Showing posts with label almond cream whipped topping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label almond cream whipped topping. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
TWO HEARTY VEGETABLE SALADS DEBUTED AT VEGAN DINNER PARTY
Our
vegan dinner group of 5 couples convened at our house last week for another
great vegan meal. (We were also celebrating 3 Gemini birthdays-- me,
DH Brian, and Rob.) It was a bit of a squish in our little house, but nobody
minded-- it has been a while since we got together and even longer since we hosted a dinner. On the menu, we had Fireweed's yummy vegan quiche with potatoes
and veggies in it; a delicious lemony cauliflower and potato curry on yellow
rice from Gordon and Sarah; Pelka's aromatic focaccia and wonderful green salad
with Sunshine Dressing; and Ellen's beautiful wild rice salad with black beans.
( My contributions were two vegetable salads and a Chocolate/Almond
Tiramisu for dessert.
I
changed my plans for what to make for the dinner at the last minute because I
thought we weren’t going to be enough vegetables on the menu. (It turned out that we had plenty of veggies in
the end, and it was all delicious.) Because we live on an island, I had to use what was in my freezer, fridge and pantry,
and inspiration was just not coming to me (probably due to the fact that I was
trying to get the house spiffed up at the same time). I turned to a book that I’d just borrowed
from the library, “Fine
Cooking in Season” (Tauton Press, 2011).
Two salad recipes jumped out at me because, not only did they sound
delicious, but I had most of the ingredients, and with a little substituting
here and there, I judged that I could make them- and make them vegan and lower
in fat at the same time.
One
recipe was a roasted corn salad with edamame (green soybeans), fresh mint and
cherry tomatoes, in a basil/yogurt dressing with honey and lemon. I had frozen sweet corn and frozen shelled
edamame in the freezer, fresh mint in the garden, frozen basil paste from last
year’s crop, and soy yogurt and agave nectar to use in the dressing.
The
other recipe consisted of quickly-braised kale or Swiss chard, escarole or frisée,
and spinach with roasted hazelnuts, in a dressing flavored plum preserves. I
had hazelnuts, kale and spinach on hand, and figured that the rapini in the
fridge could stand in for the escarole.
I had no plum preserves, but I did have some plum butter that I’d made
last year from the plums on the wild plum tree near our back deck, and I
figured that would do in a pinch. (Polish plum butter is available in some supermarkets, gourmet stores and online-- amazon carries it, too.)
In
both recipes, I could substitute some of my lowfat oil substitute for some of
the olive oil, in order to lower the fat content. (The plum dressing called for a whole cup of
oil!)
For
the celebratory dessert I made a Chocolate/Almond Tiramisu, adapted from the
tiramisu recipe in my book "World Vegan Feast", but, instead of the vegan sponge cake, I used the cake
layers from the Mocha Cafe Latte Cake in the same book. Besides the boozy vegan
mascarpone layer called for in that recipe, I added a layer of Italian
Chocolate Mousse (from my book "Nonna's
Italian Kitchen"), laced with ground roasted almonds. The whole thing
was topped with my Almond
Whipped Cream Topping, ground dark chocolate and slivered roasted almonds. (I
used Kahlua for the liqueur.)
There wasn’t much left at the end of the night,
of either the salads or the dessert! All
in all, another enjoyable evening with great conversation and company and
excellent vegan food! Here are my versions of the salad recipes (I also streamlined the methods a bit), just in case you's like to try them.
BRYANNA’S VERSION OF WARM
SALAD OF AUTUMN GREENS WITH PLUM VINAIGRETTE
Serves
8
Adapted
from a recipe in “Fine
Cooking in Season” (Tauton Press, 2011).
For the plum
vinaigrette:
5
Tbs. plum butter
1/4
cup apple cider or red wine vinegar
1
Tbs. Dijon-style mustard
1/4
cup extra-virgin olive oil
1
tsp. chopped garlic
Kosher
salt and freshly ground pepper
For the greens:
10
oz. baby spinach
1
bunch young kale
1
bunch rapini
2
Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4
cup (about 3 oz.) roasted, peeled hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Whisk
together the plum butter, vinegar, and mustard until smooth. Add
the olive oil, broth and salt and pepper to taste; mix again briefly. Refrigerate in a jar or bottle. This can be made a few days ahead of time. Shake before using.
the olive oil, broth and salt and pepper to taste; mix again briefly. Refrigerate in a jar or bottle. This can be made a few days ahead of time. Shake before using.
Stem
the kale and slice it into strips about 1/4-inch wide. Cut the tough bottoms
off the rapini stems and slice as for the kale. Mix all the greens, wash
thoroughly, and spin dry. (If you prepare the greens ahead of time—1 to 4
days--wrap them loosely in paper towels and store refrigerated in sealed zipper-lock
bags.)
In
a very large sauté pan, stir-fry pan or skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add
one-third of the greens, and a bit of salt and pepper. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes,
stirring all the time, until the leaves are slightly wilted. Repeat twice with
the remaining greens in two batches. Scoop the greens into a bowl and add the
roasted hazelnuts and the dressing to taste.
Toss well and spread on a large serving platter. Serve at room temperature.
BRYANNA’S VERSION OF TOASTED
CORN, CHERRY TOMATO, AND EDAMAME SALAD
Serves
8-12
Adapted
from a recipe in “Fine
Cooking in Season”, Tauton Press, 2011.
