Avocado Potato Toast with Almond Hollandaise

Vegan Month of Food 2017

"Lines and Light" 

(a line or two of original poetry or a photo of Michigan light every day in October)

Day 28: Brunch

I served my Avocado Potato Toast on a lightly dressed chopped salad.

Did I invent Avocado Toast? No. Did I invent Avocado Potato Toast? I was hoping so, but a quick google search reveals other home cooks who have already put these two favorites together. (But truth be told, mine was pretty delish! We scarfed.) 

The hollandiase was simple and very lemony and light. It would be great on a tofu scramble or even in a falafel sandwich. 

The star of the meal is the huge roasted potato chip. Bake it till it's nice and crispy. 

(Below, is today's photo of beautifuul Michigan light. Taken at Art Prize in Grand Rapids in 2015)

"Me and Starry Light"

Here's what you need:

large russet potatoes, sliced lengthwise about 1/3 inch thick. Use only the nicest pieces for the best 'chips' . Drizzle olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast at 400 degrees until golden. Flip them over once in a while. 

ripe avocados

ripe tomatoes

For the hollandaise: (recipe from Hot for Food)

1/2 C raw slivered almonds

1/2 C soy milk, plus more to thin

1 T coconut oil

1 1/2 T fresh lemon juice

2 T nutritional yeast

1/2 t dry mustard

1/4 t trumeric

pinch of salt

Put all the hollandaise ingredients in a high speed blender and continue to blend until it is completley smooth and emulsified. Heat super gently on very low heat, adding more milk if necessary. 

Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils

This has happened to me more than once: I make a great vegan meal and decide to take it to a church potluck, you know, with the idea of impressing everyone and glowing in the aftermath of a whole slew of folks turning from their meat-eating-ways.

My Lentil Bolognese (HERE is the recipe) is worthy of a gold star and accolades from all camps, yet it does not translate well to a crock pot full of cooked rigatoni. There is no oil or fat in it, so it really doesn’t stay nice and loose and hearty. At that potluck, my crockpot was filled with a blob of sticky pasta with a strange scattering of lentils. Seriously embarrassing.

For another potluck I made the Forks Over Knives “Smoky Little Devils” (HERE is that recipe) which are tiny red potatoes, filled with a spicy hummus: reminiscent of deviled eggs. That potluck found my offering to be way too heavy on the turmeric (which can be bitter if you’re not used to it).  One friend asked me, “Is that turmeric in there?” ….meaning, “My GOSH, that’s a lot of turmeric!” Alas, my platter of little devils sat basically untouched….except by me. (I do recall everyone else eating buckets full of chickens' legs and I believe there were also pork ribs there too ….. sigh….. a poorly made smoky devil stands no chance against those….)

Last week, I brought a crockpot full of this terrific rice dish, sure that I’d be the talk of the luncheon…..but I was too lazy to leave the house for brown rice and I used white rice instead….. which simply created a weird crockpot full of rice and lentils. Blah.

You will have to trust me when I say that I am a great cook and I can tell a cruddy recipe from a good one. This one’s good…. I just HIGHLY recommend that you use brown rice!

Here’s what you need:

½ onion, chopped

1 T veg oil

1 C uncooked BROWN rice

2 T tomato paste

2 ½ C water

¼ t cinnamon

¼ C dry brown lentils

1 t salt

½ C golden raisins

½ C slivered almonds, toasted

Here’s what you do:

Saute the onion in the oil.  Add the rice and stir a bit in the oil. Mix the tomato paste in the water and smooth it out. Add it to the rice along with the cinnamon and lentils. Bring to boil, lower to simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes.

Stir in the salt, raisins, and almonds. May add a bit more water if it seems dry. Pour into a greased casserole. The mixture should be a bit watery.  Cover and bake 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Two

I recently took an excellent 'Non-Dairy Cheese Making' class. The room was filled with vegans and the vegan-curious, and I felt so comfortable being with them! Some folks were looking for ways to eliminate lactose from their diets. Others were life long vegans. The woman sitting next to me had been eating vegan for three weeks - I hope she was inspired and not overwhelmed. The diet is amazingly simple - eat vegetables, not animals. All the other stuff, like the following recipe, is just icing on the cake.

