Panna cotta, or cooked cream in Italian, is a super simple, but delicious dessert. Our vegan take on it uses coconut milk in place of the cream, and agar agar powder in place of the usual gelatin. This recipe is quite basic, so feel free to get creative with flavoring (maybe some cardamom or lemon zest, or even chocolate!). Other toppings, like fresh berries, are also fun to experiment with.

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Poached Pears

Note that while the preparation is quick, the panna cotta does have to set for a few hours in the refrigerator, so prepare well ahead of dessert time.

Ingredients

• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon agar agar powder (we used NOW Foods Brand Agar Powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Pears

• 1 large pear, not too soft, seeds removed and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 cloves
• 1 cardamom pod, cracked open
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1.  Add coconut milk and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Lower heat to simmer, and whisk in the agar agar powder. Continue to simmer and whisk for 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract, and pour into ramekins or other small heat-resistant bowls. Let cool on the counter for about 20 minutes, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

For the Pears

1. In a large skillet, bring the water to a boil and dissolve the sugar in it.
2. Add the pear slices and spices, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 20-25 minutes until the pears are soft.
3. Remove from heat, add lemon juice, and let cool. Save in an airtight container until you’re ready to use them.

Romesco is a delicious Spanish sauce made with roasted peppers and nuts. It is typically thickened with bread crumbs, which don’t add anything to the flavor. To make this recipe gluten-free we just left them out. Johnson’s Backyard Garden has a lot of delicious sweet peppers right  now – including red carmens, orange yummies (my favorite), and yellow ringos – that would be great in this recipe. The sauce can be used in place of tomato marinara or served cold with a crudité.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet peppers, roasted and peeled
• 1/4 pound ripe tomatoes, roasted
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup whole blanched almonds
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon sherry (optional)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Pulse peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and almonds in a food processor until thoroughly chopped.
2. Blend the ingredients and add vinegar, sherry, and olive oil.
3. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

Seeds, berries, and fruit make this pie suitable for man and beasts alike. It was largely inspired by our neighbors Brenna and Brian. They host monthly vegan dinners where they introduced us to sunflower seed crusts with tart fruit fillings.

For the Birds Pie

Ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raw hemp seeds
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons non-margarine dairy free butter substitute
• 5 small peaches, halved and peeled 
• 1 pint strawberries, cored
• 1/2 cup frozen cranberries
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon agar powder
• 2 tablespoons egg replacer
• 1 pinch cinnamon
• Salt

Preparation

1. In a food processor, combine sunflower and hemp seeds with white sugar, a pinch of salt, and butter substitute. Pulse the mixture until a dough forms. Press the crust mixture into a pie dish and set aside. 
2. Combine peaches, strawberries, and cranberries with lemon zest honey, molasses, and cinnamon until smooth. Gradually sprinkle in agar, egg replacer, and a pinch of salt, then continue mixing. Pour the mixture into the crust.
3. Bake the pie at 350 degrees until the crust is lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Allow the pie to cool before serving. Top with a vegan whipped topping or vanilla ice cream.

Last weekend AFBA members and attendees of BlogHer were invited to an event hosted by the National Mango Board. We had the opportunity to try some great mango based food and cocktails at Swift’s Attic and the Mango Board was kind enough to send us a box of mangoes!  One of our gift mangoes was under-ripe which is a fantastic opportunity to create this classic southeast Asian salad.

Green Mango Salad

Ingredients

• 1 green mango, deseeded and  julienned 
• 1 bunch green onions, diced, greens discarded
• 1/2 head of purple cabbage, shredded
• 1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 1 Thai chili or serrano pepper, minced (optional)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon vegetarian fish sauce (available at Asian markets)
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
• Juice of 2 key limes
• Pinch of sugar

Preparation

1. Combine mango, green onions, cabbage, peanuts, cilantro, hot and pepper in a large bowl.
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, sesame oil, key lime juice, and sugar.
3. Add the dressing to the salad, tossing to combine.

This is an easy three course meal for a person on their own. This is my version of Microwave Cooking for One.

Ingredients 

• 1 portabello mushroom cap, stem removed
• 1/4 block of tofu, crumbled
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 small tomatoes, sliced and divided
• 2 small Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 a medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3-5 fresh sage leaves, coarsely chopped
• olive oil
• 2 small yellow summer squashes
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Combine tofu, walnuts, garlic, and thyme with a pinch of salt and stuff the potabello. Place on the cookie sheet and top with 1/2 of the tomato slices. 
2. Combine remaining tomato slices with squash in a corner of the cookie sheet. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt.
3. In the opposing corner, combine potatoes, onion, and sage. Drizzle with olive oil and s pinch of salt.
4. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake at 400 degrees until the potatoes are tender and slightly browned, 30-45 minutes.
5. All the sheet to cool to the touch then enjoy!

Tip: If you don’t transfer the meal to a plate you can save time washing an unnecessary dish!

