions)
optional: chopped fresh herbs of choice

Creamy avocado sauce

1/2 large, Hass avocado (about 2/3 cup, or 3 ounces/90 g)
1/3 cup (3 ounces) unsweetened, plain non-dairy yogurt
3 tablespoons white vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar or lemon juice)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or coarse salt)
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup water
pinch of freshly ground, black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook according to package instructions. Drain and rinse the macaroni in cold, running water. Drain again.
While the macaroni cooks, add all sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend till smooth. The sauce should be thick, but pourable. If it's too thick, you can add an extra tablespoon of water to thin it a bit.
Once the pasta has been cooked and drained, add it to a large mixing bowl, along with your vegetables and herbs, if using. Add all of the sauce. Toss the ingredients together well and serve.

Notes

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

This recipe would fit well into any summer grilling or cookout or outdoor gathering menu. But your summer gatherings might look a little different this year, as mine do. If so, it’s a nice warm weather dish to enjoy all on your own, or with someone you’ve been quarantining with.

If you want to serve the creamy avocado macaroni salad as a side, it would be a great accompaniment to BBQ soy curl sandwiches, sweet potato black bean burgers, or sweet potato red pepper quesadillas. And you can always add some tofu or tempeh or vegan bacon to make it a more substantial main dish, maybe with something green on the side.

However you serve it, I hope you’ll enjoy it. And I’m wishing you an easeful transition into the weekend. See you back here on Sunday.

The post Creamy Avocado Macaroni Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

Vegan Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 18:39:42 GMT

It is most definitely and officially ice cream season here in New York. Within only a few weeks, we had the typical spring to summer transition of suddenly moving from intermittently warm and cool days to sticky, humid, sunny ones. I don’t mind it one bit—it makes it easier to put on my mask and get outside—but I’m craving cool treats. This vegan chocolate cherry ice cream is hitting the spot!

I’d say that this ice cream is a nice balance of effort and ease. The base is really simple: coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, salt. I’ve used cornstarch and then heated the base to make it more custardy, and while it refreezes a little better that way, it ultimately doesn’t make a big difference for all of the steps that it adds to the process.

The cherries are roasted, which brings out their flavor brings them to a jammy consistency, without the effort of actually making a jam. I recommend cooling everything really well before you actually churn the ice cream (more on that below), cherries included.

Roasting the cherries and remembering to put your ice cream machine’s freezer bowl in the freezer overnight before churning are really the most complex parts of making the recipe. Everything else comes together simply, and once it does, you have a wonderfully creamy, faintly coconutty, fruity, and chocolatey dream dessert on your hands.

Chocolate cherry ice cream ingredients

You won’t need too many ingredients for this ice cream. The main components:

Coconut milk

I use full-fat, canned coconut milk to make the recipe. You could likely use the same amount of canned coconut cream to get a similar, but creamier result. Don’t use light coconut milk or the type of coconut milk that comes in a carton: neither one will give you the creamy, silky consistency that makes this ice cream so tasty.

I love making ice cream with a cashew base, too. If you prefer cashews to coconut milk, and you have a high-speed blender that can pulverize cashews pretty easily, then you can follow the instructions in this post to create your creamy base, then keep the mix-ins for this recipe the same.

Cherries

I use sweet, dark cherries for this recipe, and I tested it with both fresh and frozen cherries. Both work well! If you use frozen cherries, you may need to roast them for an extra 5-10 minutes, as they release more juices while cooking.

Chocolate

Any vegan chocolate, dark or milk, is fine for the recipe. I prefer dark chocolate here, and I used vegan baking chunks that I’d chopped down a little. If you like, you could pick your favorite dark chocolate bar and simply chop that up before adding it to the recipe. You’ll need 2/3 cup of pretty finely chopped chocolate (about 6 ounces).

How to make chocolate cherry ice cream

Making a base

Making the “custard” for this ice cream is as simple as blending up 2 (14.5 ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk with cane sugar, vanilla, and salt. After blending, you’ll want to refrigerate the mixture for about an hour, so that it’s quite cold when it goes into your ice cream maker. If you don’t have an hour, 30 minutes will cut it. If you have a few hours, that’s even better!

