Recipes

Potato, Pesto, and Caramelized Onion Polenta Pizza

March 1, 2025

Potato, Pesto, and Caramelized Onion Polenta Pizza

This pizza is great cooked on the grill outdoors when it is too hot to turn on the oven. It is filling without the heavy brick-in–the-stomach feeling that most pizzas leave you with. For a quick alternative to homemade polenta, buy premade polenta available in most grocery stores. It comes in a log shape and can be sliced and topped to make individual pizzettes.
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 Pizzas

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups cold water
  • 1 cup cornmeal or polenta *
  • 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes thinly sliced
  • 2 medium yellow onions peeled and diced
  • 1 cup Basil Pesto recipe follows
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast optional
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the water and cornmeal to a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Once the mixture starts to boil, cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Season with salt and divide the polenta between two non-stick pizza pans.
  • Place the two polenta crusts in the refrigerator and chill until set.
  • While the crusts chill, steam the potatoes in a double boiler or steamer basket over medium heat until tender. Set aside and let cool.
  • Place the onions in a medium saucepan and sauté over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until well browned. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to keep the onions from sticking to the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Divide the pesto in half and spread over each of the two pans of polenta.
  • Arrange the potatoes over the pesto, top with the caramelized onions, and sprinkle with the nutritional yeast if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*You can use masa harina to make polenta. It acts in much the same way as instant polenta. You will need to use 2 cups of masa instead of 1 cup called for above., and you only need to cook it for a minute until it thickens.
Keyword Pizza, pesto, vegan
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Recipes

Mexican Brownie Parfait

May 2, 2024

 

Mexican Brownie Parfait

I love Chef Aj’s Black Bean Brownies. I used to sell them in my deli case, and they were always a hit. I once made a version similar to this for a catering job where I cut the brownies into small pieces and placed them in a parfait glass, topped them with Chocolate Pudding and fresh berries. This recipe is a spicy version of that dish.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1½ cup black beans
  • 1 cup maple syrup or date syrup Ilovedatelady.com
  • ½ cup unsweetened plant milk
  • ¾ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup unsweetened cacao powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips
  • ⅓ cup chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans or pistachios
  • Chocolate Pudding see recipe
  • 1½ cups fresh berries for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Put the black beans, maple syrup, and plant milk in a blender; puree until smooth.
  • Add the oats, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, flax seed, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and vanilla to the blender and process until smooth.
  • Pour the batter into a non-stick pan. Top with chocolate chip and chopped nuts
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes.
  • Let cool before cutting into 12 brownies.
  • To serve, crumble the brownies into each of six to eight parfait cups.
  • Spoon some of the chocolate pudding over the brownies, and top with fresh berries.
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Recipes

Gur Cake

February 27, 2024

Gur Cake

Gur Cake is an Irish confection consisting of two thin shortbread layers sandwiching a rich filling made with breadcrumbs, dried fruit and spices.
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Ingredients
  

  • 12 slices whole grain bread crusts removed
  • 1½ cup strong black tea or unsweetened apple juice
  • ½ cup maple syrup or date paste
  • 1⅓ cup raisins
  • ½ tsp. ginger
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp. cloves
  • ¼ tsp. nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp. coriander
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • Crust
  • 6 Tbsp Almond butter
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup almond flour
  • 2 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. Sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Filling Directions
  • To make the filling, tear the bread into large pieces and add it to a bowl with the tea. Mash well.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for one hour.
  • Remove the bread crumb mixture from the refrigerator and add the baking powder. Set aside while you make the filling.
  • Make the Cake
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Combine the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Mix well.
  • Combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk to mix well.
  • Add the flour mixture to the almond butter mixture and gently fold together.
  • Press half of the mixture into an 8 inch b y 8 inch non-stick baking dish.
  • Spoon the filling over the dough and spread it evenly over the dough.
  • Spoon the remaining dough over the filling and gently press it down.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping is browned.
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Recipes

Millet “Sausage”

February 1, 2024

 

Millet “Sausage”

Adapted from the The China Study Family Cookbook, by Del Sroufe This sausage is perfect for several dishes that I like to make. I use it as a topping for Pizza, as a breakfast sandwich on homemade biscuits, or any time that sausage is called for in a recipe. You can make extra and freeze the patties to use later in your favorite recipe.
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Servings 12 to 10 sausage patties