This cheese tasted EXACTLY like dairy Parmesan. The only thing I do not like about it is that it kinda melts a bit when sprinkled over hot food and becomes a bit saucy. If you don't mind that, then this is the new Parmesan for you.  I actually mixed in this cheese with a batch of cashew Parmesan I had in the fridge which created a superb creation!

The recipes from the Non-Dairy Cheese Making class came from these books: Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner, Non-Dairy Formulary by Skye Michael Conroy, and The Un-Cheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. I do not know which author gets credit for this recipe. Sorry!

1 Cup almond meal
1/4 toasted pine nuts
2 T nutritional yeast
1 T mild miso
1/2 t salt
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder

Process in a food processor or high speed blender until finely ground. Store in refrigerator.

Mushroom Quesadilla

Day 23: Fusion Challenge

This was the most difficult post of the entire month for me! Ahhhh! I couldn't come up with anything remotely 'fusiony challengey'.....My brain was on freeze..... So I made a mushroom quesadilla with my homemade almond cheese. 

I remember having quesadillas with only cheese, or maybe a smear of refried beans if I was feeling fancy. These days, I put whatever I want between tortillas  - it's all good! 

Sorry....no fusion here. Just tasty food. 

Gourmet Chickpea Casserole

Eating this was like a blast from my past, only better. 

Vegan Month of Food Day 20: Veganize an old family favorite.

You know how sometimes you're just in the mood for a good old fashioned casserole, dripping with cans of creamed soup and mayo? Yeah, me neither.....BUT I do crave comfort food and I do love casseroles and actually I am a mayo freak....so I got to thinking about today's Vegan Month of Food prompt: Veganize an old family favorite. 

It was pretty easy to decide to veganize one of my mom's best casseroles : Gourmet Chicken Casserole. You can find a non-vegan version right HERE  . What I really loved about veganizing this classic (besides ditching the chickens), is the most delicious chicken-like cream soup that I found on the INTERNET of all places! (ha ha) You can peek at that recipe HERE. 

This was completely delish...You can see we almost polished it off. My son loved it too! I always have the habit of adding too much rice to stuff and drying out the lovely sauces I have prepared. I am going to perfect this recipe and next time, more sauce and less rice. 

Almond Custard with Blueberry Sauce and Candied Almonds

Lots of steps, but worth it. I'm definitely making this again, not just for us, but for company.
Easy to make ahead and a great presentation.
Very light tasting.
Sauce was amazing.....I could have used lots more sauce! 

Day 10: Something blue

Thicken 1 1/2 C almond milk, 2 T cornstarch, 2 T brown sugar, pinch salt, 1/2 t almond extract.

Cool the milk mixture in an ice bath, stirring frequently to avoid a nasty skin. Find 1 C blueberries from the freezer. 

Cook the berries with 2 t sugar, 1 T water. Strain.  Add 1 T liqueur. Amaretto would have been perfect, but Hazelnut wasn't bad either. Continue cooking to reduce the sauce to a syrupy   consistency. 

This can cool in an ice bath also. 

1/2 C slivered almonds, 1 T agave, 1 T sugar, 1 t cinnamon, pinch salt. Cook LIGHTLY over low heat. (This amount of nuts is way too much for the amount of custard.... reduce amounts or plan to have leftovers to munch. ) 

These break apart easily. 

Put it all together in a logical way. Chill completely in the fridge. The custard will really firm up. 

Vegan Queso Fundido with Rioja Sauce

This queso fundido with  rioja sauce is absolutely the best! The flavor is very intense and rich. I served it on garlic toast along side some marinated mushrooms and corn fritters. It is not a true queso fundido, which traditionally has loads of meat and dairy cheese; it's better because it uses a creamy almond cheese. (You can find the Simple Almond Cheese recipe that I use HERE.)

The Rioja Sauce is the base for the queso fundido: it has everything good in it - tomato sauce, red wine, green olives, garlic, garlic, garlic and olive oil.

I served the sauce on my potato torte (HERE)  which was the perfect accompaniment. This sauce is much too concentrated to serve over pasta, so think of it as a dipping sauce, or a drizzling sauce or even something to spoon over your main meal. (Still eating chickens? It would be great over grilled tofu.)

In a recent post I mentioned that my mom inspired my potato torte and this rioja sauce was also inspired by her. See my note that suggests to serve the potatoes with rioja sauce?

