Snack Oat Bars with Whole Lemon and Ginger

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Today, the whole-lemon train pulls into the snack station. It takes a minute to slice up the lemon and grate the ginger for these guys, but otherwise, they require absolutely no sweat. Your reward is a more complex lemon snack that includes tart pulp plus floral peel accented by bitter pith—all hugged in a chewy, mildly sweet blend of whole wheat and oats.

These bars are way more substantial than your average supermarket cereal bar, so they'll keep you satisfied for a good minute as a snack. And if you happen to have some vegan vanilla ice cream in the freezer, feel free to put a scoop atop a square for a fuss-free weeknight dessert.

Snack Oat Bars with Whole Lemon and Ginger

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serves 9 generously

1 very large lemon (or 2 small), scrubbed

knob of fresh ginger, 1 1/2 inches long by 1 inch wide, peeled

1/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup turbinado

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk

Trim one end off the lemon so you can see the pulp (discard pithy end). Use a sharp knife to carefully slice the lemon into paper-thin slices. It's far more important to get thin slices than it is to get whole slices, so concentrate on the paper-thin bit, and don't worry if you only get half-slices (or even less sometimes). Transfer to a small mixing bowl. Use a Microplane zester to grate ginger into mixing bowl. Add natural cane sugar to mixing bowl and gently toss until thoroughly mixed—this may take a minute, and don't worry if a lemon slice (or two) breaks. Set aside.

Heat oven to 350 with a rack placed in the center.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together oats, flour, nutmeg, and salt. Separately, whisk together applesauce and milk. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined.

Add a generous half of batter to a nonstick (or greased) 8"x8" pan. Press dough firmly and evenly into pan. Spread lemons evenly over dough. Pour any sugar and lemon juice in the bottom of the bowl over the lemon layer. Sprinkle remaining dough evenly in blobs atop lemons and press gently into a top layer (it should mostly cover the lemons, but you may have a spot or two of the lemon layer showing through).

Bake 37-40 minutes, until golden. Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting.

Pineapple, Black Bean and Poblano Salsa Fresca

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All this unseasonably warm weather in Knoxville has awoken cravings for water-rich fruits. But it's still February, so let's raid the citrus and frozen aisles of the grocer to scratch that itch.

This guy is really a cross between a salad and salsa fresca, since it gets a bona fide dose of dressing. But no matter. It still eats great on a corn chip. So, to your totally satisfying base of sweet-tart pineapple chunks, earthy black beans, gently piquant poblano, and fragrant green onions, you'll add a dressing of cilantro and mint, which pairs wonderfully with fruit. To really drive that home, you'll use a base of orange juice (also some lime), then give the whole thing a little body with olive oil and a little pine nuts. It's simple, fresh, criminally easy to make, and entirely lovable. Get munching.

Pineapple, Black Bean and Poblano Salsa Fresca

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serves 4-6

For the salsa:

1 15-oz can black beans

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks, thawed (or use roughly 1-inch fresh chunks)

1 medium poblano pepper, trimmed, seeded, and de-veined

2 scallions, trimmed

zest of 1/4 orange (app 1/2 tsp)

fine sea or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the dressing:

1/4 cup tightly packed cilantro

1/4 cup loosely packed mint leaves

2 TBSP pignoli (pine nuts)

3 TBSP orange juice

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP lime juice

1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Drain and rinse beans in a sieve. Set aside to let drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, chop pineapple chunks into roughly 1/2-inch chunks and transfer to a serving bowl. Chop poblano into small 1/4-inch dice and add to bowl. Finely slice tops and bottoms of scallions and add to bowl. Grate orange zest (before juicing the orange), add to mixing bowl, and set aside.

Make dressing by puréeing all ingredients until well blended, about 20 seconds. Add dressing, to taste, to mixing bowl and stir to combine thoroughly. (You may have a few tablespoons of dressing left over—if so, it works well as a green salad dressing, too.) Season to taste with freshly cracked black pepper and, gently, with salt (if serving with salted chips, you may not want to salt further at all).

Salsa can be served at once, but benefits from an hour's rest in the fridge for the dressing flavors to come together and season the fruit, veggies, and beans.

Orange, Dill, and Fennel Chickpea Salad with Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread

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There may be nothing handier than having a batch of chickpea salad hanging out in the fridge. Plus, making your own convenience foods gets you instant meals that are made to suit your tastes. Like this simple and flavorful little chickpea salad that will fill you up whether on a plate of munchies with crackers, tucked into a loaf of pita, or scooped atop big tender lettuce leaves. Mash up your chickpeas, stir in some dill, orange zest, and a little fennel seed, and you're set.

Well, almost. First, you whip up this simple tahini spread. Which is currently the favorite sandwich spread in the MSV kitchen. It's lemony and satisfying, and hangs onto a sandwich without running all over the place like thinner tahini sauces. And it's all thanks to pureeing in just a little bit of silken tofu. Did I mention handy?

