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THE SOUTHERN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK

100 DOWN-HOME RECIPES FOR THE MODERN TABLE

Thomas Nelson

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH

Sweet Potato Grits with Maple Mushrooms and a Fried Egg 3
Southern Benedict with Wilted Spinach and Espresso Redeye Gravy 5
Miracle Mushroom Gravy 8
Smoked Sun-Dried Tomato Tortilla with Herbed Aioli 10
Simple Smoky Migas Bowl 12
Apple, Cheddar, and Thyme Galette 14
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Peaches and Pecans 17
French Toast Pancake 18
Super-Moist Banana Muffins 20
Toasted Coconut Muffins 22
Vegan Bran Muffins 24

SWEET POTATO GRITS WITH MAPLE MUSHROOMS AND A FRIED EGG

It's certainly arguable that all true Southerners adore grits; our version adds sweet potatoes for more creaminess and sweetness but still walks a fine line between sweet and savory. Feel free to serve this dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner because it'll be a definite crowd favorite anytime.

Sweet Potato Grits
(recipe follows)
Parsley and Tomato Topping
(recipe follows)
Maple Mushrooms
(recipe follows)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)

Make the grits, topping, and mushrooms according to the following recipes. Once you have the three recipes completed, follow these simple instructions to assemble your meal: Melt the butter in a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Crack eggs into the pan one at a time. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the white has set and the yolk is still runny. Divide the grits between four bowls. Top each with a fried egg, a sprinkling of the Parsley and Tomato Topping, and finally, the Maple Mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to finish.

Makes 4 servings.

1 medium sweet potato
2 cups 2% milk
½ cup yellow corn grits
Sea salt flakes (to taste)
¼ teaspoon cracked
black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ to ½ cups vegetable
stock or water

Bake the sweet potato in a 350 degree F. Oven for one hour. Remove and allow to cool. Once the potato is cool, the skin should peel right off. Slowly bring the milk up to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the grits a little at a time to avoid clumps. Add 1 cup of the baked sweet potato and break it up with your whisk. (Be careful—hot grits tend to bubble like lava. Use an oven mitt when stirring your grits just to be safe.) Add the salt, pepper, and butter; lower the heat to medium-low.

Grits take 10 to 20 minutes to cook and become silky and supple. This all depends on the corn and how coarse the grind is. Taste them after 10 minutes to make sure they're soft and creamy since the ideal cooking time for different brands of grits varies. Stir occasionally. Use stock or water to achieve the desired consistency. Don't worry—grits are rarely overcooked.

Makes 4 cups.

1 cup diced tomato
(about 1 medium)
¼ teaspoon cane sugar
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup minced shallots

Mix the tomato, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, and shallots together in a bowl. Set aside until ready to use.

Makes 1 ½ cups.

¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon cracked
black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons grainy mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
1 (10-ounce) package
crimini (baby bella)
mushrooms, sliced

In a medium bowl whisk together the maple syrup, canola oil, black pepper, mustard, soy sauce, and liquid smoke. Toss in the sliced mushrooms and allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the marinade and arrange the mushrooms in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown and appear dry. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Maple mushrooms are great on this dish but can also be used on salads or in a vegetarian BLT. The same seasoning can be added to strips of portobello or shiitake mushrooms. Since these can be made ahead of time, it's a great idea to keep a batch around in order to add flavor to almost any dish. They will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes 1 ½ cups.

SOUTHERN BENEDICT WITH WILTED SPINACH AND ESPRESSO REDEYE GRAVY

This looks like a lot to do first thing in the morning, but the steps are really simple. Plus, you'll make more biscuits than you'll need for this dish. You know what that means ... snack while you cook!

The espresso in the gravy adds instant oomph. That paired with the mushrooms provides a super-savory gravy that you'll make again and again. Underneath, you have a poached egg with a runny yolk, plenty of wilted greens, and a craggy biscuit supporting the whole dish.