I've been in a cooking dead-zone lately, so being with my mom and her incredible meals very much inspired me to get-back-in-the-cooking-saddle and put a meal on the table.

Any way, try the sauce. Try the fundido. Let me know.

Here's what you need:

1/4 C olive oil (I cut back on this)

1/4 C minced garlic (I did not cut back on this)

1 C dry red wine

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 T capers

1 C good green olives - leave them whole for a pretty presentation

2 T dried basil

Here's what you do:

Warm the garlic in the olive oil until it is cooked - NEVER brown your garlic - use a low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to simmer until the sauce is thick and cooked down.

To Make the Queso Fundido:

Spoon some sauce into an oven proof serving dish (or a cast iron skillet). Spoon some Simple Almond Cheese over the top and bake until bubbly. NOTE: the rioja sauce really, really intensifies during its time in the oven! Perfect for garlic toast.

Baked Almond Feta - Vegan Month of Food

Poesy and Plate

 Vegan Month of Food  2014

(check out the hundreds of VeganMoFo blogs HERE)
My goal: cook and blog about vegan food 20 times
  during the month of September. 
My theme: words and food

"Veganism is not a sacrifice. It is a joy." (Gary Francione)

Well, here it is. My 20th post about vegan food during the month of September. Be sure to click on the link above to check out other bloggers who participated in the VeganMoFo this year. There is some pretty amazing food being eaten out there! 

This baked almond feta comes from Maple Spice and I followed the recipe to the letter, except that I don't have cheese cloth. You can see I used a few coffee filters to drain my cheese. 

Basically, you whirl the ingredients in a blender, drain the mixture overnight in the fridge, shape it and bake it. 

The crusty part of this cheese was especially nice. It held up perfectly as a spread on crackers and it would be perfect in a lasagna or stuffed in some shells smothered in marinara sauce. 

Simple Almond Cheese

I L-O-V-E this Simple Almond Cheese. I can’t wait to try all kinds of variations – herbed, olives, cracked black pepper. You can eat it soft like I did, spread on crackers (or pizza!). You can also bake it at 300 for a bit to dry it out. Baking it creates a crust on the top. That’s nice too.

Lots of recipes all over the internet, but this is the one I used, from Rawmanizing blog. DELICIOUS! 

Basically, you soak raw almonds overnight, drain them, peel their skins, place them in a high speed blender with some olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, etc.

1 C raw, unpeeled almonds
3/4 C water
2 T olive oil
3 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic
salt

Strain overnight in cheesecloth, wring out as much liquid as possible. Chill well. Eat. Simple Almond Cheese.

Lemon Almond Pesto

This is one of the most unusual and delicious pestos I have ever made. It is loosely based on something I saw in a magazine, originally from the Sunkist Lemon website, but I perfected it. May I brag? I served it over pasta, but it would be outstanding with chicken, vegetables and fish. Drizzle over one of my pizzas for total satisfaction. There just aren’t enough days to eat all the delicious food out there, am I right?

(I used my Vitamix Blender and the pesto was totally creamy and smooth. I do believe a Cuisinart would do the same. )

Here’s what you need:

1 fresh lemon

½ shallot

1 clove garlic, peeled

¼ C raw almonds, toasted

½ t sweet smoked paprika

1 t sweet paprika

1 T cider vinegar

1 T rice wine vinegar (or other, similarly flavored vinegars)

½ C olive oil

¼ C water (to thin the pesto)

½ - 1 C hot pasta water to thin the pesto

Here’s what you do:

With a sharp knife, peel and seed the lemon, being careful not to lose any of the juice. Remove the sections and seeds while holding the lemon over a bowl. Place the lemon sections and all their juice, shallot and garlic in a food processor or high powdered blender and whirl until almost smooth. Add the almonds, smoked paprika, sweet paprika and vinegars and whirl until nuts are very smooth. While the motor is running, drizzle in the olive oil very slowly.  Add the water and thin to desired consistency.

Collect about a cup of water from your boiling pasta and set it aside. Add as much as you want to make your pesto creamy and thick. I ended up adding about ¾ C.

Serve this with roasted vegetables or a tossed salad. Shaved parmesan would be excellent over this.

(printable recipe)

Swiss Green Beans

The last weekend of summer is upon us. This calls for family get-togethers, back yard BBQS, farewell trips to the beach, and back to school! I have always loved the beginning of September because it means I go back to the classroom and dig in for another year of teaching. I love to cook and I love to play my instruments, but teaching is my life’s calling – it’s where I feel most at home.