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ¼ cups water
  • 1 cup millet
  • ¼ cup minced yellow onion
  • 4 garlic cloves minced (about 4 tsp)
  • 2 sun-dried tomatoes minced
  • 2 Tablespoon tamari or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 3 Tablespoons flaxseed meal soaked in ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Combine the water and millet in a 2-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook until the millet is tender, about 20 minutes (see note).
  • While the millet cooks, sauté the onion in a small skillet over medium-high heat until it turns translucent and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed, to keep the onion from sticking to the pan.
  • Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tamari, sage, fennel, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for another minute to toast the seasonings.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the flaxseed meal soaked in water, nutritional yeast and cooked millet, season with sea salt, and mix well.
  • Using a ¼-cup measure or small ice cream scoop, shape the millet mixture into patties and place them on a nonstick or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the patties slightly.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, turn over the patties, and continue to bake until the patties are firm to the touch and lightly browned, another 10 minutes or so.
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Recipes

Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip)

June 3, 2023

Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip)

This dip is for garlic lovers. Toum is usually made with a lot of oil, but I make it with pureed cauliflower or silken tofu with great results. I often serve it with my Ginger Tamari Baked Jackfruit or Tofu, and I make sure that I am not having company that day.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups steamed cauliflower florets or extra firm silken tofu

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a blender and process until smooth and creamy.
  • Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 day
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Blog Recipes

Chef Del’s Favorite Picnic

June 2, 2023

Here you’ll find new recipes to make your picnic stand out from the crowd. They are healthy, delicious and easy to prepare. Scroll down to see the recipes.

Exciting News!

Whole Food Plant-Based Cooking, The Beginners Course is here. Click here to learn more.

Summer’s Best Barbecue Sauce

Ginger Tamari Jackfruit

Toum (Lebanese Garlic Dip)

Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Curried Mayonnaise

Recipes

Pineapple Barbecue Sauce

Pineapple Barbecue Sauce

I made a version of this sauce using peaches instead of pineapple for a private cooking class because my student could not eat tomatoes. I used apple butter in place of the tomato sauce with tasty results. Then one day I wanted to try some other fruits. Pineapple is my favorite because it is sweet enough to flavor the sauce without additional sugar.
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Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Servings 3 Cups

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups pineapple chunks pureed
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp tamari or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses
  • 1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Keyword barbecue, chef del, Plant based, vegan
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Recipes

Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich

 

Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich

I’ve been a big fan of mock tuna salad recipes for years. I make them like my mom used to make tuna salad, with mayo and pickle relish, but every now and then I want to kick it up a notch. This recipe is one of the ways I go “next-level” with my chickpea salad.
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Ingredients
  

  • 2 – 15 ounce cans chickpeas  rinsed and drained  (about 3 cups)
  • 1 small red onion diced small
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced
  • 1  gala apple  diced small
  • ½ jalapeno pepper minced
  • ¼ cup golden raisins
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • ¼ cup  roasted peanuts chopped
  • 1 Recipe Curried Mayonnaise
  • Instructions

Instructions
 

  • Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas into a medium sized bowl and roughly mash them with a potato masher.   Alternatively, pulse chop them in a food processor until mashed but not puréed.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients and dressing, mix well.
  • Serve as a sandwich with lettuce and tomato, or on a bed of greens.
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Recipes

Cauliflower Sour “Cream”

April 1, 2023

 

Cauliflower Sour “Cream”

From an upcoming cookbook by Del Sroufe I usually make sour  “cream” with silken tofu. It is quick, easy and delicious. I have a few friends who can not eat tofu, and when they come over for dinner I make this recipe instead of the one made with tofu. It is equally delicious and almost as easy.
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Course Sauce
Servings 2 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups cauliflower florets steamed for 8- 10 minutes until tender
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp white wine vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, if needed to make a creamy sauce.
  • Store refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Keyword cauliflower, Plant based, sour cream, vegan
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Recipes

“Fried” Apples

"Fried" Apples

From an upcoming cookbook by Del Sroufe Mom often made fried apples when we were kids, and we loved them. Her version was cooked with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon. My healthier version uses date paste as the sweetener and skips the butter without skipping the flavor.
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 6 granny Smith apples halved seeded and sliced

Instructions
 

  • Add the dates and water to a blender and puree until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour the mixture into a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the mixture starts to thicken.
  • Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, and sea salt. Mix well
  • Add the apples and cook for 10 minutes, until the apples are tender.
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