Robin Robertson

Today’s featured recipe  is Shredded Vegetable Fritters.  These fritters are supremely versatile, not just because you can make them using different vegetables, but you can change up the seasonings as well. For example, a dash of curry powder will change their character, as will substituting cilantro for the parsley or adding some minced hot chile.  You can also leave out the cumin and coriander in favor of thyme and sage for a great Thanksgiving side dish.  Depending on how you season the fritters, you can serve them with vegan sour cream, applesauce, chutney, salsa, or cranberry sauce.

I hope you’re enjoying this 30 Days of Vegan Cooking feature from the Revised Edition of Vegan Planet.  I’d love to hear what you think so far!

Shredded Vegetable Fritters

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Serves 4

Use a hand grater or the shredding disk of a food processor to shred the vegetables. If you don’t have oat flour on hand, you can grind it yourself in a food processor using rolled oats.

 

Ingredients

1 small red onion, shredded

1 large sweet potato, peeled and shredded

1 carrot, shredded

3 scallions, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup oat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Neutral vegetable oil for frying

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Combine the shredded onion, sweet potato, and carrot in a colander. Press out the liquid and transfer the vegetables to a large bowl. Stir in the scallions, parsley, flour, baking powder, coriander, salt, pepper, and cumin and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, stir in a small amount of plain unsweetened nondairy milk. If the mixture is too wet, sprinkle on a little more flour.

2. Pour a thin layer of oil in a large nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Scoop out a large spoonful of the vegetable mixture and press against it with your hand to tightly pack. Place the fritter in the hot pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Drain the cooked fritter on paper towels, then transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat until all of the vegetable mixture is used, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Serve hot.

 

 

Lucky #7 recipe of the day in my 30 Days of Vegan cooking is Scallion Pancakes with Sesame Seeds.  You can make these as two large pancakes and cut them into wedges to serve, or make lots of little pancakes — it’s up to you.  These are so easy to make and so delicious!

Here’s the recipe from the Revised Edition of Vegan Planet — due out in January, but available for pre-order now on Amazon.)

 

Scallion Pancakes with Sesame Seeds

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Makes 2 large pancakes (or several smaller ones)

 

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup boiling water, or more as needed

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

¾ cup minced scallions

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil

Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce (below)

 

Directions

1. Place the flour and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the water through the feed tube, adding a little more water, if necessary, until a dough ball forms. Remove from the food processor, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let rest for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Set one aside and cover. On a floured work surface, roll out the other piece of dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick. Brush on half of the sesame oil and press half of the scallions and half of the sesame seeds into the dough. Set aside and repeat with the remaining dough ball, sesame oil, scallions, and sesame seeds.

3. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place one of the pancakes in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, 5 to 7 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining oil and pancake.

4. Cut the pancakes into wedges and serve hot with the dipping sauce on the side.

 

 

Ginger-Lime Dipping Sauce

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Makes about ½ cup

 

 Ingredients

1 scallion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

¼ cup low-sodium tamari

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon natural sugar

 

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the scallion, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the tamari, lime juice, vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, and sugar. Blend well.

 2. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use. This sauce will keep for several days, but the flavors will intensify the longer it is kept.

 

30 Days of Vegan Cooking continues with Recipe # 6: Curried Cauliflower Pakoras. Much like the tempura of Japan or fritto misto of Italy, these classic batter-dipped fritters of India lend themselves to almost any vegetable. Try the cauliflower as suggested here, or use sliced zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, or onion—or any combination. Serve with your favorite chutney or a tamarind dipping sauce.

Curried Cauliflower Pakoras

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, trimmed and cored

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup chickpea flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1 cup water or club soda, as needed

Neutral vegetable oil, for frying

Chaat masala (optional; see Note)

Chutney, to serve

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275°F. Cut the cauliflower into slices about ¼ inch thick. You will end up with cross sections of the florets and some of them will fall apart—that’s okay. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking powder, cumin, coriander, and enough water to make a smooth batter. Mix well.

3. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. It’s hot enough when a small piece of bread dropped in the oil turns golden brown in about 1 minute. Place the cauliflower slices and pieces in the batter to coat, letting any excess drip off, then place them in the hot oil. Do not crowd. Cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with chaat masala, if using. Place in a baking pan and keep warm in the oven until all of the slices are fried. Serve hot with your favorite chutney.