If you are planning a weekend picnic, this is the perfect salad. Straight from one of the Moosewood Cookbooks (The Enchanted Broccoli Forest). It’s perfect in every way and always gets RAVE reviews. I know at first glance the ingredients don’t seem to ‘match,’ but trust me, they’re excellent!

Here’s what you need:

1 ½ lbs fresh green beans, cleaned and trimmed

2 large cloves garlic, minced

¼ C extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp dried dill

Black pepper to taste

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3-4 T fresh lemon juice

1 T red wine vinegar

½ C fresh parsley, minced

1/3 lb swiss cheese, cut in thin strips

½ C chopped ripe olives – use a great quality olive; avoid using the canned stuff

1 small green pepper cut in thin strips

1 small red pepper cut in thin strips

½ C chopped or slivered, toasted almonds

Here’s what you do:

Blanch the green beans until tender-crisp. Cool them under cold water. Slice the cheese and veggies. Prepare the dressing by whisking everything together…. The original recipe calls for adding the vinegar and lemon juice at the last minute to keep the beans nice and green and crisp. I know that’s probably the best way to prepare this salad, but I just mix it all together and it turns out great every time.

Happy Labor Day to my American friends, and happy back to school to all those teachers, parents and students out there! 

Oatmeal Bake

Dear Readers, Can you handle two oatmeal recipes in a row? I think so!

OK people. Admit it. We all need to eat healthier. More kale. More nuts and seeds. More whole grains. sigh…… , but it’s not easy with all the sugary, fatty foods surrounding us. That cholesterol number is looming over our heads like a heavy cloud. And don’t forget about the blood pressure number….. sigh…. talk about stress!!!

Well, I’m one of the lucky people who LOVE kale, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Bring on the leafy greens! I think recently I mentioned that I am leaning more and more toward an entirely vegetarian diet and could probably even dip into the vegan world. Now, please don’t cancel your subscription to my blog just because of this news. Eating green stuff doesn’t mean you must wear tie-dye and dread locks. In fact, I’m not even sure what dread locks are or how to spell it….. dread……dred…... don’t ask me! I just know what tastes good and oatmeal is right on the top of my list.

I love old fashioned oatmeal with a big scoop of dark brown sugar and a tablespoon or so of coconut oil for breakfast….. OMG. Add in some fresh fruit and I am a happy girl.

Please try this and let me know what you think. You will be surprised at how delicious and easy it is. It’s kinda like a wholesome, chewy, chocolaty, healthy granola bar on a plate.

This recipe comes from a vegan blog I follow, Vegan Fazool. See the original recipe here.

Here’s what you need:

1 ¾ C old fashioned oatmeal

¼ C white sugar (you can use less here)

¼ C brown sugar

¼ C chopped walnuts

¼ C sliced almonds

¼ dried cranberries or raisins (here in Michigan we are blessed with an abundance of dried cherries, use ‘em if you have ‘em!)

¼ C – ½ C chocolate chips (original recipe calls for vegan chips, but I use regular ones)

1 ¼ t baking powder

½ t salt

½ t cinnamon

3 T ground flaxseed whisked with 4 T water (this is the vegan equivalent of an egg, I believe)

½ C non-dairy milk (We love Silk. You could use almond milk or any of the many varieties of non-dairy milk out there.)

¼ C applesauce (You may use ¼ C oil here, but it’s nice to keep it low-fat. Any combo of oil and applesauce will work, as long as it measures ¼ C)

½ t vanilla

Here’s what you do:

Whisk the flaxseed and water together and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Combine the dry ingredients…. Oatmeal through cinnamon.

Add the wet ingredients to the flaxseed mixture and mix well.

Add the wet and dry stuff together and mix well. It will be pretty wet, but that’s OK. Pour into a 8x8 baking dish which has been sprayed with Pam. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

(printable recipe)

Pumpkin Granola: Yes, I still have canned pumpkin!

Homemade granola is ridiculously easy to make at home, just takes the tiniest bit of time and effort. And the bonus? Great taste. It’s better for you too. This one is better for you at least; whole grain oatmeal, flax seed, pumpkin and almonds. Gotta steer clear of those granola recipes laden with oils and sugars.   Just take a second and read the calorie count on store bought granola and I bet I will convince you to try making it at home. This ones earns a 'heart-healthy' tag from me! 