Roasting the cherries

I roasted my cherry halves with a tablespoon of additional cane sugar, and nothing more. You could add a cherry to the cherries if you’d like more cherry flavor, but I think they shine through just enough on their own. I found it easiest to pit and cut the cherries in half before roasting (or just cut them in half if frozen), then give them a rough chop on the roasting sheet before cooling and adding them to the ice cream. You can adjust how finely chopped they are depending on how you like your ice cream add-ins to be.

Churning the ice cream

This recipe is written for an ice cream maker for churning, but there are ways to make ice cream without a machine if you don’t have one. Both this post and this post are helpful, and Hannah Kaminsky also has a good tutorial in her (awesome) vegan ice cream book, Vegan a la Mode.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, but you love ice cream and would like to make more of it, it’s an investment that I can vouch for. There are a lot of inexpensive models, as well as used or refurbished ones. My ice cream maker is something I didn’t think I’d use a lot when I got it, but it now gets plenty of use each summer, and I’m really glad to have it.

You can add the cherries and chocolate to your ice cream in two ways. The first is to add them to the ice cream machine about 1-2 minutes before they finish churning. This will incorporate them evenly and turn your ice cream a lovely, pink purple color. The ice cream will loosen up as soon as you add mix-ins to the machine, but it’ll firm up again after a minute or two of churning.

You can also finish churning the ice cream, transfer it to your loaf pan, and then fold in all of the mix-ins with a spatula. This will create pretty swirls of color as you go. I usually add mix-ins to the machine to distribute them quickly, but both methods work!

Storing your ice cream

After churning, I let the ice cream sit in the freezer for about 30-60 minutes, just to firm up. I store in the freezer, too, in an 8. 5 x 4. 5 x 2. 75 inch loaf pan, covered in aluminum foil. If the ice cream sits in the freezer overnight, be sure to let it soften at room temperature for a little while before serving. I also like to give mine a big stir with my ice cream scoop before scooping. Homemade ice cream is a little more prone to forming crystals than store-bought ice cream, and this helps to keep it creamy.

Vegan Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream

A delightfully summer, dairy-free vegan ice cream that features chopped dark chocolate chunks, roasted fresh cherries, and a creamy coconut base.

Course Dessert

Cuisine gluten free, no oil, soy free, vegan

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword ice cream, cherries, chocolate, coconut

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

Ice cream maker
blender

Ingredients

2 14.5 ounce cans full-fat coconut milk, lightly shaken (about 3 1/3 cups total)
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt)
2 cups (heaping) pitted and halved cherries, fresh or frozen (about 12 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

The night before making your ice cream, put the ice cream freezer bowl in the freezer overnight.
In a blender, blend the coconut milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and salt for a full minute. Transfer this mixture to a storage container and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
Preheat your oven to 400F. Place your halved cherries onto a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with your remaining 1 tablespoon cane sugar. Roast the cherries for 10 minutes. Stir them on the sheet. Roast them for another 10-15 minutes, or until shriveled and tender but still a little juicy. Allow the cherries to cool to room temperature (you can blast them in the fridge or freezer to speed this up). Give the cherries a rough chop on the baking sheet, so that they're in pieces small enough to churn into your ice cream.
Prepare your ice cream maker for churning. Pour in the cooled coconut milk mixture. Follow your ice cream maker's directions (my machine takes about 20-25 minutes). Add your cherries and dark chocolate to the machine about 2 minutes before the ice cream is fully churned. The ice cream will momentarily loosen up, but the machine will churn it back to a good consistency quickly. You can also finish churning the ice cream, turn it out into your loaf pan, and add the mix-ins by hand, using a spatula to fully incorporate them.
Chill the ice cream for 30-60 minutes, or until it's a consistency you like. Serve in scoops or on a cone, and enjoy.

Roasting and simmering fruit has helped me to eat more fruit overall this summer, and I’m glad for that. If ice cream happens to be the vehicle, I’m especially happy ????

