Chilled Avocado Soup

The arrival of warm weather doesn't mean you have to give up soup or spicy food. This Chilled Avocado Soup from Robin Robertson's Vegan Fire and Spice is a nice cool treat for balmy spring days, and it's perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations this weekend.

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe Haas avocados, peeled and pitted 
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 
3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce 
• Sunflower seeds, for garnish

Preparation:
In a blender or food processor, combine the avocados, vegan sour cream, cilantro, scallion, and garlic. Process until smooth. Add the lime juice, broth, salt, and Tabasco and process until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 2 hours, until chilled. Serve garnished with sunflower seeds.

Serves 4

From Vegan Fire and Spice by Robin Robertson. ©2008 Robin Robertson. Used by permission from  Vegan Heritage Press.  


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Fresh Strawberry Pancakes

Spring and the warm weather it has brought with it has us thinking about ripe and juicy farm-stand fruit. This recipe from The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio is made with fresh strawberries and is perfect for a springtime brunch with friends and family. A few of the ingredients may seem non-traditional, but you'll have to trust us when we say these pancakes are spectacularly delicious. Serve them with fresh mint and Balsamic-Maple syrup to compliment the sweet strawberry flavor.

Ingredients:
Pancakes:

• 1 1/2 cups soy milk

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

• 1/2 cup self-rising flour

• 4 tablespoons self-rising cornmeal 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  1 cup finely diced fresh strawberries 
• 4 fresh mint leaves, stacked, tightly rolled, and sliced thinly
  2 tablespoons vegan butter or vegetable oil 

Balsamic-Maple Syrup:

• 1/2 cup finely diced fresh strawberries 
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

• 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

• 4 fresh mint leaves, stacked, tightly rolled and thinly sliced

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Optional Garnishes: sprigs of fresh mint and whole fresh strawberries

Preparation:

1. Pancakes: Preheat the oven to 250ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and balsamic vinegar. Set aside to curdle. In a medium mixing bowl, combine both flours, the cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well, make a well in the center, and pour in the soy milk mixture. Whisk together until well combined. Stir in diced strawberries and set aside. 
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the vegan butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle the pancake batter onto the hot skillet, making pancakes, two at a time. 
3. Cook 2 minutes on the first side until you get a nice rise, a few bubbles appear, and the edges appear set. Gently flip and cook another 2 minutes on the reverse. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegan butter, if needed. If pancakes are cooking too quickly, reduce the heat to medium.  
4. When cooked through, transfer the pancakes to plates or a serving platter, keep warm in the oven and repeat with remaining butter and pancake batter. 
5. Balsamic-Maple Syrup: In a saucepan, combine the strawberries, maple syrup, vinegar, mint leaves, and a few grindings of black pepper. Stir to combine and heat gently over medium heat until hot. Do not boil. Serve the pancakes hot, topped with the syrup, and garnished with mint leaves and a strawberry, if using.   

Serves 4

From The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio. ©2011 Betsy DiJulio. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.


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Sassy Springtime Rolls

Spring has sprung! Here at Vegan Heritage Press we're all excited about the promise of blooming flowers and farm fresh vegetables. We just love the spring dishes in The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio, and these Sassy Springtime Rolls seem like the perfect recipe to start the new season with. These light, refreshing rolls are full of fresh spring vegetables, herbs and tofu, and they pair well with with a wonderful deep red dipping sauce.



Ingredients:
Spring Rolls:

• 1 scallion, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into quarters
• 1/2 bell pepper, any color, cut into 1/4- inch strips
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 3 large radishes, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into paper thin slices 
• 2 cups rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup natural sugar
• 3 large cloves garlic, halved lengthwise 
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 14-ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2 x2-inch strips
• 8 (8-inch) rice paper wrappers
• 16 baby spinach leaves
• Fresh cilantro sprigs or Thai basil leaves

Dipping Sauce:

• Reserved liquid from marinated veggies 
• 1/4 cup vegan fish sauce
  1 teaspoon soy sauce
  2 tablespoons natural sugar
  1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts

Preparation:

1. Spring Rolls: Combine the scallion, bell pepper, carrot, squash, and radish in a medium bowl. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, celery salt, coriander, ginger, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then pour over the vegetables and toss well. Cool to room temperature. Add the tofu, cover and chill overnight. When ready to use, drain the tofu and vegetables. Reserve the liquid to make the dipping sauce; remove and discard the garlic pieces.
2. Fill a large bowl half full with warm water. Place a kitchen towel beside it and a serving platter on the opposite side. Place one wrapper at a time into the warm water for 30 seconds or until softened. Remove from the water and place near one end of the towel. Fold the other end of the towel over the wrapper to blot excess moisture. Place two spinach leaves, face-down and overlapping, horizontally in the center of the wrapper. Arrange a piece of tofu horizontally in the center of the spinach and cover with 1/8 of the veggies, parallel to the tofu. Top with 1 or 2 cilantro sprigs. Fold the ends of the wrapper toward the filling, then fold the edge nearest you over the veggies and continue rolling. Place the roll on the serving platter, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, changing out water if it becomes too cool.
3. Dipping Sauce: Whisk all ingredients except peanuts together. Divide the mixture among individual serving bowls, and top with peanuts. Serve with the spring rolls.

Yield: 8 spring rolls


From The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio. ©2011 Betsy DiJulio. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.  


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We Have a Winner!

We have a winner in our Blooming Platter Cookbook giveaway! The winner is Trez, whose favorite sprintime dish is a garden salad or grilled vegetables.

The Blooming Platter Cookbook by Betsy DiJulio book is a celebration of fresh, seasonal produce, and features a wide range of recipes from easy homestyle dishes to creative upscale fare including American favorites and global cuisines. These 175 recipes showcase the taste, beauty, and nutrition of seasonal ingredients. Also includes recipe variations, menu suggestions, season­al icons, and tips. The Blooming Platter Cookbook is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and your local independent bookstore. 


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