Robin Robertson

It was just a matter of time before I reinterpreted the elements of the classic Vietnamese banh mi sandwich to make these tasty little crostini. l For those of you who are keeping track, so far I have translated the beloved sandwich into a pizza, a salad, a noodle dish, spring rolls, and now… crostini.

This latest variation uses thin slices of baguette and piles the various fillings on top, for little mini open-faced sandwiches.  They’re great alone or do as I did, and serve them as an accompaniment to a bowl of pho noodle soup.

Banh Mi Crostini
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise (I use Just Mayo)
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, or more to taste
1 cup shredded cabbage and carrot (you can use some shredded slaw mix to save time)
2 teaspoons chopped pickled jalapeños
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (or Thai basil leaves)
1 baguette, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, lightly toasted

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray.  Add the tofu and hoisin and cook over medium-high heat, turning the tofu to coat with the hoisin.  Remove from the heat and set aside. 
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sriracha. (You can omit the sriracha if you don’t like the heat.)
In a small bowl, combine the shredded cabbage and carrot with the jalapenos, vinegar, salt, and sugar.  Toss to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
Spread the mayonnaise mixture onto one side of the baguette slices.  Top with the cilantro or Thai basil, followed by some tofu, and then some of the slaw. Arrange on a plate and serve.
Serves 4

So what do you do if you have extra ingredients?  I guess you could do what I did:  make a banh mi sandwich!

As you probably know if you read my blog or my cookbooks, I’m a fiend for cauliflower — especially ROASTED cauliflower!  It’s like it becomes an entirely different (and even more delicious) vegetable when roasted.  So when I added some caper berries while roasting, and then drizzled it with an easy-peasy hollandaise before serving, it became the best-tasting dish of a weekend filled with really great food.  I mean, this stuff has been haunting my dreams, it’s so good.

Before I share the recipe, let me tell you a bit about caper berries.The diminutive capers we all know and love are the edible flower buds of the caper bush, but if the caper bud is not picked and is allowed to flower, the resulting fruit will be the rather sizeable (and delicious) caper berry.

You may recall, I have a fondness for caper berries, having stuffed them and wrapped them in pastry in a previous blog post:

Here’s the brand of caper berries I use:

And, for comparison, this shows the relative size of capers and caper berries:

Now, on to the recipe…..

Roasted Cauliflower and Caper Berries with Hollandaise
Serves 4

1 large head cauliflower, core and leaves removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup caper berries (see Note)
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise (use Just Mayo brand, if available)
2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch of ground annatto or turmeric (optional, for color)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil one or two large baking pans or rimmed cookie sheets or spray them with cooking spray.  Set aside.
Place the cauliflower on a cutting board, cored-side down, and use a serrated knife to cut the cauliflower into 1/2-inch slices, as if you were cutting a loaf of bread. Some of the “slices” will fall apart – that’s okay.
Arrange the cauliflower slices and pieces on the prepared baking pans and drizzle with the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and turn over the pieces with a large metal spatula.  Add the caper berries to the pan, placing them in between the pieces of cauliflower.  Return the pan to the oven and continue roasting until the cauliflower is tender and nicely browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
 While the cauliflower is roasting, make the hollandaise. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, if using, mustard, and annatto, if using. Stir well until smooth and thoroughly combined.
When the cauliflower and caper berries are done roasting, transfer them to a platter or shallow serving bowl and drizzle with the hollandaise.  Serve hot.

Note:  if you don’t have caper berries, you can substitute about 2 tablespoons of regular capers.

I am beyond excited to announce my upcoming cookbook, due to hit the shelves in early September.  It’s called Vegan Without Borders and this hardcover full color book is truly a dream come true for me. Anyone who knows my work, knows that I’m crazy about international cuisines and I love the way vegan food has almost become synonymous with global fare. 

For a long time, I’ve wanted to share my absolute favorite recipes from around the world and the phrase “vegan without borders” sat in my idea file for a long time. As I explain in the Introduction, I call the book Vegan Without Borders because while fantastic flavors know no boundaries, neither do most vegans when it comes to enjoying great-tasting food. 