Orange, Dill, and Fennel Chickpea Salad with Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread

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serves 4-6

2 15-oz cans chickpeas

2 TBSP fresh dill

zest of half an orange (about 1 tsp)

generous pinch fennel seed

1/3 cup Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread, recipe follows

fine sea or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Set aside in a sieve to let drain thoroughly while you prepare the other ingredients.

Transfer chickpeas to a mixing bowl and mash roughly with a potato masher. Stir in all other ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste.

Essential Fluffy Tahini Spread

yields about 1 cup

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup silken tofu (from an aseptic pack)

1/4 cup water

3 TBSP lemon juice

1 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Spread can be used immediately, but will firm and fluff up a bit after chilling in the refrigerator.

Party Animals No. 53: Fig Paste, Fig Syrup, and Instant Pantry Entertaining

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We have some catching up to do, don't we? Let's get to it.

I missed two weeks in a row, which is a first on MSV. It's a bummer but couldn't be helped. First, briefly, there's a cat in the MSV house feeling poorly.

What's more, that cat feeling poorly is nearly 18 years old. Yeah. I don't wanna talk about it.

Additionally, I have been busy with Libacious. Specifically, we had a couple of jobs that wanted a bunch of original development—much more than would usually go on. First, there was a masquerade murder-mystery birthday party for 12 and 13-year-olds at Westwood, complete with pomegranate sours shaken up for the kiddos. I was not about to miss the chance to design something to pour into a coupe glass for this event.

Also, I got to wear a masquerade mask.

 photo by Casey Fox

So much fun.

That was overlapped with/immediately followed by serving the signature cocktail for Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum's Green Thumb Gala. Meet the Barn Raiser.

photo by Temple Photography

There's a bunch of stuff in here: Assam tea spiced with allspice, black pepper, and cinnamon; fig-turbinado syrup; lemon juice; vodka; orange bitters; and orange blossom water—all garnished with sage leaves pinned to dehydrated orange slices and star anise.

I built the Barn Raiser from scratch, beginning with a single cocktail and scaling it all the way up to 380 servings. It was both nerve-racking and ultimately confidence-boosting, and, happily, brings us to today's recipes.

The fig-turbinado syrup is totally lovely. It obviously works in drinks (alcoholic or otherwise), but you can also drizzle it over vanilla ice cream or use it to jazz up breakfast.

New waffle recipe coming very, very soon, by the way.

What's more, when you finish making the syrup, you'll have some rehydrated figs on your hands, which means you're only moments away from a seriously dreamy batch of fig paste.

Which brings us to a note on instant entertaining, in case it helps anyone. Lots of tips you find online for items to keep on hand for surprise guests involve animal products, so it seems worth noting that a vegan platter does not have to be a chore. I hosted a business meeting on short notice (with Libacious' wildly talented graphic designer, Tricia Bateman), at which I knew we'd be having some special celebratory cocktails all the way from Edinburgh (brought back, thoughtfully, by my business partners).

And I never feel entirely comfortable serving drinks without something to nibble on. I had only about 20 minutes to get something onto the table. If I'd had just 15 or 20 minutes more, an almond pâté log would definitely have been the savory spread on the table, but them's the breaks.

Clockwise from left: lemony chickpea, artichoke, and red pepper spread; two cracker varieties; fig paste; and rosemary mixed nuts.

The artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and red peppers all came straight from the pantry to combine with olive oil, lemon-infused grapeseed oil, a little lemon juice, salt, and dried herbs. That's it. The mixed nuts were purchased roasted and salted. Then there was nothing left to do but briefly toast them on the stovetop with a small amount of olive oil and fresh rosemary.

Tiny crispy fried rosemary needles are hopelessly irresistible, you know.

And, finally, the fig paste. I grabbed a handful of rehydrated figs from the comically large batch on hand from syrup testing and blended it up with a little brandy, dried sage, orange exract, and a touch of orange blossom water (since the figs absorb syrup, not just water, the mixture is plenty sweet already). The whole thing still tastes like spreadable figs, but the additions give the paste a very subtle depth that keeps it from being one-note.

For instant entertaining, you do not have to have pre-soaked figs on hand. Begin your preparations by rehydrating figs (or any dried fruit you have in the cabinet). They will soften while you arrange everything else, then you can finish by blending them up into your paste (sweeten gently, to taste).

It's also especially nice baked into fig bars (instant breakfasts!) or dolloped on a cracker atop Kite Hill cream cheese.

Dead Simple Fig Syrup and Fig Paste

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yields about 10 oz syrup and a scant cup paste

For the syrup:

1 cup water

1 cup turbinado/demerara sugar

1 cup packed dried figs [see Note], roughly chopped

For the paste:

1 tsp brandy

1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage

1/4 tsp orange extract

pinch flaked sea salt

two drops orange blossom water (optional, or substitute with a pinch orange zest)

Begin by making syrup. Heat water and turbinado in a medium pot over high heat, stirring to help dissolve sugar. As soon as it begins to boil, add chopped figs, and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let steep one hour. Strain, pressing gently on figs to extract some of the absorbed liquid. Chill syrup in an airtight container.

