by Sidonie Maroon, abluedotkitchen.com

I wrote most of the recipes I’m sharing in June. It motivated me to get ahead, in case the scheduled July “Vegan Feast for NonVegans” class was a go. Oh well, I’m sure you’ve guessed — Surprise! It’s postponed. Don’t despair loyal students, it’ll happen.

In the meantime, while we’re waiting, I thought I’d chat a bit about what it was like for an omnivore, to devote several weeks to a vegan immersion.

We already eat a lot of plants, buy and grow locally sourced produce, refrain from processed foods, and do our own baking, so that wasn’t a stretch.

I had to think harder about the basics that I make by rote, like mayo. How was I going to get a creamy and delicious mayo without eggs? It took me several tries and one disastrous bowl of inedible glob before I got it right. What was the secret? Well, besides tofu, it was dipping into ingredients and techniques from molecular gastronomy. Cool science stuff like guar gum and agar-agar flakes. I was in heaven! My kitchen laboratory was bubbling over with experiments.

Vegan. What fun. I had limits and that sparks creativity. The challenge was to cook without eggs, butter, milk, meat or honey — oops I used honey in the pickled onions (Just use the equivalent amount of coconut sugar if you’re vegan.) It was invigorating to invent unorthodox ways to solve problems.

Vegan cuisine is a groundbreaking, and experimental place. There’s plenty of open sky and possibilities. It’s full of flavor, color, texture, spices and innovation. I lean into those spaces.

Besides the creative inspiration, I appreciated making dishes that were budget friendly, and have a lower carbon footprint. It made me realize that I could make our main meal plant based, most of the time, without pushback from the family. My husband appreciated having comfort foods, like the burgers on buns with mayo and sauce. We always love Nice Cream. I might have to make some tonight.

I looked at a lot of vegan recipes online while writing these recipes. Not impressed. I feel that excellent food needs the best we can give it.

My attention to classic technique didn’t change while on this adventure. Perhaps that’s why vegan had a less than four-star reputation in the past? Now top-notch chefs are bringing talent to the vegan scene, and it’s exciting.

Vegan Cuisine

● Balance between the salt, acid, heat and sweetness within the dish

● Pay extra attention to variations in texture, like the smooth and crunchy component— “Sweet Potato Skordalia” or topping with toasted coconut flakes— “Barbecued black-eyed-peas”.

● Highlight shape- “Spiralized Zucchini with Miso Sesame Dressing,”

● Break expectations, but deliver flavor— “Green Tea and Madrona Smoked Honey Red Onion Pickles”

● Umami flavors may be the most important component to savory vegan cuisine, because they satisfy the craving for rich flavors.

● Don’t skimp on healthy fats. Once again, the body craves enough protein and fats. We prefer fatty foods, and given a choice, without constraint, will choose them. Mouthfeel is especially important in plant-based dishes.

Step out of your comfort zone, play the edge, experiment. Try on someone else’s food for a while. You don’t have to commit, but it will enrich your repertoire and inspire a new outlook. What do you have to lose? -Sidonie

Plant Based Celebration Menu

Green Tea and Madrona Smoked Honey Red Onion Pickles

Barbecue Black-Eyed Peas with Hickory Smoked Coconut Flakes

Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

Sweet Potato Skordalia

Sunflower Seed Buns (See post https://www.foodcoop.coop/blog/sunflower-seed-buns

and my plant burger article https://www.foodcoop.coop/blog/planet-burgers)

Fruity Nice Cream

Green Tea and Madrona Smoked Honey Red Onion Pickles

Makes 1 quart

Quick

Crunchy mildly spiced onions with a hint of smoky sweetness. Perfect for Planet burgers, eating as a side or in salads.

Ingredients

4 cups thinly sliced red onion rings, halved

1 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1 cup freshly brewed green tea

2 tablespoons madrona smoked honey, or other raw honey

¼ teaspoon monk fruit powder

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

1 cinnamon stick, broken

5 black peppercorns

1 star anise pod

3 allspice berries

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Blanch onions in boiling water for 1 minute, and dunk in an ice bath to cool. Drain and set into a work bowl. Meanwhile, bring the other ingredients, except the monk fruit powder, to a boil and turn off the heat. Stir in the monk fruit powder. Infuse the pickling liquid for 20 minutes. When the infusion is cool, strain and pour over the onions, allowing them to pickle for at least 2 hours or overnight. Pickles will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Barbecue Black-Eyed Peas with Hickory Smoked Coconut Flakes

Makes 1 quart

side dish

1 hour

You will never have to wonder what to do with black-eyed peas again. This will do the trick, every time. Try this dish with a side of sautéed greens, and lots of crunchy chips. I used the Instant Pot to cook my black-eyed peas. Combining 2 cups dry legumes, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1 quart water. High Pressure for 45 minutes with an instant release.

