Shrimp and Kiwi Salad

Here's a quick dinner salad for two.  All you need to round out the meal are French bread rolls.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 12 Vegetarian Plus shrimp, thawed
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups torn red leaf lettuce
• 1 cup peeled and cubed kiwifruit

1. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and saute for 4 minutes; set aside.

2. Combine the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a bowl with the green onions, cilantro, rice vinegar, lime juice, lime rind, salt, red pepper, and black pepper.  Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

3. Place 1 cup lettuce on each of 2 plates.  Spoon the shrimp mixture evenly over each plate, and top evenly with the kiwi.

Nutrition Info:
2 servings (6 shrimp, 1 cup lettuce, 1/2 cup kiwi), Calories 330

Tasting Notes:
I love vegan shrimp, and I love kiwi, so I thought this salad would be sublime.  Alas, while good, I didn't find it to be anything out of the ordinary.  I think the lettuce was not the best backdrop, might even serve this over rice next time.  Still, a good, quick entree salad to keep in mind in the warm months ahead.

Rating:
3

Arugula, Fig, and Blue Cheese Salad

After several experiments in baking lately, tonight I wanted something simple and healthy for dinner.  This quick salad fit the bill, and gave me an excuse to enjoy Sunergia's soy bleu cheese, which may be my weakest indulgence these days.  The blue cheese pairs beautifully with the figs.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups torn red leaf lettuce
• 1 and 1/4 cups quartered fresh figs
• 1 cup trimmed arugula
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons crumbled vegan blue cheese (such as Sunergia)

1. Combine the red leaf lettuce, figs, and arugula in a bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black pepper.  Pour over the lettuce mixture, tossing gently to combine.  Sprinkle with the blue cheese.

Note: although you can serve 4 people with appetizer portions of this salad, you can also enjoy the whole recipe as a main dish salad.

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1 cup), Calories 74 

Tasting Notes:
This salad tastes super elegant, considering how little time it takes.  Everything was wonderful, from the sweet plump figs, to the creamy blue cheese, to the peppery arugula, except the dressing which was a little too tart for my taste.  Next time, I will decrease the amount of lemon juice.  Aside from that, this is a great, quick salad.  Keep it in mind for guests, since - as I mentioned - it appears super elegant but takes no time at all.

Rating:
3.5

Vegan Update:
Vegan cheeses continue to get better all the time - I'm continually amazed when I think back on the difference between 2002 (when I went from vegetarian to vegan) and now. If you're looking for other great ways to enjoy vegan cheese, here are a couple suggestions.

Serve Sunergia's soy bleu with sliced pears for a dessert cheese course.

Pair Vegan Gourmet's cheddar with apple wedges for an afternoon snack.

Hot Chocolate Souffle

I've always thought that the holy grail of vegan cooking is to make a souffle rise (and from chatter on other vegan websites, it looks like I'm not alone).  I can't resist trying though, and my results tonight were still not perfect, but were close enough to produce a yummy dessert.  I find that the trick is to use beaten Ener-G egg replacer in place of egg whites, and to give that egg replacer a boost from flour and baking powder.

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon vegan sugar
• 3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup vegan sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 Ener-G egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 ounces coarsely chopped dark chocolate
• 4 Ener-G eggs
• 3 tablespoons vegan brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup coffee non-dairy ice cream*

1. Coat a 1 quart souffle dish with cooking spray and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar; set aside.

2. Combine the milk, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, instant coffee, and salt in a small saucepan, stirring with a whisk until blended - the mixture smelled like a coffee milkshake at this point - yum!  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then continue to cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until thick.  Remove from heat.

3. Gradually add the hot milk mixture to the Ener-G egg yolk (1 and 1/2 teaspoons powder whisked into 1 tablespoon warm water), stirring constantly with a whisk.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract and chocolate, stirring until the chocolate melts.  I found it best to let this chocolate mixture cool to room temperature, so as to avoid deflating the beaten Ener-G eggs in the next step.

Note: choose a dark chocolate that's about 80% cacao for this recipe, for a bittersweet flavor.

4. Now comes the fun part.  Make 4 Ener-G eggs in a large bowl.  Beat with a hand mixer for 12 minutes - yes 12 - until the mixture is thick like egg whites.  At about the 6 minute mark, begin adding the brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat after each addition.