To make the fig paste, transfer steeped figs to a food processor bowl. Add all other paste ingredients and process to a uniform paste. Store fig paste in the refrigerator, but it's best served at room temperature and will readily soften if heated briefly in the microwave.

Note: either Calimyrna or black mission figs may be used. The former will give a gentler flavor and sweetness that is particularly nice alone, while the latter will come through a bit bolder and makes a wonderful, traditional-feeling fig bar. Both are tasty, so follow your bliss.

Party Animals No. 52: Dinner with Pals ftr Almond Pâté Log Crostini

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Almond pâté is a tried and true entertaining dish around these parts. It's a dead-simple, totally tasty way to swiftly change nearly any given omnivore's mind about what vegan food can taste (and look) like. Turns out, if you replace the liquid in the recipe with a little extra-firm tofu, you get a rich, salty dough stiff enough to be shaped into a log and rolled in all kinds of great garnishes.

This particular dish was inspired by a roasted grape and beet salad from New Vegetarian featuring medallions of dairy cheese rolled in pistachio crumbs. One very successful little almond pâté experiment later, and there's no doubt about how to substitute for anything similar in the future. My log was rolled in not only pistachio crumbs, but also pink peppercorns for flecks of rosy color and a little extra spice.

For the crostini that went to dinner, toasted baguette slices were topped with baby arugula tossed in an apple-ginger dressing (straight from that salad recipe in New Vegetarian), then topped with slices of the almond pâté log and finished off with tender roasted grapes. So nice.

Almond Pâté Log with Pistachios and Pink Peppercorns

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yields about 16 servings, adapted from here (post includes original credit links)

1/4 cup roasted and salted pistachio meats

2 tsp pink peppercorns

150 g blanched almond meal

1/2 cup crumbled extra-firm tofu

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 TBSP canola or grape seed oil

1 small clove garlic, peeled

1 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Heat oven to 350.

In a food processor, process pistachios to medium-coarse crumbs. Add peppercorns and pulse a few times to break up gently. Spread mixture out onto a pie plate and set aside.

Wipe out processor bowl, wipe off blade, and reassemble. Add all remaining ingredients to processor and process until smooth. Lay out a piece of aluminum foil large enough to roll the log in. Remove processor blade, scrape off, and use your hands to scoop dough from processor bowl. Shape into a log roughly two and a half inches thick and six inches long. Roll log slowly in pistachio crumbs, pressing down very gently as you go to encourage cohesion, then use your hands to pat the mixture onto the exposed ends (and any missed spots you may have). Transfer to bottom edge of foil, roll up, fold in ends, and bake 40 minutes.

Note that the log is softer when warm. If you prefer to spread the pâté, serve a little warm. To slice, let cool before serving. To get the very cleanest slices, chill before cutting. Best served at room temperature, give or take.

And there was dessert. Here, the German apple cake from The Joy of Vegan Baking, wherein sliced figs were swapped for the called-for sliced apples. The very gentle sweetness of this cake is one of the reasons I love it, but for entertaining purposes, it could've used a little drizzle of something to help it feel more decadent. Pretty nice, nevertheless.

And that brings us right into meteorological fall. Expect more celebrations of that soon.

Espresso-Bourbon Tofu-Peanut Butter (Breakfast) Mousse

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Tofu mousse might not sound like a great idea to a large-ish chunk of the population—especially in the post-aquafaba world—but done with care, it's a totally fabulous idea. Especially for summer breakfasts. It's cool and creamy and fluffy, pairs well with fruit or can be eaten on its own, and can be made in batches in a total snap, so it's just sitting in the fridge waiting for you on any given morning. And it's seriously satisfying, thanks to a good dose of protein from both silken tofu and peanut butter, the latter of which also adds a satiating helping of fat.

Peanut butter, vanilla, a touch of bourbon and lemon, and instant espresso powder all team up to make a flavorful, protein-packed breakfast or snack. You can easily turn this into dessert by adding a cookie (and if your sweet tooth is on the modest side, you may find it weekday dessert-ready as-is). Feel free to thin the whole thing out with coconut milk to transform it into a decadent drizzle over brandy-warmed dates for an honest-to-goodness dessert you could even serve to guests. Yep.

Espresso-Bourbon Tofu-Peanut Butter (Breakfast) Mousse

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yields about 2 cups

12 oz silken firm tofu (from an aseptic pack)

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (look for a brand that contains nothing but peanuts)

1/4 cup maple syrup, grade A: dark color and robust flavor strongly recommended

2 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP bourbon

2 tsp instant espresso powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Puree all ingredients until smooth.

Can be served immediately, but it benefits from chilling for at least 30 minutes to one hour before serving, in terms of both flavor (as the flavors mingle, the espresso will mellow) and texture (the mousse will firm up and become fluffy).