NOTE: Chaat masala is a spice blend used as a condiment to sprinkle on Indian appetizers such as pakoras. This seasoning usually contains powdered mango and dried pomegranate seed.

 

I hope you’re enjoying this recipe feature from the Revised Edition of Vegan Planet!

Today is the beginning of the One-Dish Vegan Blog Tour!  During the next few weeks I will be “traveling” to various blogs with recipes from my new book, One-Dish Vegan. 

The first stop on the tour is Veggie Girl.  Check out all the great photos of the recipes Dianne has made from the book and pick up the recipe for Mac and Thai – you’ll be glad you did!  While you’re there, be sure to enter the giveaway to win a copy of One-Dish Vegan.  Even if you already have your copy, it makes a great gift!

Here is a list of the participants in the One-Dish Vegan Blog Tour — not all of the dates have been pinned down yet, so check back for updates and links to take you to each post.

ONE-DISH VEGAN BLOG TOUR

Veggie Girl – November 5

Olives for Dinner – November 10

Veg Kitchen  – November 11

Plant-Based Dietician – November 12

Pickles & Honey – November 12

Chic Vegan – November 14

Keepin’ It Kind – November 15

Cathe’s Kitchen – November 16

Vegan Appetite – November 18

Positively Vegan – November 18

Kim Cooks Veg 4U – November 18

Vegan Richa – November 19

Julie’s Kitchen – November 20

Healthy Slow-Cooking – November 22

 

also participating: date TBA:

Allison’s Gourmet

Hungry Vegan

Ugly Food Tastes Better

Veg-in-Training

Glue and Glitter

Cupcakes and Kale

 

 

 

 

Recipe #5 of 30 Days of Vegan Cooking is a fresh take on the old-fashioned onion dip made with dehydrated soup mix and gobs of dairy.  My version uses three types of fresh onions combined with vegan cream cheese and mayo.  For fun, I’ve made the dip into a “pie” with a potato chip crust, but you can skip that part if you like and just put the dip in a bowl. If you want to save time, you can use storebought mayo and cream cheese such as Vegenaise and Tofutti, or make them yourself with the recipes that are featured here.

Three-Onion Appetizer Pie

from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson

Serves 8

 Onion lovers will enjoy this fresh take on the ever-popular onion dip, turned into an appetizer pie with a potato chip crust. Although it looks like a pie, it is essentially still a dip and should be served with raw vegetables or more chips.

Ingredients

1 (6-ounce) bag potato chips

1/4 cup coarsely chopped red onion

1 large shallot, quartered

2 scallions, coarsely chopped

8 ounces vegan cream cheese, homemade (below) or purchased, at room temperature

3/4 cup vegan sour cream

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise, homemade (below) or purchased

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Cherry tomatoes, halved or sliced, for garnish

Black olives, pitted and halved or sliced, for garnish

Directions

1. Lightly oil a 9-inch pie plate, tart pan, or an 8-inch springform pan. Grind the chips in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the crumbs and press the remaining crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.

2. Place the onion, shallot, and scallions in a food processor and process until minced. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard, Tabasco, and salt and process until well combined. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the crumb crust and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

 3. Just before serving, arrange a border of cherry tomato halves or slices along the edge of the pie. Then arrange a ring of olive halves or slices inside the tomatoes. Sprinkle the reserved chip crumbs in the center and serve.

 

Vegan Cream Cheese

Makes about 2 cups (about 10 ounces)

 Easy to make at home, this vegan cream cheese is more economical than buying it readymade. You can use this in any recipe calling for vegan cream cheese.

 Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 3 hours or up to overnight, then drained

1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon mellow white miso paste

1 teaspoon agave nectar

6 ounces firm silken tofu, drained and blotted dry

½ teaspoon salt

 Directions

Combine the drained cashews, lemon juice, vinegar, miso, and agave in a food processor or high-speed blender and process until smooth. Add the tofu and salt and process until completely smooth and well blended. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Properly stored, it will keep well for up to 4 days.

 

Vegan Mayonnaise

 This is a low-fat, cholesterol-free version of the versatile condiment. Use it in any way you’d use the original—from sandwich spread to salad dressing.

 Makes about 1 cup

 Ingredients

6 ounces soft silken tofu, drained

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder

 Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

 2. Transfer to a glass jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 5 days.