making scones with aunt jane
Since the first time I came with my partner to Denver to visit her extended family, I have had the pleasure of taking part in her tradition of making scones with her aunt, Jane. While the scones bake, we wander in her garden. And when the scones are done, we eat them — almost straight from the oven, slathered in butter and preserves and with some sort of British tea. Truth be told, Annelise and Jane usually make the scones and talk about traveling or family history; I usually poke around Jane’s house, sit in the kitchen and listen to them banter or work on something for Jane on her computer. So, I’m not sure how legit it is for me to make this entry, but I thought I would anyway.
Annelise told me stories of Jane and the scones tradition before I ever came to Denver. She told of picking fresh raspberries from Jane’s bushes and folding them into the dough. She told of Jane’s house, filled with family heirlooms, arts and crafts from her many travels, and many pets of both fur and feather. When I first traveled to Denver with Annelise, she was strictly vegan. Her family accomodated her dietary choices with grace (something I always marveled at and admired), and this of course included the scones. These days we are less strict, and so eggs, butter and half and half have worked their back into the tradition. But, to honor Annelise’s experiences, she has asked me to include both recipes here.
I feel so lucky to be a part of the tradition now, even though I don’t really help make the scones. Regardless, I hope you all can enjoy the same pleasure I take from eating them.
Scones
adapted from Sunset Magazine’s Favorite Recipes, circa 1974
Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar + more for sprinkling before baking
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 1 eggs worth of Egg Replacer (or one egg’s worth of white)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix all dry ingredients together.
- Cut in butter until small pebbles form.
- Stir in eggs and half and half and mix until dough has formed.
- Shape dough into a round disk about 1/2 inch think.
- Cut into wedges and place on baking sheet.
- Brush with Egg Replacer and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until scones are golden brown.
- Serve with butter, preserves and strong black tea.
Vegan Scones
adapted from recipe by Leslie Book — Aunt Jane told me to tell you all that she always uses vanilla soymilk, as it adds more flavor!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar + more for sprinkling before baking
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold margarine
- 2/3 cup vanilla soymilk
- 1 eggs worth of Egg Replacer
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
- Mix all dry ingredients together.
- Cut in cold margarine until small pebbles form.
- Stir in egg replacer and vanilla soymilk and mix until dough has formed.
- Shape dough into a round disk about 1/2 inch think.
- Cut into wedges and place on baking sheet.
- Brush with Egg Replacer and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until scones are golden brown.
- Serve with butter, preserves and strong black tea.
Filed under: Breakfast, Quick Breads, Vegan, Vegan Optional, Vegetarian | Leave a Comment
Tags: egg replacer, preserves, scones
corn popper muffins
I thought I would write an entry about the dish we started calling corn poppers around my house. My dear friend Megan would go so far as to request poppers when she walked in the door for dinner. Luckily, they are quick and easy to make!
By adding a little whole corn, these muffins have a great bite, a little bit of sweetness and a lot more pop! Basically, just select your favorite vegan or vegetarian corn muffin recipe (I picked Deborah Madison’s below) and fold in a cup of corn. Either fresh or frozen works well, but fresh is better. If you are using frozen, microwave for 3 minutes, or until the corn is defrosted but not steaming.
I serve these with a little butter or margarine and honey.
Corn Popper Muffins
adapted from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup veggie oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup frozen corn (fresh is better!)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Melt butter in the microwave.
- Brush muffin cups with butter and set aside leftover.
- Meanwhile, stir the dry ingredients together and make a well in the center of the bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Pour any excess butter into the wet ingredients.
- If you using frozen corn, microwave 1 cup for 3 minutes, or until warmed but not steaming.
- Quickly mix the wet and dry ingredients together and fold corn into batter.
- Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup dollops into the muffin pan.
- Bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown on top and beginning to pull away from the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Serve hot right from the pan.