Party Animals No. 50: Saturday Brunch with Pals

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Just a quick Party Animals post this week to run over a recent vegan brunch. The potato-iest, herb-iest meal of the day.

I was hosted for brunch by good pals, and they provided some really tasty grits and greens for the center of the meal. To help out, I brought bubbly for Bellini (and back there in the corner is some cucumber-lemongrass syrup as a modest gift for the hosts).

These are the easiest potatoes ever. The freezer was holding a good amount of potato salad leftover from the wedding party. Threw that in a pan and roasted it up.

For protein, tofu and zucchini muffins. These are kind of a variation on this recipe (I hope to share more about a version of these muffins soon-ish). They're flavored with lemon zest and dill, which is a really great combination for brunch.

And, finally, if you're gonna rush tomato season (which I clearly am), this is how to do it: tuck some little garlic slices into roma tomato quarters, place them in a pan, douse the whole thing with herbes de Provence and some olive oil. Roast for a couple hours at 300, and done.

As ever, thanks so much for being here. See you next week.

Black Bean, Strawberry, and Herb Salad

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Strawberry season is nearly over in East Tennessee, but that means it's not quite over yet. There's still a little time to get cozy with spring's first fruits, using herbs and lime to keep everything fresh and invigorating, and black beans as a soft, earthy bed.

Here's how to work strawberries into a light dinner, lunch, or dreamy snack/appetizer for a happy hour at home: grab two cans of black beans; chop up some watercress, cilantro, and mint; add chopped strawberries; and toss the whole thing in a lime vinaigrette seasoned with a little golden rum and ground coriander seed. Just add tortilla or pita chips, and transition into summer like a champ.

Black Bean, Strawberry, and Herb Salad

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serves 4-6

2 15-oz cans black beans

1 pint strawberries, trimmed

1/4 cup tightly packed watercress leaves

1/4 cup tightly packed cilantro

1 TBSP finely chopped mint

juice and zest of 1 medium lime

2 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP golden rum

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Drain and rinse beans in a sieve. Set aside to let drain thoroughly.

Chop strawberries into small bite-size pieces and add to a serving bowl. Chop watercress, cilantro, and mint, and add to serving bowl. Add drained beans to serving bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together all other ingredients. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Adjust salt, if needed. Salad can be served just after mixing, but benefits from resting for half an hour, or up to two hours. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Molasses, Oat, and Cranberry Breakfast (or Snack) Cookies

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If you're not a molasses fan, maybe just come back next week. The rest of you now officially have a new breakfast item in rotation. These guys could not be easier to throw together, they're sweet and a little sticky without being sugary, and they make nice, big servings that will keep you satisfied until lunch (especially when paired with a glass of plain soy milk). Plus, you get a dose of iron from the generous amount of molasses in these cookies and fiber from the oats. Meanwhile, dried cranberries make the perfect sweet-tart foil to that deep, dark syrup.

You'll get nine large cookies from this recipe, which means you can nibble on one minutes from the oven and still have enough to get you through a full calendar week of breakfasts. They're tender and cakey stored at room temperature. Kept in the freezer, they become chewier, and you don't even have to thaw them before chowing down (though, naturally, you can, if you prefer a warm breakfast). Can you say cool, instant breakfasts all summer long? Yeah, you can.

Molasses, Oat, and Cranberry Breakfast (or Snack) Cookies

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yields nine large cookies

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup blanched almond meal

1 TBSP psyllium husk powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup blackstrap molasses

1/4 cup turbinado

1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients (oats through salt) thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add cranberries and stir again.

In a small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients with a fork. Add wet ingredients to dry. Spoon dough into nine mounds on prepared baking sheet. Use your hands to press them down and clean up the edges.

Bake 15 minutes. Let cool five minutes (do not skip this step) before transferring to a wire rack. Let cool an additional 10-15 minutes to let fully set. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for a softer, cake-like cookie or in the freezer for a chewier texture. (Cookies can be eaten straight from the freezer.)

Smoked-Tea Baba Ghanoush

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The popular spread known in the States as baba ghanoush—that sikly puree of eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon, and oil—has been primarily a restaurant experience for me. In Knoxville alone, there were generous bowlfuls garnished with streams and lakes of oil at Ali Baba's Time Out Deli (RIP). There were tastes stolen from a friend's order at Yassin's Falafel House (later learning, alas, there's a touch of dairy yogurt involved). Then there's the stuff from Holy Land Market.

Paprika and liquid smoke can do a lot, but maybe not everything. Having nothing but an electric broiler in the MSV kitchen to char eggplants, knowing I'll never bring myself to load in the oil the way restaurant owners will, and having known Holy Land's exquisitely smoky spread, at-home baba ghanoush has always felt pointless. Until now.