I'm convinced that using Ener-G in this way will be the key to vegan souffles, and am surprised that more people don't experiment with it.  I've also made Belgian waffles and individual mini souffles rise beautifully with this 12-minute-trick.

5. In a bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder.  Stir in to the chocolate mixture.

6. Gently stir one-fourth of the beaten Ener-G mixture into the chocolate mixture; fold in the remaining beaten Ener-G mixture.  Spoon into the prepared souffle dish.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes - it will be puffed up by the end, although won't quite spill over the rim of the souffle dish.  Just like a non-vegan souffle, the dessert needs to be served immediately, because it will deflate very soon once out of the oven.  Serve with the coffee ice cream on top - the ice cream will melt to make a quick sauce. 

*Coffee ice cream was my favorite flavor in my lacto-ovo vegetarian days, but I have had the hardest time finding companies that make a vegan version.  Chocolate, vanilla, mint chip, pomegranate - you name it, but nobody is churning out coffee-flavored non-dairy ice cream.  Just recently I discovered Tempt, a frozen dessert made from hemp milk, which makes a coffee biscotti flavor.  And luckily I found it just in time to make it part of tonight's dessert.

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (about 2/3 cup souffle, 2 tablespoons ice cream), Calories 253 

Tasting Notes:
Delicious.  Like a cross between a rich chocolate pudding and a brownie in the middle with a top and edges that were beautifully crisped and puffed.  Next time, to make it even better, I would play up the coffee factor by increasing the amount of instant coffee granules in the batter, and serving extra coffee ice cream on top.

Rating:
4

Mango Salsa

Tonight's post is just a quick fresh salsa.  This delicious salsa works equally well with baked tortilla chips as it does with vegan chicken and rice for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups peeled and cubed ripe mango
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons seeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper
• 1 teaspoon vegan sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, and toss well to combine.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Note: on a more adventurous note, the salsa is also delicious alongside breaded vegan fish fillets, a new product available on vegan websites (veganessentials.com and veganstore.com) from a brand called Sophie's Kitchen.  The company also makes vegan calamari, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go down that route yet. 

Nutrition Info:

6 servings (1/2 cup), Calories 68 

Tasting Notes:
Super fresh, wonderfully sweet mango.  I love recipes like this that require almost no embellishment, and let the fresh produce stand out on its own.  Keep this salsa in mind all summer long, as it's sure to become a warm-weather standard.

Rating:
3.5

Fig and Pistachio Chutney

As promised, here's a chutney to accompany the Indian flatbread I made - see post for Dosas (Indian Rice and Lentil Pancakes).  My apologies that posts have been a little scrambled over the past couple of days while Blogger sorted out some technical issues!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups water
• 1 and 3/4 cups chopped dried figs
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons peeled and chopped fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 (2-inch) orange rind strips
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted pistachios

1. Combine all the ingredients except the pistachios in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.  Uncover and continue to simmer until the liquid becomes syrupy, stirring occasionally - it will take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour for the chutney to reach this stage. Do keep in mind that the chutney will continue to thicken slightly as it cools, so you don't want to make it too thick during cooking.

2. Remove from heat and discard the orange rind strips; cool.  Stir in the pistachios.  As mentioned, you can serve alongside Indian flatbread such as dosa or uttapam.  If you don't want to make two recipes, however, this chutney is also great as part of an appetizer platter - try cubed vegan cheeses, rolled slices of Lightlife vegan deli meats, and little cornichons pickles. 

Nutrition Info:
6 servings (1/4 cup), Calories 165 

Tasting Notes:
Much as with the dosas I made, I found that the chutney was fine on its own - quite fig-y - but was even better when served as a condiment, and in conjunction with the dosas.  A real nice crunch from the pistachios.  The spice flavors were delicious, though you could easily increase quantities according to taste, depending how spicy you like things.

Rating:
3.5

Dosas (Indian Rice and Lentil Pancakes)

Dosas, as per the title of this post, are an Indian flatbread made of rice and lentil batter, which is left to ferment overnight before cooking.  I've been looking forward to making this recipe for quite some time, since dosas originated in the southern states of India, where my fiance's father's family comes from.  I found skinned split lentils (called urad dal) at my favorite Indian grocer in the East Village, and could finally experiment.  Regular lentils will not substitute in this recipe, so do make sure to track down urad dal.  Be aware that this isn't a dish you can make last minute; you must start the recipe about 24 hours before you intend to serve it. 