If you don’t have cherries, or if you have a lot of strawberries or blueberries or blackberries, I think the recipe would work really nicely with all of those. And, if roasting the fruit is a little too much effort in these hot days, or if using an ice cream maker isn’t for you, or if you’d like something a little more fruity and a little less coconutty, there’s always banana soft serve. Or this refreshing, fruit-based blueberry ginger ice cream treat.

Alright, friends. It’s another hot day here, in spite of an unexpected and dramatic hail storm yesterday! Glad to have leftover ice cream in the freezer, and hope some of you will get to enjoy it soon, too.

The post Vegan Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream appeared first on The Full Helping.

Smoky Glazed Carrot Dogs

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 18:01:23 GMT

I’ve been thinking about Fourth of July recipes that I would share if I weren’t socially distancing, which I still will be late next week, as NYC moves further into phase 2 of reopening. It’ll be a different holiday this year, but just as I observed my birthday with birthday cake and my mother’s birthday with carrot cake, I’ll still make it a long weekend of festive, summery recipes. These sweet and smoky glazed carrot dogs included.

This was my first time making carrot dogs, a recipe I’ve seen a bunch of times and mentally bookmarked to try myself. I love carrots, and while I’m usually a fan of more authentically meat-like foods appearing between hot dogs and burger buns, I smiled at the idea of this veggie-forward version of the classic cookout dish. I was really happy with the way that they turned out, and while I probably won’t forgo the meatier versions anytime soon, I’m happy to add these into my rotation.

How to Make Vegan Carrot Dogs

Making a carrot dog is as simple as putting a cooked carrot into a hot dog bun. The fun is in how you season, cook, and garnish the carrot! I wanted to make carrots that were flavorful, but not so boldly flavored that they couldn’t be enhanced by a vibrant sauce. I got inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s sweet and smoky roasted carrots on Food52, which I’ve had bookmarked for a while now. In that recipe, they’re served as a centerpiece, on a bed of Greek yogurt, but I figured that an adapted version would taste pretty great with an herbaceous sauce. And it does.

The carrots aren’t exactly roasted low and slow, but they do stay in the oven for a while: mine were in there for a full hour. It’s important to glaze the carrots with the marinade once or twice while they roast (I glazed mine with a basting brush at 20 and 40 minutes), so that they continue to absorb flavor and get that sticky, sweet glazed texture and darkening. You’ll have some burnt on your baking sheet as they finish cooking, but parchment makes it easy to clean.

Smoky Glazed Carrot Dog Ingredients

The marinade here is a mix of cider vinegar, vegetable oil, smoked paprika (and plenty of it), Bragg’s liquid aminos, and maple syrup. The sauce could be modified in a lot of ways: white vinegar could work in place of cider, tamari could replace liquid aminos, and agave could stand in for maple syrup. If you have liquid smoke at home, that’ll work in place of the smoked paprika.

I used 8 medium sized carrots, which was about a pound and a quarter. You’ll probably have some marinade leftover as you roast the carrots, but it’s better to have a little leftover than to run out.

How to Serve Carrot Dogs

Once the carrot dogs have finished roasting, enjoying them is as easy as toasting and splitting some hot dog buns! But they can be enhanced and made more colorful and fun to eat with a killer sauce. I used my delightfully green tahini dressing, which is bright and lemony and perfect for summer. My cashew queso, yum sauce, cilantro lime sauce, or even the melty cheese sauce from my pantry grilled cheese would all work well.

If you’re not in the mood to make a sauce, a squiggle of ketchup or mustard would be completely fine, too. So would a sprinkle of fresh, chopped herbs. I added extra parsley to my dogs after I’d finished making the green tahini dressing.