Zucchini Fritters with Poblano Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, grated
• 1 small white onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup flour or gluten-free flour blend
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil cooking spray

Sauce

• 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise substitute
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 small poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, and minced
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Combine flax seed and water and set aside to soak.
2. Combine zucchini and a pinch of salt in a large mesh strainer. Set aside and allow water to drain for about 5 minutes. Press slightly with a wooden spoon to release excess liquid.
3. When zucchini has drained, combine in a large bowl with onions, garlic, and flax seed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet iron skillet over high heat until hot, then reduce heat to medium-low. Spray pan with cooking spray.  Form palm-sized patties from zucchini mixture and carefully place in skillet. Cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until the other side is browned.
5. Continue cooking fritters, re-greasing the skillet between each fritter, until all the zucchini mixture is used.
6. While the fritters are cooking combine the sauce ingredients in a small dish.
7. Serve fritters warm, drizzled with sauce.

This recipe is inspired by the hash served by the excellent Broder in Portland.  If you have some kind of fancy dicing tool, I highly recommend using it because dicing all those root veggies by hand is quite a task!

Root Vegetable Hash with Sauteed Greens

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pound potatoes,  1/8-inch diced
• 1/2 pound mixed other root vegetables (celery root, beet, rutabaga, and/or turnip), peeled and 1/8-inch diced
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
• 1 cup dandelion greens, shredded
• 1 cup dino kale, shredded
• 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
• 5  tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup pickled beets, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1.  In a large soup pot, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add diced root vegetables and onions and saute uncovered. Stir occasionally until vegetables are caramelized and tender, about 30 minutes. Add sage, remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  If you don’t have a large enough pot, feel free to do the hash in smaller batches, then reheat after all the batches are cooked.
2. White the hash is cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a wok or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add shredded dandelion greens, kale, and cabbage.  Stir continuously until the greens reduce in volume by 2/3 and are tender, about 5 minutes. Finish with apple cider vinegar, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. When the hash is finished, serve topped with greens and pickled beets.

Fizzes are a very refreshing class of cocktails for summer. This version uses one of our favorite aperitifs and a brandy, but at your home bar have fun playing with other fortified wines or liqueurs and base spirits.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces brandy 
• 3/4 ounce Cardamaro
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• Carbonated water
• Lemon twist

Preparation

1. shake brandy, cardamaro, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters with ice. 
2. Poor in to a collins glass filled with ice. Top with carbonated water, stir, and garnish with a lemon twist.

This pizza was inspired by one we had a Portobello, a fantastic vegan restaurant in Portland. We also used it as an excuse to try our hands at a cauliflower pizza crust.

Papa Pizza with Cauliflower Crust

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 pound cauliflower florets, pulsed in a food processor
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed soaked in 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/2 cup flour or gluten-free flour blend
• 1 tablespoon tapioca or rice flour
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon dry thyme
• 3 fresh sprigs of basil
• 4-5 fresh sage leaves
• 1-1/2 cups water
• salt to taste

Pizza

• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato, extremely thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 large yellow onions, very thinly sliced
• 5 dried porcini mushrooms slices, reconstituted and diced
• 4-5 rosemary tips
• Smoked salt

Preparation

1. First caramelize the onions.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions along with a dash of salt, stirring until onions start to release liquids. Lower heat to medium low and stir occasionally until the onions are completely wilted and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. If onions begin to burn lower the heat.
2. While the onions caramelize  prepare the crust by combining cauliflower, ground flax, cornmeal, flours, garlic, and herbs in a food processor and blend or pulse until incorporated. Add water about 1/8th of a cup at a time until ingredients are somewhat cohesive and smooth. 
3. Smooth dough in a well greased pizza or cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees until top and edges begin to brown, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.
4. Assemble the pizza by spreading the pesto evenly on top, then layer onions, mushrooms, and rosemary. Top with a layer of potato slices, a drizzle or spritz of olive oil, and a sprinkle of smoked salt.
5. Bake at 375 until the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes.

It is causa time! This version is inspired by the one we enjoyed at Portland’s upscale Peruvian restaurant, Andina. It just so happens that most of the ingredients are in season and available from Johnson’s Backyard Garden this week.

Green Bean and Tomato Causa

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, boiled until tender
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quarters
• 1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons purple onion, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 medium avocado
• 6 key limes, juiced
• 2 tablespoons aji amarillo paste
• 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise substitute

Preparation

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, then blanch the green bean pieces for about 30 seconds.
2. Prepare the vegetable salad by combining tomatoes, blanched green beans, and onion in a large bowl with the juice of 2 key limes and minced parsley. Season with salt to taste.
3. Prepare the potato mixture by combining potatoes, juice of 3 lime limes, aji amarillo paste, and vegan mayo in a large bowl. Use a potato masher to combine until smooth, then salt to taste. 
4. Prepare the causa by creating a smooth layer of potato on the bottom of a casserole dish. Add a layer of vegetable salad and garnish with avocado slices. Sprinkle with remaining lime juice and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.