Thanks to Kathy Hester's smoke-infusing method from the deceptively humble-sounding Tea-Scented Tofu(*) recipe from The Vegan Slow Cooker, satisfying baba ghanoush can happen even in electric-only kitchens with no access to an outdoor grill. The smoke-infused eggplant, thanks to a spin in the slow cooker with a dose of Lapsang Souchong, takes on such a deep, seductive flavor that you can get away with surprisingly little added oil and still come out with a gorgeous spread.

Side note: the same method works on sun-dried tomatoes, too. Oh, yes, it does. (Calling all bagels.)

This spread may not look like much, but it's seriously worth it. The eggplant keeps everything silky, the smoke (the smoke!) infusion ensures the eggplant can stand up to the bold flavors of tahini and fresh garlic. Lemon lightens it all up. The unique flavor of the tea adds a touch of je ne sais quoi. It wouldn't hurt to make a double-batch.

Smoked-Tea Baba Ghanoush

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yields about 1 3/4 cups, adapted from The Vegan Slow Cooker and the kitchn

1/4 cup loose Lapsang Souchong

1/4 cup brown rice

1/4 cup turbinado

1 1/4 lbs eggplant, trimmed, and cut into large dice

2 small cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup tahini

3 TBSP lemon juice

2-4 TBSP olive oil (or to taste)

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Line a slow cooker crock with foil. Add tea, rice, and sugar, and stir to combine. Place a small metal adjustable steamer basket (wrap the feet in foil, too) into the cooker. Place eggplant cubes into steamer basket. Cover and cook on high two hours. Reduce heat to low and cook two hours more.

Place all other ingredients in a food processor. Carefully add eggplant and blend, adding oil as desired to loosen. Serve at room temperature. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Artichoke and Poblano Almond Pâté

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Almond pâté is great, but it's so rich that it tends to get reserved around here for entertaining. But today's version may change that.

Today's creamy little wheels of joy come packed with a good dose of bright artichokes and gently spicy poblano peppers. The natural bitterness of green veg plays well with the natural sweetness of blanched almond meal.

The result is a predictably pleasing spread that comes across a little lighter thanks to that flavor tweak, plus the extra bulk from the finely chopped veggies.

Keep a batch of of this stuff in the fridge and get ready to seriously—and effortlessly—elevate your sandwiches. And pretty much anything else you put in your pie hole.

Artichoke and Poblano Almond Pâté

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serves 4-8, adapted from here (post includes credit links)

3 oz (app. 3/4 cup) frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1 small poblano (2 1/2-3 oz total weight), trimmed, seeded, veined, and roughly chopped

1 tsp lime zest

150 g blanched almond meal

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

3 TBSP olive oil

1 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

Use a food processor to finely chop artichoke hearts and poblano. Add lime zest to processor bowl and set aside.

Blend all other ingredients with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in veggies and lime zest.

For a softer spread, heat oven to 350. Divide evenly between two 10-oz ramekins. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown on top. The spread can be used immediately as a tart base before baking, or let cool before serving on a tartine or crackers.

Alternately, to mold, line two 10-oz ramekins with a double layer of cheesecloth. Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins, fold cheesecloth over, and chill for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight. (In a pinch, chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.)

Heat oven to 350. Use the cheesecloth to lift the pâté from the ramekins, carefully transfer to an oiled (or parchment-lined) baking sheet (without cheesecloth), and bake 40-45 minutes, or until golden.

Let cool thoroughly before transferring to the refrigerator. This pâté improves as it sits, when the flavors have had a good chance to mingle.

Savory Tarragon and Black Pepper Loaf

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If you find yourself regularly wishing savory snacks were as easy to grab on the run as sweet ones, today's recipe is going to help you out.

This simple savory quick bread is dense, moist, and seriously tasty. Fresh tarragon lends it fragrance while freshly cracked black pepper gives it heat. A touch of sugar both takes the edge off the tarragon and pulls out the flavor of the modest dose of cornmeal you'll throw in.

The loaf makes a great snack all on its own and plays extremely well with fruit jams. If you're in search of an easy meal, it also makes a really lovely tartine with Dijon mustard, seared tempeh, fresh apple slices (hello, fall), and a little arugula. And probably any other open-faced sandwich you can dream up.

Savory Tarragon and Black Pepper Loaf

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yields 8 servings

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 TBSP baking powder

1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional—assists binding)

1 TBSP finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup plain soy yogurt, such as Silk brand

1/4 cup canola oil

1 TBSP natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Heat oven to 350. Oil a 9x5" loaf pan.

Sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and psyllium husk powder, if using. Stir in salt, pepper, and tarragon.

Separately, whisk together milk, yogurt, oil, and sugar. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir just until combined. Transfer batter to loaf pan and bake 43-45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan on a wire rack, 10 minutes. Carefully and gradually work the loaf loose from the sides and bottom of the pan with a very thin metal spatula. Turn out onto wire rack and let cool. Leftovers should be wrapped tightly, but keep well for several days at room temperature.