Ingredients:

• 7 and 1/4 cups bottled water, divided
• 1 and 1/2 cups white basmati rice
• 1/2 cup urad dal
• 1 tablespoon vegan sugar
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided

1. Combine 6 cups of the bottled water with the rice and urad dal in a large bowl.  Cover and let stand for 8 hours.  Although normally I advocate using tap water, bottled water is essential for this recipe.  It ensures that the lentils will soften as they stand, since the hard minerals in some tap water can prevent them from doing so.  

2. Drain and rinse the rice mixture.  Place the rice mixture in a food processor, along with an additional 1 and 1/4 cups bottled water and the sugar; process for about 1 minute, until smooth.

3. Spoon the batter into a clean bowl; cover and let stand some place warm and free from drafts for at least 12 hours, and up to overnight - a closed, unheated oven is a great place to let the batter sit.  Stir in the salt at the end. 

4. Heat 1/2 teaspoon canola oil in a medium cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Spoon 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan.  Flip the pancake after about 1 minute - the top should be covered with bubbles and the edges should look cooked - and cook for an additional minute on the other side.  Remove the pancake from the skillet, and repeat with the remaining oil and batter (you'll have enough for 8 pancakes). 

You can serve these pancakes with any Indian entree, or bottled Indian pickle or chutney.  Tonight, I went with the store-bought vegetable korma from Amy's brand of frozen foods.  The dosas work wonderfully as a wrap around the filling of your choice. 

Note: I have a few tips that weren't included in the recipe instructions, which I learned by trial and error making these pancakes.  First, it's useful to spread the canola oil with a paper towel so that it covers the entire surface over which you will pour the pancake batter.  Not doing so causes the batter to stick or burn.  Secondly, don't let the heat go past medium; again, doing so will mean burnt pancakes.  Finally, having made the recipe according to directions, I was a little surprised to realize that this recipe is really for uttapam, and not dosa - although made of the same batter, uttapam are thick like a pancake, whereas dosa should be thin like a crepe.  If you want to cook the batter thin like true dosas, you might check out this website.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 pancake), Calories 197

Tasting Notes:
On their own, the dosa taste like a thick, soft rice cake - a little salty, but a little bland, so nothing too special.  But as a vehicle on which to scoop up an Indian entree, or to serve with a yummy chutney, they quickly transform from mediocre to delicious.  I kept the rating below for just the dosa, but that rating quickly climbs higher the instant the dosa has a topping or stuffing.  Tomorrow night, to follow up on the idea, I intend to give you a chutney recipe to serve alongside these pancakes. 

Update: as promised, here's a photo of the chutney and dosa together - a great combination.  See post for Fig and Pistachio Chutney for full details.. 

Rating:
3.5 

Machuquillo (Plantain Mash)

Last night I made a traditional Cuban beverage (see post for Bul) and tonight I'm continuing the theme with this plantain side dish.  Plantains are a versatile food since they can go from savory dishes when green and under-ripe, to super-sweet for desserts once they turn to black.  For this recipe, you want plantains that are somewhere in between, which is to say moderately ripe with yellow, mottled skins, but not yet black (see photo below).  This plantain mash makes a great alternative to standard mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium plantains
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 minced garlic clove

1. Peel and thinly slice the plantains.  Cook the plantain slices in boiling water for 15 minutes; drain.  Place the plantains in a bowl along with the olive oil, salt, and garlic; mash with a potato masher until smooth.

Similar to mashed potatoes, this dish is best served immediately.  I kept up the Cuban theme with Gardein chicken and black beans seasoned with adobo seasoning, a flavorful blend of salt, garlic, oregano, bay, and turmeric. 

Nutrition Info:
4 servings (1/2 cup), Calories 140 

Tasting Notes:
A nicely different side dish that could easily become part of your regular rotation, since it's quick and easy, and good but not fancy.  This was the first time I've had plantains that weren't sweet, and the dish tasted like starchier bananas, with an almost vinegary tang on the tongue. The garlic was a nice touch.

Rating:
3