Enjoy!
STRAWBERRY SORBET
This comes from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Amanda wrote, “This mouthwatering summer sorbet is an adaptation of one served at the River Café in London. Yes, it calls for an entire lemon (rind and all), but trust us: the sweet of the strawberries and sugar, the tart and bitter of the lemon – it all works together beautifully.” Yield: Makes 1 1/ 2 quarts; Time: 10 minutes.
This was originally featured in “The Arsenal”, and can be viewed online by clicking here.
Ingredients
1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
2 cups sugar
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
Preparation
Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
Purée the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
SOUR CREAM CHEESECAKE WITH VANILLA BEAN
This is also from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “This elegant cheesecake is based on Amanda Hesser's mother's simple recipe. The crust is made of Nabisco chocolate wafers and butter. The bottom layer is a fluffy pool of cream cheese, eggs and sugar. The top is a thin layer of sour cream and sugar. Her recipe called for vanilla extract, but this one uses the seeds of one whole vanilla bean, which has a way of elevating all the other subtle flavors – cinnamon, chocolate and the tang of the sour cream and cream cheese – in a magical way.” Yield: 12 servings; Time: 1 hour 10 minutes.
This was featured in “An Exotic Import: Hardly Plain Vanilla”, and can be viewed online by clicking here.
Ingredients
18 Nabisco chocolate wafers, finely crushed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 1/2 cups sour cream
Preparation
In a bowl stir together crushed wafers and cinnamon with a fork. Pour in butter, and stir until mixture is moist. Press mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, forming a crust just over 1 inch high around the sides. You might think you need more wafers, but you don't. Press patiently until a tight, thin layer forms. Chill until needed.
Heat oven to 350 degrees with baking sheet on center rack. In an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy and fluffy. Add eggs, 2/3 cup sugar and seeds from vanilla bean, and beat until very smooth. Scrape bowl with a spatula to break up lumps. Pour into crust, and place on baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend sour cream with 3 tablespoons sugar. After 25 minutes, remove cake from oven, and let sit 5 minutes. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees. Gently spoon sour cream mixture on top, and spread evenly. Return cake to oven, and bake 7 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
RASPBERRY-LEMONADE SORBET
From the July/August 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 73. The recipe starts off, “Extra-lemony and not too sweet, this is an easy sorbet to whip up year-round with frozen raspberries. Try the recipe with blueberries, blackberries, or cherries as well.” Makes one quart.
To view this online, click here.
5 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
Purée raspberries in blender or food processor until no whole fruit remains. Press purée through fine sieve, and discard seeds. (You should have 2 cups.)
Stir 1/2 cup water into sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice. Stir sugar mixture into raspberry purée.
Chill mixture in refrigerator until cold, then churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to 1-quart container, and freeze.
nutritional information Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 141; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 1 mg; Fiber: 2 g; Sugar: 29 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
VEGETARIAN 'BEEF' AND GUINNESS STEW
Jolinda Hackett, About.com's Vegetarian food guide, writes, “Beef and Guinness stew, an Irish pub favorite, gets a vegetarian makeover in this recipe, using seitan instead of beef to absorb all that rich stout flavor. Yum! The flavor of the beer is very strong in this recipe, so I've suggest using half the amount of Guinness and adding an equal amount of vegetable broth if you aren't a Guinness fan.”
Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 60 minutes
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients:
Approx 14 oz seitan, cut into thin strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp steak sauce
3 tbsp butter or margarine
1 onion, diced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 12 oz bottles Guinness Stout OR 1 bottle plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Saute seitan in olive oil and soy sauce until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add steak sauce and stir until seitan is lightly coated. Remove from heat and aside. In a large pot, sautee onions, celery, carrots, potatoes and garlic in butter or margarine for 3-5 minutes, or until onions are slightly soft. Reduce heat and slowly add Guinness, gently stirring to combine. Add flour, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper and stir well. Add seitan and allow stew to simmer until Guinness reduces and stew thickens, about 40-50 minutes.
Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy!
TRADITIONAL FALAFEL
This comes from the September 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times, page 50. It makes 36 falafel balls. The recipe starts off, “The most time-consuming step in this recipe is soaking the chickpeas for 24 hours. After that, the falafel balls come together quickly and easily. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, tahini, hot sauce, and a minty yogurt sauce.”
To view this online, click here.
1 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed and sorted
1/2 tsp. plus 1/3 tsp. baking soda, divided
1 small leek, white and light green part cut into 4 or 5 pieces
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
3–4 drops hot sauce, optional
2 cups canola oil
Place chickpeas and 1/2 tsp. baking soda in large bowl, and cover with 3 to 4 cups water. Soak chickpeas 24 hours. Drain.
Place chickpeas, remaining 1/3 tsp. baking soda, leek, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and hot sauce (if using) in bowl of food processor. Process 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until chunky paste forms.
Shape 1 Tbs. chickpea mixture into compact ball, pressing out any excess moisture, and place on plate. Repeat with remaining mixture.
Heat oil to 350°F in large skillet over medium heat. Add 12 falafel balls, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned on bottoms. Roll, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, or until golden brown all over. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining falafel balls.
nutritional information Per Falafel ball: Calories: 35; Protein: 1 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 4 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 46 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: less than 1 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free
CHUNKY VEGETABLE STEW
This comes from the February 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times. It begins, “Greens cook down considerably and will reduce at least one-quarter in volume. One pound of raw kale will yield about 2 1/2 cups cooked. A dash of hot pepper sauce adds dimension to this colorful dish.” Serves 8.
To view this online, click here.
1 medium-sized bunch kale
2 tsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized red onion, chopped
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium-sized unpeeled russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups dry vermouth
1 6-oz. pkg. sliced white mushrooms
1 medium-sized head cauliflower, cut into about 2-inch florets
1 14.5-oz. can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
3 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. cold water
1 Tbs. tamari soy sauce
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
Strip kale leaves from stalks, and rinse thoroughly in colander; set aside.
Heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepan for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onions and peppers, sauté for 2 minutes and add potatoes. Cook for 4 minutes, and add vermouth, mushrooms and cauliflower. Cook for 2 minutes, add kale and mix thoroughly. Cook mixture for 5 minutes, and reduce heat to low.
Chop stewed tomatoes coarsely in food processor, and add tomatoes, thyme and yeast to kale mixture. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl, and stir in with tamari and lemon pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and serve.
nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 195; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 32 g; Sodium: 288 mg; Fiber: 5 g; Sugar: 11 g; Vegan