Another reason I’m especially excited about this book is the photos!  The super-talented Sara Remington took the gorgeous photos for this book – each one more beautiful than the next.  I just have to share one of my favorites so you can see why I’m so thrilled.  Here’s Sara’s photo of the papri chat.  I want this framed and hanging on my wall!

I hope you’ll love Vegan Without Borders as much as I do!

I’ll be sharing more about the book in the months to come, but for now, I just wanted to let you know about it.

It’s now available for pre-order on Amazon. (Did you know that if you order a book, for example, my current tome, More Quick-Fix Vegan, and also pre-order Vegan Without Borders, you’ll get free shipping for both of them.) Just sayin’….

One of my favorite flavor combos is the one found in a Nicoise Salad:  the melding of creamy potatoes, fresh green beans, sweet tomatoes, and piquant olives hits all the right flavor notes.  And while the salad itself, served on a bed of crisp lettuce, is one of my go-to salads, I also like to let the ingredients play out in other arenas, including a main-dish saute like this recipe for Chickpeas Nicoise from my new book More Quick-Fix Vegan.  The already quick and easy recipe can be made even faster if you use leftover roasted potatoes or steamed green beans. 

The photo was taken by Zsu Dever who has her own fantastic book coming out soon entitled Everyday Vegan Eats.  It’s available for pre-order on Amazon. While you’re on Amazon, be sure to check out How to be Vegan by Elizabeth Castoria — it’s a great book with lots of helpful info for vegans, new and old.  Oh, and I wrote the recipes for the book! 

And now for the recipe for Chickpeas Nicoise from More Quick-Fix Vegan. 

By the way, if you’d like to see more photos of the recipes from More Quick-Fix Vegan, be sure to visit my Pinterest page for the book. 

And if you already have More Quick-Fix Vegan (or any of my other books) please tell the world about them via a brief review on Amazon — it only takes a minute of your time, and I’d really appreciate it.  (thanks!)

Chickpeas Nicoise

from More Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Robertson (c) 2014, Andrews McMeel Publishing. 

Serves 4

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered or sliced 1/4-inch thick
6 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons Kalamata or Niçoise olives, pitted and halved
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

Steam the potatoes for 5 minutes, then add the green beans and steam until both are just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and scallions and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.  Add the potatoes and green beans and season with salt and pepper to taste and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and olives and heat through, about 2 minutes longer. Drizzle on the vinegar, add the parsley and basil. Toss gently to combine and serve.

It’s been great to hear from so many of you who have been loving the recipes in my newest book, More Quick-Fix Vegan.  One of the new features in this book that has been getting lots of attention is the chapter of “Pantry Makes Perfect” Recipes.  

While all the recipes in More Quick-Fix Vegan can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, the recipes in this chapter go one step further by using only pantry ingredients.  After all, sometimes we’re too busy to shop for ingredients to make dinner — even a quick one.  

The recipes in the “Pantry Makes Perfect” chapter provide easy meal solutions because the ingredients to make them are as close as your own pantry.  There are recipes in that chapter for hearty main dishes, such as Pantry Paella, Artichoke-Walnut “Quiche,” Pantry Burgers, and even a few “pantry-perfect” dessert recipes including Pantry Black Forest Cake.

Here’s the recipe for one of my favorites from the chapter — Three-Bean Pantry Chili (photo by Zsu Dever) .  This is my go-to chili when time is short. 

Three-Bean Pantry Chili
Serves 4
A selection of canned beans combined with a jar of salsa and some chili powder are combined here for an almost effortless pot of chili.  Vary the beans according to what’s on hand (lentils are great in this!) and add some TVP or chopped Soy Curls, if you like.  The optional corn kernels make a tasty addition.  Naturally, if you have any chili toppings on hand such as avocado, scallions, or vegan sour cream, feel free to use them at will. This recipe is from More Quick-Fix Vegan by Robin Robertson (c) 2014, Andrews McMeel Publishing.

1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (24-ounce) jar salsa (hot or mild)
2 to 3 tablespoons chili powder
1 (8-ounce) can corn kernels, drained (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, reserving half the corn, if using.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through and long enough to cook off any raw taste from the chili powder, 15 to 20 minutes. Add up to 1 cup of water if the chili is too thick. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining half of corn kernels.