— Makes 12 muffins
Filed under: Quick Breads, Vegan Optional | Leave a Comment
Tags: corn, honey, muffins
bourbon maple bbq sauce
I’m vegetarian. BBQ sauce might seem irrelevant to me. It’s like the time my grandpa snatched the bottle of A-1 off the table (I was putting it on a baked potato). When I reassured him that it was okay, it was vegetarian, his reply was this: “I don’t care! It’s steak sauce! It’s just not right!” (Actually, my grandpa is a pretty sweet man, despite his aversion to vegetarians. He also told me once that he would disown me if I snuck any of that tofu stuff into his food).
Back to the sauce. Recently, I have been cooking with (and drinking!) more bourbon. It really has grown on me. So, I decided to give my go-to bbq sauce a boost. I slather this sauce on extra-firm tofu before baking it at 400 degrees. I also mix the sauce with canned pinto beans and toss them in the same oven, for some impromptu baked beans.
Make a batch. Put it on whatever you like. Enjoy!
Bourbon Maple BBQ Sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/8 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon veggie worchestire
- 2 cans 15 oz. tomato sauce
Instructions:
- Finely dice the onion.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan and add the onion. Cook until soft and beginning to turn a carmel color — about 10 minutes.
- Add all the dry spices and stir. Heating spices in oil helps them “bloom” and develop more robust flavors. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by 1/4.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. The nice thing about this sauce is that you really can tinker around with it, until each batch tastes just right in the moment.
- Enjoy!
Filed under: Mains, Vegan | 1 Comment
Tags: bbq, bourbon, ginger, maple, molasses, vegan
white peach & ginger ice cream
I love using ginger to add complexity to flavors. For this recipe I used two forms: crystallized and preserves. I found a jar of preserves at my favorite natural foods store — it was the simplest garnish ever!
If you are using the Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker, do make sure to fully freeze the cannister before starting up the machine!
White Peach & Ginger Ice Cream with Ginger Preserves
Ingredients:
Ice Cream
- 5 cups ripe white peaches, peeled and quartered
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
- 4 cups whole milk
- 3 cups whipping cream
- 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Garnish
- 1 jar ginger preserves (found in the jam section of your friendly natural foods store)
Instructions:
Ice Cream
- Beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla until combined.
- Pour milk and cream into a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to ensure milk doesn’t boil over.
- Add a half cup of milk mixture to egg mixture and stir to incorporate.
- Pour new egg mixture back into saucepan and stir constantly until mixture is almost the consistency of pudding. Take care not to scorch the bottom of the pan.
- Let cool in the pan, and then transfer to a container and chill in fridge overnight.
- Clean and peel peaches. Slice in half and then quarter. Put in blender.
- Pulse peaches until they are smooth with a few chunks.
- Mix peaches and custard together until smooth.
- Chop ginger and stir into custard.
- Place in fully chilled ice cream cannister and mix until firm.
- Ripen in the freezer for at least two hours.
Garnish
- Spoon preserves into a microwaveable pastry bag.
- Heat in microwave for 30 seconds or until the preserves are able to squeeze through the pastry bag and tip.
- Garnish ice cream with a squiggle of preserves.
Filed under: Dessert | Leave a Comment
Tags: ginger, ice cream, peach
In the time since I received my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker as a Christmas present, I have explored both dairy-based and coconut-based ice creams as well as sorbets. I have to admit I had given up the pursuit the last couple years after one too many almost-frozen batches. It wasn’t until my friend decided to host an ice cream conference that I was inspired to try again. I attempted two flavors, and of course ran into the classic problem of a soupy second batch. I have to remember to allow two full days per batch to ensure success! Making ice cream is a multi-step process, but is very rewarding when all is said and done.
The coconut base was the first, so it firmed up and really came out nicely. I wanted to develop a slightly more complex combination of flavors and hit on lemongrass to complement the coconut. I added young coconut for texture. I love carmelized pineapple and decided to use it as a garnish.
Lemongrass & Young Coconut Ice Cream with a Carmelized Pineapple Garnish
Ingredients:
Ice Cream
- 3 13 oz cans full fat coconut milk
- 3 large stalks fresh lemongrass
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Flesh from a young coconut
Garnish
- 1 pineapple, quartered, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
- 1/8 cup vegetable oil
- 1/8 cup star of anise
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dark rum
Instructions:
Ice Cream
- Clean lemongrass and remove any damaged parts. Slice in half and then quarter.