Party Animals No. 43: Lemon and Herbes de Provence Almond Pate

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Listen up. Today's almond pate variety should be every vegan's first lesson in savory vegan entertaining. Or savory omnivore entertaining, for that matter. Unless you have an almond allergy (sorry, folks with almond allergies), there's little excuse not to have this creamy, rich, flavorful spread in your pie hole at every party you ever attend from now on. It's seriously gorgeous. And, thanks to store-bought almond meal, blissfully easy to make.

This version doesn't contain as much acid as MSV's garlic-white wine almond pate, but gets brightness from lemon zest, and is a little extra creamy from the addition of soy milk.

Toss in some complexity from woody and floral herbes de Provence, and you're all ready to triple the recipe and use a nine-inch springform pan to mold it so you can haul it to your next warm-weather party to feed a crowd(*). Everyone (without almond allergies) will adore it.

Or just make a single batch for days of indulgent snacks just for you and yours. That works, too.

(*The freezer shortcut offered in the instructions is not recommended for so large a wheel. Instead, refrigerate in the cheesecloth-lined springform pan four hours. Pull back the cheesecloth covering the top, invert onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, remove pan sides, then pan bottom, then peel off cheesecloth. Bake about 55 minutes.)

You can munch this at any temperature, but it's best slightly chilled (so leave it in the refrigerator until you're ready to walk out the door if you're taking it to an event). A little time out of the fridge lets the flavors wake up a bit while the last remaining chill keeps the natural sweetness of the blanched almonds from dominating.

But that's a minor detail. The important thing is that you make it. So good.

Lemon and Herbes de Provence Almond Pate

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serves 4-8, adapted from here (post includes credit links)

150g blanched almond meal

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

3 TBSP olive oil

1 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1 TBSP herbes de Provence

1 tsp lemon zest (from about half a large lemon)

Blend all ingredients except herbs and lemon zest with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in herbs and lemon zest.

For a softer spread, heat oven to 350. Divide evenly between two 10-oz ramekins. Bake 40 minutes, until puffed and golden brown on top. The spread can be used immediately as a tart base before baking, or let cool before serving on a tartine or crackers.

Alternately, to mold, line two 10-oz ramekins with a double layer of cheesecloth. Divide the mixture evenly between the ramekins, fold cheesecloth over, and chill for at least 3 hours, or up to overnight. (In a pinch, chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.)

Heat oven to 350. Use the cheesecloth to lift the pate from the ramekins, carefully transfer to an oiled (or parchment-lined) baking sheet (without cheesecloth), and bake 40 minutes, until golden.

Let cool thoroughly before transferring to the refrigerator. Best served slightly chilled.

Tofu Muffins with Sweet Corn and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Portable protein! And they're seriously sunny.

There may be a slight obsession with tofu pie in the MSV house. A frequent dreaming about finding a tofu pie that might make sense to everyone at the brunch table, even quiche-loving omnivores (if you've already found this, please get in touch). A day when the easiest daytime entertaining option is finally open again. But until then, there are these little guys, totally solving savory breakfast on any given weekday. And you don't even have to share.

They're easy, tasty, blissfully tofu-y, shored up with chickpea flour, and studded with sweet corn kernels and flavor-packed sun-dried tomatoes. They're quite soft and moist fresh from the oven, so be sure to let them cool before digging in for the best texture. In fact, you might be happiest if you just treat this strictly as a session of batch cooking and wait until the next morning. They eat great cold or at room temperature.

Tofu Muffins with Sweet Corn and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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yields six muffins, inspired by The Vegan Slow Cooker

15 oz firm tofu, drained

3/4 cup unsweetened soy (or almond) milk

1/4 cup drained oil-packed julienned sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup frozen sweet corn kernels

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 TBSP nutritional yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

oil, for greasing

Heat oven to 400. Generously oil a non-stick six-muffin tin.

Crumble tofu into a food processor. Add milk and process until smooth. Add sun-dried tomatoes and process until well chopped. Add corn kernels and pulse briefly to incorporate.

In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour, cornmeal, nutritional yeast, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Add tofu mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. (Do not taste-test the batter—raw chickpea batter is foul.) Distribute evenly among the six muffin molds (it will fill them each generously). Bake 30-32 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean—moist crumbs are okay, wet batter isn't—and the tops are puffed and golden.

Let cool 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Run a knife or spatula firmly around the edges of the muffins to unmold. Let cool completely; chill until ready to eat.

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Brown Sugar-Pepita Topping

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That's one satisfying loaf, right there. You could make breakfast, snacks, or even a modest dessert of it. It's a gently sweetened number that's generously spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

That combination ensures this cake is ready to take on a top layer of crunchy little pepitas and a nice sprinkle of turbinado before baking. Together, they make for a fabulous and effortless finishing touch.

Cut a thick slice and enjoy the simple sugar-and-spice combination as it is, or since the loaf isn't terribly sweet on its own, feel free to smear on a little jam to add a burst of fruit.