2
cup frozen shelled edamame
1
Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
4
1/2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels, thawed, OR fresh corn kernels (from about 6
medium ears)
1/4
cup plain soy yogurt
1/4
cup fresh lemon juice
2
tsp. agave nectar
1
tsp. minced garlic
1
Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher
salt
Freshly
ground black pepper
2
heaping cups quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2
cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/2
cup very thinly sliced fresh basil OR a cube of frozen basil paste, thawed
Boil
the edamame in water to cover by 2 inches for 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside
to cool completely.
Mix
the corn kernels with 1 Tbs. of the oil on a large baking sheet. Spread the
corn out on the sheet. Place about 5
inches under the broiler of your oven and broil until the tops start to brown a
little (about 4-5 minutes—watch carefully).
Remove from the oven.
To make the Dressing: whisk together the yogurt, lemon
juice, agave, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small mixing bowl. Slowly pour in
the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and the aquafaba or Fat-Free Oil Substitute for Salad Dressings, whisking constantly
until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In
a medium serving bowl, combine the edamame, corn kernels, tomatoes and herbs.
Toss gently. Add the dressing and toss gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at room temperature.
Enjoy!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
ALMOND CREAM WHIPPED TOPPING
 |
| My Almond Cream Whipped Topping on the Lemon Tiramisu from my book, World Vegan Feast. |
I tried making it with commercial almond milk, but it just didn't have the fine taste and the body of that made with homemade almond milk. However, that's not really a deterrent because nut milk is really easy and relatively quick to make. In fact, the whipped topping is very easy to make, especially if you use a microwave to do the cooked part. (Scared of microwave ovens? No need to be-- here's some info I've collected and here's an article from The Sierra Club. And, in the book "Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen", author Kate Heyhoe tells us that microwaves can save up to 80% energy compared to doing the same tasks made on the stovetop or in a conventional oven-- so it makes sense to use it for little tasks like heating a cornstarch mixture.)
I'm sharing the recipe with you below (after some photos of the topping used on some yummy desserts), and I hope you'll enjoy it!
More desserts heaped with this delicious (and fairly low-fat) homemade vegan whipped topping:
 |
| On Scottish Trifle, from my book, World Vegan Feast. |
 |
| On a Blueberry Shortcake |
 |
| On Mango Trifle with Indian Spices, from my book, World Vegan Feast. |
 |
| In Tiramisu from World Vegan Feast |
 |
| On a peach shortcake |
Printable Recipe
BRYANNA’S ALMOND CREAM WHIPPED TOPPING
Makes about 2 cups, GF (Recipe from my book, World Vegan Feast.)
This is my all-purpose whipped topping – rich, creamy, and light, with a lovely, subtle almond flavor. It can be the perfect shortcake topping when made with a little less agar powder (1/2 teaspoon) because traditionally, the cream for shortcakes is not whipped to stiff peaks, but left soft. PS: This topping is NOT stiff enough to use for a cake icing!
For best results, make the topping at least 4 to 6 hours before serving, but it can be made several days ahead of time. (The recipe is easily doubled.)
1 cup blanched, slivered raw almonds
2 cups hot water
2 tablespoons unbleached organic sugar (light-colored)
2 tablespoons cornstarch (you can choose an organic one) or wheat starch (which is GF) OR 3 tablespoons white rice flour
3/4 teaspoon agar powder NOTE: Do not use agar flakes (Agar powder is actually less expensive than flakes if you compare by weight!)
1/4 cup firm silken tofu (NOTE: if you prefer to leave this out, use 1 tsp. agar powder instead of 3/4 tsp.)
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1.) To make the Almond Milk (this just takes a few minutes):
In a blender, combine the almonds and hot water and blend until very smooth. Be patient and let it run for several minutes. Strain the resulting almond milk through a cheesecloth-lined colander over a clean pot, measuring pitcher or bowl. Use 2 layers of fine cheesecloth from a fabric store (or use a nut milk bag). Gather the cheesecloth up to make a “bag” and twist and squeeze the “bag” to squeeze out as much of the almond milk as possible. You can use the almond meal for a facial scrub. NOTE: Do NOT substitute commercial almond milk beverage for the homemade almond milk-- the recipe will not work with the commercial stuff.
2.) In a small saucepan, mix 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the almond milk with the sugar, agar and cornstarch. Stir the mixture over medium heat until thickened and translucent. Or use the...
Microwave Option: Mix in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl (with room for the mixture to rise up) and cook 30 seconds on 100% power (default setting), whisk and repeat 3 more times or until thickened and translucent. (See note about microwave cooking in the text above the recipe.)
3.) In the blender, combine 1 cup more of the almond milk, the silken tofu, salt, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract, if using. Scrape the cooked mixture into the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 1 hour, then beat the mixture briefly so that it is creamy. Chill again for at least 3 hours.
Nutrition Facts:
Nutrition (per 1/4 cup): 133.4 calories; 58% calories from fat; 9.3g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 47.3mg sodium; 149.0mg potassium; 9.7g carbohydrates; 2.0g fiber; 4.2g sugar; 7.7g net carbs; 4.6g protein; 3.0 points.
Enjoy on your favorite desserts!
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