Ingredients

4 cups cooked, rinsed and drained black-eyed peas.

2 medium onions, cut in half, top to bottom, and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup Maroon’s barbecue sauce

½ cup large cut, unsweetened, coconut flakes, toasted

3 tablespoons hickory chips for smoking coconut flakes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lay the onions, rubbed with olive oil, on a parchment lined, rimmed, large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and stir. Baking for another 15 minutes. Using the same baking sheet, gently stir the black-eyed peas and barbeque sauce into the onions. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.

While the black-eyed peas bake, use a stove top smoker to hickory smoke the coconut flakes. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. I used 3 tablespoons of fine hickory chips and smoked the coconut flakes for 30 minutes. If you choose not to smoke the coconut flakes, then toast or dehydrate them until crunchy.

Serve the black-eyed peas hot, topped with coconut flakes. The sweet, spicy hot dish is especially good with something crunchy like warmed chips.

Sunflower Seed Buns

Makes 8
1 ½ hours including baking time

The miracle bun for the planet burger. They’re easy to make using a Vitamix to grind a flour that uses whole pseudo grains and chickpeas. The buns have a nutty flavor, and dark crust with lots of protein and diverse forms of fiber. This dough also works well for split sandwich rolls.

Ingredients

½ cup pre-washed quinoa

1/4 cup whole chickpeas

1/4 cup amaranth seed

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats

3 tablespoons psyllium seed husk powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

2 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a high speed blender, grind the quinoa, chickpeas, amaranth, buckwheat, flax, psyllium seed husk powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda into a flour. Stop the machine and stir the mix, as necessary, until it’s evenly ground. Dump the flour into a work bowl.

Using a large rubber spatula, stir in the boiling water and apple cider vinegar into the flour, creating a soft dough.

Let the dough cool enough to shape into 8 evenly sized buns. Use a sharp knife to cut a narrow slit or cross onto the top of each bun.

Bake on a middle rack at 425 F for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes more. Let the buns cool for 1/2 hour or longer before eating. They’re best when the interior has had time to set.

Spiralized Zucchini Salad with Miso Sesame Dressing

Serves 4

Quick

A standout elegant salad with an Asian flavors. Serve with avocado slices.

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini, spiralized into reasonable-sized pieces

3 medium sweet red bell peppers, cut into thin rounds and halved

1 ½ cups mung bean sprouts

1 cup roasted cashews, chopped

1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

Sliced avocado for serving

Dressing

½ cup rice vinegar

½ cup white miso

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons wasabi paste or powder

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 ⅓ cup avocado oil

Directions

Add zucchini and peppers to a salad bowl and toss with salt and chili powder.

Puree dressing ingredients except the avocado oil in a food processor. With the machine running add the oil in a thin stream. Add as much dressing as needed to the zucchini and peppers, top with bean sprouts and cashews. Serve immediately with salted avocado slices. Set a bowl with extra dressing at the table.

Sweet Potato Skordalia

Instant Pot

Makes 3 cups

45 minutes

Sweet, sour, mildly hot, smooth and crunchy. This simple side dish is a flavor sensation. Serve at room temperature with warm flatbread and sauteed mildly bitter greens or just eat it as is. Wonderful picnic food or for outside entertaining.

Ingredients

1.5 lb white sweet potatoes (about 2 medium)

1 head white garlic

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seed

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon dried rosemary, freshly dried is best

1 teaspoon Maldon flaked salt

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Extra salt and chili powder to sprinkle over the skordalia before serving

Directions

Using the Instant Pot, set the whole pierced sweet potatoes and head of garlic with its top cut off, into a steamer basket, with 1 cup of water below. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes with a natural release.

While the sweet potatoes and garlic cook, grind the coriander, black peppercorns, red chili powder, rosemary and salt together into a coarse spice powder.

When done, cool the sweet potatoes enough to take the peels off. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins into a food processor; add the spice powder, olive oil and lemon juice. Process until it emulsifies the sauce. Add the sweet potatoes, cut into chunks, and pulse into a smooth puree, but not long enough to create any gumminess. Scrape the skordalia into a serving bowl and fold in the toasted and chopped walnuts. Taste and sprinkle with a pinch more salt and red chili.

Fruity Nice Cream

Makes 3 cups

Quick

It’s ice cream delicious, but sugar free, vegan and oh so easy.

Ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight

2 bananas, frozen and cut into small chunks

1 cup fresh frozen fruit of choice

½ teaspoon monk fruit powder or stevia (optional)

½ teaspoon guar gum

Directions

In a high powered blender, or a food processor, add the can of cold coconut milk. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Enjoy right away or freeze in small cups for later.