Smoky Glazed Carrot Dogs

These vegan carrot dogs are made with slow roasted carrots that have been glazed with a sweet, smoky, salty marinade! A flavorful and wholesome addition to the table for any summer gathering.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, vegan

Diet Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword carrots, fourth of july, grilling, vegan, holidays

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings people

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (substitute white vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar)
2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, such as safflower or grapeseed
1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (substitute tamari or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
2 teaspoons smoked paprika (substitute liquid smoke)
pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
8 medium sized carrots, trimmed, washed, scrubbed, and patted dry (about 1 1/4 lbs)
8 vegan hot dog buns
a favorite sauce and/or fresh, chopped herbs (optional, for serving)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment or foil.
To make the marinade, whisk the vinegar, oil, liquid aminos, maple syrup, smoked paprika, and cayenne, if using, together in a small mixing bowl.
Place the carrots onto the parchment. Pour about 1/3 of the marinade over them, then toss the carrots with your hands to coat them evenly. Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast the carrots for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use a basting brush to brush another few tablespoons of the marinade over the carrots (or pour another third of the marinade over the carrots and use the basting brush to spread it around). Repeat this after 40 minutes. After 50-60 minutes, or when the carrots are browning, shriveling, and very tender, remove them from the oven.
While the carrots roast, make the delightfully green tahini dressing or any other sauce you'd like to serve with them.
Once the carrots have finished roasting, reduce the oven heat to 300F. Place the hot dog buns on another baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until they're lightly toasted.
To serve, place one roasted carrot in each bun, drizzle with sauce, and enjoy.

Notes

Leftover carrots will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Carrot recipe inspired by Dorie Greenspan's Sweet & Smoky Roasted Carrots from Everyday Dorie, reprinted in Food52.

The Fourth of July came a little early in my home, but I’ve been enjoying the leftovers of this sweet and savory meal all week at lunchtime. Hope you’ll have a chance to try them at some point, too. Definitely not a traditional hot dog—a little lighter, more nutrient-dense and colorful—but really satisfying in its own, creative way.

Happy Thursday, friends. See you again soon, for the weekend roundup.

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Orange Juice Simmered Berries

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 16:52:29 GMT

The past few months have been a strange combination of monotony on the one hand and disruption on the other. I was home nearly all the time, keeping to the same schedule. On the other hand, there was a constant sense of things being profoundly altered. It helped me to have some routines that were consistent in these inconsistent times, and incorporating Florida Orange Juice into my cooking and recipes—these orange juice simmered berries included—was one of them!

Wellness routines show up in a lot of different ways, and I needed to give thought to my own little “toolkit” this spring. This was especially true of sleeping: as soon as quarantine started, I began to have more vivid dreams and more fitful sleep than usual. I woke up earlier, too, often in the wee hours of the morning.

It wasn’t easy to control the highs and lows of anxiety or sleeplessness, but I did what I could to stay balanced. I didn’t meditate successfully, but I did a lot of yoga nidra and progressive relaxation recordings in the evening. I gave as much attention as possible to breathing and remaining centered in my body—practices I was working on even before life changed this year.

And then there’s nourishment, of course. I’m used to eating all three meals at home, so a lot of my prep, storage, and cooking didn’t change in the last three months. I have a local grocer only two blocks away that was relatively empty in the morning and pretty well stocked on staples, so I was incredibly privileged with food access.

I focused on the fundamentals of nourishment that support me. They’re the same in times of crisis as they are year-round: a balance of macronutrients at meals, recipes that make me feel comforted and grounded, sweets for pleasure and to keep my spirits light (maybe more of those than usual in quarantine!), and an effort to eat as much variety as I can.

One food combination that has been completely consistent since this spring is the Orange Juice Simmered Berries that I’m sharing in today’s post. Thanks to a base of 100% orange juice, they’re brimming with vitamin C and other important nutrients. At first, I was making them with frozen berries. Now that berries are in season and it’s easier to shop for local food, I can make it with fresh berries. The recipe is the same either way, and very simple: a pound of berries, a cup of 100% orange juice, one or two tablespoons of any sweetener (optional), and a pinch of cinnamon (optional).

100% orange juice has been supporting my immune system with nutrients like vitamin C, beneficial flavonoids and carotenoids (plant compounds that play a role in fighting inflammation), and hydrating electrolytes, like potassium and magnesium. Florida OJ also contains folate, which has been associated with cardiovascular health, and thiamin, which is crucial for energy metabolism.