Spiced Applesauce Cake with Brown Sugar-Pepita Topping

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8 oz all-purpose flour (app. 1 2/3 cups)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup canola or other neutral-tasting veg oil

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/3 cup natural cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

2 TBSP turbinado

2 TBSP raw hulled pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Heat oven to 325.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

Whisk together applesauce, oil, milk, and 1/3 cup sugar. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined. Batter will be thick.

Scrape batter into a nonstick 9x5 loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle pepitas evenly over the top. Repeat with turbinado. Bake 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Let cool 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Loosen sides with a plastic spatula, carefully remove from pan, and let cool completely on rack.

Black Bean-Pineapple Salad with a Spiced Lime Vinaigrette

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If you're itching for fresh-tasting meals and snacks that sing of warmer weather, come sit by me. We may still be many weeks away from the perfectly ripe, colorful, and unbelievably flavorful produce that is one of the great joys of spring and summer, but we can make this work. Produce from the super-grocer may not have that brain-tingling flavor, but it is crisp, juicy, and undeniably pretty. And smoothing over life's imperfections is what your spice rack is for.

Grab a can of hearty black beans and a generous scoop of sweet-tart pineapple chunks. Chop a red pepper and a cucumber along with some cilantro. Whisk together a simple dressing of olive oil and lime juice spiced up with cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and a little chipotle powder. Take a taste and know at once that you'll be making this blissfully sweet and savory salad again and again.

Serve it like a salsa with chips (taro, tortilla, pita, or whatever you're craving). If you're feeling froggy, add a little minced jalapeno or serrano pepper.

Or spoon it over toast with mashed avocado or a garlic-spiked bean spread for extra protein. (The light and sweet nature of this works great with earthy multi-grain or whole-wheat bread varieties.) Or eat it by the spoonful. That works, too.

Black Bean-Pineapple Salad with a Spiced Lime Vinaigrette

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serves 2-4

1 15-oz can black beans

1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks, thawed

1 small-medium red bell pepper

1 small-medium cucumber

1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP lime juice

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1/8 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp ground cumin

Drain beans and rinse well in a sieve. Set aside to let drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, chop pineapple chunks into smaller chunks (app. 1/2 inch pieces) and transfer to a serving or mixing bowl. Trim, seed, and chop pepper into scant 1/2-inch dice and add to bowl. Seed cucumber and chop into scant 1/2-inch dice and add to bowl. Chop cilantro and add to bowl. Add beans to bowl.

Whisk together oil, lime, and all spices until thoroughly combined. Pour over salad and toss well. Serve.

Baked White Bean, Artichoke, and Red Pepper Spread

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This lovely spread is a great way to add a breezy dose of brightness to the table in the depths of winter.

The name of the game here is convenient nutrition wrapped in a moderate amount of comfort. Start with a can of white beans and give it a shot of richness through almond flour. Then turn to a jar of roasted red peppers and a bag of frozen artichoke hearts to infuse those mild, creamy ingredients with sweet and zippy veg. Finished off with a little lemon and garlic, you have a winner that's great on everything. 

Baking combines the flavors and helps the base get nice and creamy, but the spread doesn't have to be eaten warm. This recipe makes a good amount, so feel free to toss your leftovers in the fridge and know you've got an irresistible chilled spread ready for crackers, crostini, sandwiches, or whatever. (If you try it tossed with pasta for a no-sweat cold pasta salad, let everyone know how it goes in the comments.)

Baked White Bean, Artichoke, and Red Pepper Spread

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serves 6-8 as an appetizer

12 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1/2 roasted red bell pepper (jarred or freshly roasted)

1 clove garlic

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp ground cayenne

generous pinch freshly cracked black pepper

2 TBSP, plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided

1 15-oz can cannellini beans

1/2 cup blanched almond flour

Heat oven to 375.

In a food processor, combine thawed artichoke hearts, red pepper, garlic, lemon juice, salt, oregano, black pepper, and cayenne. Pulse until well chopped. Drizzle in 2 TBSP olive oil with the motor running and pulse until a bit broken down, but still chunky. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

Drain beans (do not rinse) and add them to the processor with the almond flour. Process until smooth. Stir into artichoke mixture until thoroughly combined. Adjust lemon and salt, if needed. Divide between two 5-inch ramekins. Drizzle 1 tsp oil over each and bake 30 minutes, until golden. Let cool a bit before serving warm, or let cool completely before refrigerating and serving chilled.

Sweet & Savory Carrot Crostini with Vegan Molasses-Maple Ricotta

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Don't wait for a special occasion to make these little guys. They're only slightly fussy, but really beautiful, and you're totally worth it.

These crostini count on the lovely, mild, salty Kite Hill ricotta for the base. You'll season that with molasses and maple syrup for an earthy sweetness. (A double batch will yield enough for the crostini and plenty left over to use as filling for cinnamon rolls. Just sayin'.) The ricotta is pricey stuff, but you'll balance that out by using the widest-available—and therefore most affordable—root veggies for your topping.