And although it tastes great, you shouldn’t be adding chocolate chips to your so-called ‘healthy’ stuff--although I’ve been known to add a chip or two to my oatmeal. In fact, my next post is going to be a super healthy oatmeal breakfast bake with nuts, dried fruit, flax seed and yes, chocolate chips. Stay tuned.

How to eat granola? Sprinkled on yogurt or over ice cream, in a bowl with milk, or straight (my personal favorite). I actually have a tupperware of this stuff in the closet in my classroom as I write this. I love a good mid-morning snack!  You should see me shovel the stuff down. I do feel a tiny bit guilty as my students open their tiny packets of cookies and pop tarts while I dig in to my homemade goodness, but hey, I share.

This recipe comes from Liv Life. Check out the recipe here.

Here’s what you need: (do NOT let the long list scare you away!)

2 ½ C rolled oats

3 T flaxseed meal (I’m starting to use this stuff all time lately, just sprinkle it on where it seems tasty. I actually add it to smoothies and my morning oatmeal.)

1 handful whole raw almonds

¾ t cinnamon

1/8 t nutmeg

1/8 t ginger

Pinch cloves

Pinch allspice

½ t sea salt (original recipe called for ¼ t salt)

1/3 C brown sugar

¼ C pumpkin puree (regular readers know my fondness for canned pumpkin!)

2-3 T corn oil (original recipe called for grape seed oil, which I don’t have)

2-3 T maple syrup (a secret ingredients to lots of stuff – don’t skimp here)

½ t vanilla

You add these in at the end:

1 handful dried cranberries

2-3 T salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds – so yum!)

Here’s what you do:

Mix the oatmeal, flaxseed, almonds,  cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice and salt in a big bowl. Whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin, oil, syrup and vanilla. Mix it all together. Pour out onto a baking sheet which has been lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  Stir. Bake 10 more. Stir. Bake 10 more. Stir. Allow to cool. Simple, right? When the granola has cooled down, add the cranberries and pepitas.

Your house will smell great – think Thanksgiving and Christmas and sitting by a roaring fire all rolled into one. 

(printable recipe)

One Year Ago: Lemon Chicken

One Year Ago: Buckwheat Pancakes

One Year Ago: Chocolate Flan

coffee crunch bars

This is a most excellent and very different type of bar – a very sophisticated and delicious combination of chocolate, coffee and toffee. They are crunchy, but not dry; chocolaty, but not sweet; rich and buttery, but not heavy tasting.

Here’s the ironic thing about this particular batch of bars. I made them for a dessert buffet at my school and you know how it is when you donate something to a buffet- you glance over every so often to see how much is left – hoping that your particular donation is the first to go because it’s so yummy. Doesn’t everyone want their dessert to be the best it can be? Well, this particular night, these bars were hardly touched!!! I’m not used to that!!! They ended up in the ‘left-over’ pile to sell in church the next morning……. Sigh

Don’t let my story scare you away from these. I have made them many times and they are A+. Trust me! (Notice the low temperature on the oven! I’ve ruined these in an oven which is set too high!)

Here’s what you need:

2 Cups flour

½ t baking powder

¼ t salt

2 sticks + 2 T butter (no substitutions here please or they really will end up in the ‘left over’ pile)

1 ¼ C packed dark brown sugar

2 T instant coffee powder

½ t almond extract

1 C semisweet chocolate chips

½ sliced or slivered almonds

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. (Notice the low temperature)

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar for a full 2 minutes. 

Then add the dry coffee powder and almond extract. Beat for another 1 minute. Add in the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add the chocolate and almonds.

Turn out onto an ungreased baking sheet. I know, it looks hopeless, but it turns out great every time! Using your hands, shape and convince the dough into a 12 inch square – let the warmth of your hands help the butter behave!

Pierce all over with tines of a fork at about 1 inch intervals.

Bake until the edges are slightly brown – about 40 minutes. Cool for 1 minute and immediately cut into small squares. I start in the middle and work my way evenly to each edge. Notice that I trimmed away the ‘not-so-pretty-but-oh-so-tasty’ edges. You should end up with about 48 squares. 

Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These really crisp up and live up to their title as they cool.

(printable recipe)