- Put coconut milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add lemongrass.
- Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to ensure milk doesn’t boil over.
- Simmer until coconut milk is reduced by half.
- Let cool in the pan, and then strain lemongrass from coconut milk. Discard.
- Transfer to a container and chill in fridge overnight.
- Place in fully chilled ice cream cannister and mix until firm.
- Ripen in the freezer for at least two hours.
Garnish
- Chop pineapple.
- Heat oil until shimmering in saute pan.
- Saute pineapple on high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add star of anise.
- Sprinkle sides of pineapple that have not browned with brown sugar. Stir until most of the pineapple is browned.
- Pour rum over pineapple and cook another 5 minutes.
- Let cool and serve with ice cream.
Filed under: Dessert, Vegan | 1 Comment
Tags: ice cream, lemongrass, pineapple, young coconut
This weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to present at the first annual International Ice Cream Conference. Don’t get too excited, though. It was really an awesome party hosted by my friend Andreas. There were representatives from at least three countries. There were some outstanding flavor entries: Summer Picnic (three flavors; Sweet Corn, Tomato-Basil and Buttermilk), Goatsmilk Butterscotch (served with a whisky shot), Cucumber Lemon Basil sorbet. There was a presentation by Robyn of Smitten Ice Cream, who brought her Kelvin (a machine designed to make ice cream in 60 seconds using nitrogen).
I set about making two entries, one vegan and one dairy-based. The first batch I made was a great success; it firmed up nicely and had great flavor. The second batch suffered from my lack of time; I hadn’t allowed enough time to refreeze the ice cream machine cannister. Hence the need for help from my new-found friend from Smitten.
All in all the event and my submissions turned out to be a hit. See above for recipes of each:
- Lemongrass & Young Coconut Ice Cream with Carmelized Pineapple garnish
- White Peach & Ginger Ice Cream with Ginger Perserves
Filed under: Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian | 1 Comment
Tags: coconut, conference, ginger, ice cream, lemongrass, peach, pineapple, vegan
vegan jambalaya
Before I went vegetarian I was highly carnivorous. I loved meat. I actually thought I still did, until I tried to eat some in preparation for moving to China for a year. I had lost my taste for it. But, before I decided to abstain years ago, I relished in a thick burger, smoky bacon or even the occasional chicken mcnugget (I was so young). I didn’t give up meat because I didn’t like it. I decided that being vegetarian was a way for me to contribute to making the world a better place.
All that being said, I still crave me some meatiness, and I sometimes turn to fake meat to add a little flavor or texture to a dish. One of my favorite options are Tofurky sausages. Any flavor will do really, but I am partial to the Italian variety.
Fake sausages are not the showcase of this dish; rather, they just add a little to the overall composition. The real showcase of this dish should be the savory, spicy melding of multiple flavors and how those flavors go so well with a little white rice.
Vegan Jambalaya
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 2 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup okra, washed and chopped
- 2 Tofurky sausages, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons cayenne
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 cup veggie broth (I LOVE Better Than Bouillon, a broth concentrate)
- 3 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire
- 3 splashes Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- Basmati rice
- Lemon wedges
Instructions:
- Prepare veggies. Heat olive oil in wide, deep saute pan at medium heat.
- Saute onions until translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic and stir. Cook another 3 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add peppers and celery. Cook until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add fake sausages and spices. Cook another 3 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients.
- Turn up heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer.
- Turn heat down to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent stew from sticking.
- Plate rice and top with jambalaya. Serve with a lemon wedge.
Filed under: Mains, Vegan | 2 Comments
Tags: fake meat, peppers, rice, spicy, stew, vegan
simple french vinaigrette
There is no better accompaniment to a well-prepared main dish than a simply dressed salad. I usually make up double or triple batch of this recipe and keep it on hand in the fridge. Wash a few leaves of lettuce, slice a tomato and dress with this vinaigrette for the perfect salad (in my estimation, anyway).
Simple French Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
- 1 medium-sized shallot, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/8 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon
- 1 medium-sized lemon, juiced
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Peel shallot and finely mince. Put in mason jar with a lid.