Those diced carrots and thinly sliced onion are roasted in a touch of spicy mustard and tamari. Neither salty condiment will be assertive in the finished product, but they provide subtle balance to the natural sweetness you'll pull out of the veg so that the whole bite has some depth.

Plus, what doesn't taste great on toasted baguette?

Sweet & Savory Carrot Crostini with Vegan Molasses-Maple Ricotta

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yields about 12 crostini

2-3 carrots (6 oz total weight), peeled, trimmed, and cut into small 1/4-inch dice

1/2 small (or 1/4 large) onion, very thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup slices)

1 TBSP whole grain Dijon-style mustard (or plain stone-ground mustard)

1 tsp reduced-sodium tamari

4 oz Kite Hill ricotta

1 1/2 tsp molasses

1 tsp maple syrup (grade B preferred)

12 generous half-inch-thick baguette slices (from about half a baguette)

Heat oven to 400.

Toss carrots and onion with mustard and tamari. Cook 30 minutes, tossing after 15, until onions are golden and carrots are tender.

Meanwhile, use a mixer to beat the ricotta with the molasses and maple syrup for two minutes, until well combined and fluffed a bit, stopping halfway to scrape down the bowl. Set aside.

When the carrots and onions are done, transfer them to a dish to let cool a bit. Switch to the oven's broiler and toast the baguette slices on one side until golden, watching carefully to avoid burning. Let cool on a rack.

Divide filling evenly among the toasted bread slices (use a generous dollop of ricotta for each, but you may still have a bit left over, depending on the width of your baguette) and serve at room temperature.

Cinnamon Shortbread

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Today, a classic, elegant little cookie: a crisp, light treat that shatters pleasingly under the tooth and is filled with warming cinnamon. They're great served with ice cream, dipped in chocolate, or nibbled all alone. Keep them for yourself or load them in jars as gifts.

Cinnamon Shortbread

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yields about 40 small cookies

1/2 cup nondairy butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup all-purpose flour (measure by spooning in and leveling off, not scooping)

Cream the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until smooth, pausing to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed if using a stand mixer. Add flour. Mix until fully combined and the dough begins to come together. Form into a rough log with your hands and transfer to a piece of parchment. Shape into a 10x2-inch rectangle. Roll up in the parchment and chill one hour.

Heat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Use a sharp knife to cut the chilled dough into 1/4-inch slices. Working quickly, lay cookies on the lined baking sheet. Bake on the center rack until firm and browned, 17-19 minutes. Let cool one minute, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Phyllo Cigars with Cream Cheese, Scallions, and Savory Nut Crumble

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The party season needs party food. Time to get a little bit fussy and put together some seriously satisfying finger food featuring irresistibly thin and flaky phyllo, dreamy nondairy cream cheese, gently sharp spring onions, and a sprinkling of MSV's own savory nut crumble for a boost in richness and depth of flavor.

For convenience and to reduce the cost a bit, these are rolled with the scallion tops in the center to add a little something green and roasted-tasting. If you're in the mood to splurge and want a little more bite, try substituting tender asparagus tips, thin broccolini stalks, or thin green beans instead.

Phyllo Cigars with Cream Cheese, Scallions, and Savory Nut Crumble

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yields 12 cigars

For the Savory Nut Crumble (half-batch):

2 TBSP raw almonds

2 TBSP raw walnuts

1 TBSP nutritional yeast

zest of 1/4 lemon

1/8 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

For the filling:

8 oz nondairy cream cheese, Kite Hill recommended

5 scallions

To assemble:

10 sheets frozen phyllo, thawed

3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 375.

Add all nut crumble ingredients to a small food processor and process to fine crumbs. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Wipe out processor. Trim the scallions and add the white parts only along with the cream cheese to the processor. Process until very creamy and scallion is pureed into the cheese. (This will also make your cream cheese easier to spread onto the phyllo. If you don't have a processor, be sure to beat the cream cheese well before assembly.)

Trim scallion tops into three-inch pieces (you'll need only twelve, though you may end up with more—save the tender green portions for another use).

Place all 10 phyllo sheets in a stack and cut them into 3x3-inch squares. You should get six squares per sheet—you won't need them all, but it helps to have extras with phyllo as insurance. Discard scraps and stack all squares into one stack—this will help keep them from drying out while you work.

To assemble, brush one square with oil and place another square on top. Brush the second square with oil and place a third square on top. Spread on a scant tablespoon of cream cheese, leaving a half-inch border. Focus and work quickly—the spreading of the cream cheese does not need to be neat or precisely even. Sprinkle a teaspoon of nut crumble on top. Slice a scallion top into thirds and lay across the bottom edge of the cream cheese. Roll up, place seam-down on a baking sheet, and brush the top and sides with a little oil. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Bake 23-25 minutes, until golden. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.