Florida Orange Juice not only adds nutrition, but helps to sweeten the berries and add bright, citrusy flavor. Once they’ve simmered, the berries will be sort of like a loose, runny jam. I usually pile them over oatmeal, but they’ve also showed up over toast, over hot polenta for breakfast, and over plant-based yogurt (that’s what I often do with cold leftovers). A routine I’ve enjoyed time and time again! Here’s the recipe.

Orange Juice Simmered Berries

Course sauce, side, topping

Cuisine gluten free, no oil, soy free, tree nut free, vegan

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

1 cup 100% orange juice
1 pound fresh or frozen berries (if using fresh strawberries, trim and quarter)
1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or coconut sugar (optional)
pinch cinnamon

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, until the berries are syrupy and reduced in volume. Serve over hot cereal, yogurt, toast, an English muffin, etc.

Notes

Store the orange juice simmered berries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.

As an added bonus here, my environmental allergies are at their peak for the year, and the vitamin C in 100% orange juice may have an anti-histamine effect. I’ll take all the help that I can get!

Grateful for this simple way of adding sweetness and nutrition to my days. Maybe it’ll become part of your own self-caring routine, too. Till soon.

This post is inspired by the Florida Department of Citrus. All opinions are my own. Thanks for your support!

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Miso Tahini Vegetable Sandwich

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 21:22:00 GMT

Multiple loaves of easy vegan multigrain bread in the last few weeks means lots of incentive to make sandwiches! More sandwiches means more sandwich combinations, and this miso tahini vegetable sandwich is my latest favorite.

This sandwich is completely inspired by Peacefood Cafe, a cozy and casual vegan restaurant in my neighborhood. Their miso tahini sandwich features a thick, salty sweet spread, sprouts, carrots, and spelt sourdough. It’s so good, and I order it nearly every single time I grab lunch there. The Peacefood miso tahini spread also contains poppy seeds, but I didn’t have any on hand when I made my own, and honestly, I don’t miss them.

My version of this refreshing-yet-hearty sandwich isn’t quite as good as Peacefood’s—which is usually how it goes when I try to re-create a beloved restaurant dish at home—but it’s still really good. The spread is irresistable, and I’ve been making double and even triple batches, since it keeps well in the fridge. It’s also a good dip for carrot sticks and cucumber slices, good for drizzling onto grain bowls, and (I discovered over the weekend) very nice for folding into freshly made tofu scramble.

You don’t need a special or particular tahini to make the spread, but I do recommend white miso, which is the right level of saltiness and mildness for the recipe. If you don’t have white miso, red and brown varieties will work, too. They’ll just give you a saltier, stronger-tasting spread.

I love the three ingredient (four, if you include water) simplicity of the miso tahini spread. But you can adjust the miso and syrup to taste, and you could also make it a little more like a tart dressing, rather than a sweet spread, by stirring in lemon or a splash of vinegar. I’ve been piling the sandwich high with carrots and cucumbers, which are veggies I nearly always have at home, and I added sprouts as a tribute to Peacefood, where I hope to grab lunch again before too long ????

Miso Tahini Vegetable Sandwich

Course dips, sandwich, spreads

Prep Time 10 minutes

Servings serving

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

Miso Tahini Spread

2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons warm water

Miso Tahini Vegetable Sandwich

2 slices easy vegan multigrain bread (or a whole grain bread of choice)
1/3 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup peeled and sliced cucumbers
1/4 cup microgreens or sprouts

Instructions

To make the miso tahini spread, whisk the ingredients together in a small mixing bowl till totally smooth. Spread will yield about 6-7 tablespoons and can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
To make the sandwich, toast the bread, and spread a heaping tablespoon of miso tahini spread on each slice. Pile the toast with veggies, cut into halves, and serve.

I love a good sandwich, and I’ve been especially grateful for them in the midst of this stay-at-home period. I’m used to cooking a lot, but I’m cooking more than usual, as most people are, and it’s nice when my midday meal can be relatively hands-off. There’s no shortage of foods or combinations that I’ll enjoy when two slices of fresh, tasty bread are involved, but this is most definitely a new favorite. It may even become as much of a go-to as hummus sandwiches, which would be something!

Hope you’ll enjoy this combo, or at least the spread that makes it shine. Let me know what you think—and happy Tuesday, friends.

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