- Put all other ingredients in the jar. Shake.
- Dressing keeps in jar in fridge for about a week.
Filed under: Salads, Vegan | 2 Comments
Tags: dressing, salad, vegan, vinaigrette
I love salads. I love the crunch, the savoriness, the multitude of textures and flavors. A beautiful, crisp lettuce is the perfect canvas for building interesting, bold flavor combinations. Currently, this salad is my go-to potluck dish. It’s simple, flavorful, and showcases summer produce.
I was first introduced to hearts of palm by Sunset Magazine. Before I encountered them in Sunset, I had never even heard of hearts of palm. Hearts of palm remind me a lot of artichokes; a savory flavor and a creamy yet firm-to-the-touch texture. The subtleness of hearts of palm are a refreshing change from assertive artichokes here. In this salad, hearts of palm serve to complement the richness of the avocado, the brightness of the cherry tomatoes, the saltiness of the cheese and the acid of the vinaigrette.
Serve this salad in the height of summer, when tomatoes, basil and avocados are all at their prime.
Green Summer Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 head of red leaf lettuce
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- 1 12 oz. can of hearts of palm
- 1 avocado
- 5 sprigs basil
- 4 oz. shaved parmesan cheese, optional
- 3/4 cup simple french vinaigrette — see recipe here
Instructions:
- Wash, dry and tear lettuce into bite size pieces. Place in serving bowl.
- Wash and splice cherry tomatoes in half. Place in serving bowl.
- Drain and slice hearts of palm into quarters lengthwise, then in half. Place in serving bowl.
- Dice avocado into 1 inch pieces. Place in serving bowl.
- Clean basil, pluck from stems and dry. Snip into thin slices with kitchen shears.
- Place cheese, if using, in serving bowl.
- Toss salad with dressing directly before serving.
- Enjoy!
Filed under: Salads, Vegan, Vegan Optional | Leave a Comment
Tags: salad, summer, vinaigrette
This recipe was inspired by two sources: PETA and Julia Child. I know they may seem diametrically opposed, but their opposition is a great illustration of my approach to food. I am vegan about half the time (though almost never outside my house, unless at a vegan restaurant). I am sympathetic to the Animal Rights cause, but I am not dogmatic about it. I talk to people about how meat tastes and how they prepare it because I am interested. I just choose not to partake. I subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated, a fairly meat-centric magazine because it has helped me improve my ability to prepare vegetables. I love Julia Child (even though she regularly brutalized lobsters on national tv) because she cared about food and wanted it to taste great (hence the butter).
So, back to the mousse. This recipe was originally a riff off of the PETA recipe for vegan chocolate pie. I had made and served that pie so many times, I had started to resent it. I was looking for something different. Then I thought about how much I enjoy a solid chocolate mousse. I decided to take the filling out of the crust, but it still needed a substantial boost in complexity. Here’s where Julia comes in. I turned to the web (as I often do in times like this) and looked up Child’s recipe. I know her mousse recipe is considered by many to be perfect. I looked for the key flavor boosters. Salt. Strong coffee. Rum. Gold.
Here is my recipe for Vegan Chocolate Mousse. This is definitely the kind of recipe that I serve at parties, and only after all the bowls are licked clean do I divulge that the main ingredient other than chocolate is tofu. Gets them every time! Because I am only dairy restricted, I recommend a dollop of whipped cream before serving. If you have vegan guests, you can leave it off. Bon appetit!
Vegan Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. extra firm silken tofu (Mori Nu, in a shelf-stable package)
- 1 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup espresso (or 1/2 cup strong coffee)
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup rum
- 1 tablespoons vanilla
Instructions:
- Place tofu in food processor.
- Melt chocolate chips in microwave on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Heat espresso in a sauce pan over medium-high. Add sugar and stir until it is dissolved. If you are using coffee, reduce the coffee until it is 1/4 cup.
- Add remaining ingredients to food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour mousse into bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm.
- Serve with a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
- Enjoy!
Filed under: Dessert, Vegan, Vegan Optional | 6 Comments
Tags: chocolate, dessert, julia child, mousse, vegan
veg here 