1 tablespoon iodized salt
¼ cup white vinegar
8 large eggs
4 3-2-1 Buttermilk Drop
Biscuits (page 222)
Wilted Spinach
(recipe follows)
Espresso Red-Eye Gravy
(recipe follows)
½ teaspoon smoked
paprika (to garnish)

In a large pan over medium heat, bring an inch and a half of water to a simmer. Add the salt and vinegar to the water and return it to a simmer. Poach eggs three to four at a time by slowly cracking each egg into the simmering water and allowing it to cook for 5 minutes or until the white is set. Using a slotted spoon, remove each egg from the water and set it aside on a paper towel until ready to serve.

Split a buttermilk biscuit in half and place it open-faced onto a plate. Place ¼ cup of wilted spinach on each half. Top each half with a poached egg and about ¼ cup of the Red-Eye Gravy. Garnish with smoked paprika. Repeat.

Makes 4 servings.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup diced shallots
12 ounces (two 6-ounce
bags) fresh spinach
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)

Melt the butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the diced shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the fresh spinach one handful at a time; stir the greens in between each addition so that the heat from the pan wilts them. Once the greens are wilted, turn off the heat, add salt and pepper, and set the pan aside.

Makes about 2 cups.

2 tablespoons unsalted
butter (divided)
1 cup diced portobello
mushrooms
¼ teaspoon cracked
black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sea salt flakes (to taste)
¼ cup espresso
(or strong coffee)
1 tablespoon all-purpose
flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon maple syrup

In a medium pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the mushrooms, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt to the pan, and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the espresso to deglaze the pan. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Push the mushroom mixture off to one side of the pan. In the clearing add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Once it's melted, add the flour and whisk it into the butter. Allow this mixture to cook for a minute until the flour becomes fragrant. Whisk in the milk, liquid smoke, and maple syrup. Stir constantly until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook an additional 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Makes about 2 cups.

MIRACLE MUSHROOM GRAVY

This wonderful vegetarian gravy has all the bold, spicy flavor of the sausage-based kind. We use meaty crimini mushrooms and the seasoning you'd normally find in a flavorful breakfast sausage to make our version of this Southern breakfast staple.

Try this on our Buttermilk 3-2-1 Drop Biscuits (page 222) for breakfast or on top of our Stuffed acorn Squash (page 136).

1 (10-ounce) package crimini
(baby bella) mushrooms
1 tablespoon canola oil
½ cup diced shallots
1 teaspoon dried sage
¼ teaspoon red
pepper flakes
Scant 1/8 teaspoon
ground clove
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose
flour
1 ½ cups whole milk
Smoked paprika (to garnish)

Slice mushrooms about ¼ inch thick. You will blend them later, so there's no need to be overly precise. Add the canola oil to a medium frying pan over high heat and then sauté the mushrooms until browned. Add the shallots to the pan, and continue to cook for another minute until the rawness has been cooked out of the shallots and they're translucent.

Place the mushrooms and shallots into the work bowl of your food processor, and add the sage, red pepper flakes, clove powder, soy sauce, and maple syrup. In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk the mixture until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the whole milk and heat the mixture until slightly thick. Add the milk mixture to the food processor that contains the mushroom mixture. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped and well incorporated into the milk, but leave some chunkiness for a nice texture. Return the mixture to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve. If it gets too thick, add some milk or stock to thin it out.

If having this gravy with biscuits, split the biscuits and top them with the mushroom gravy. Garnish each with a pinch of smoked paprika.

Makes 4 servings.

SMOKED SUN-DRIED TOMATO TORTILLA WITH HERBED AIOLI

When a person even mentions a recipe or dish, we lock in on it and have to try it too. Within seconds of meeting someone, the conversation almost always turns to food. We love to ask questions and gain inspiration from passionate, everyday cooking.

Smoked sun-dried tomatoes can be found at many specialty grocery stores, or you could make a big batch using our Quick Smoking Method (page 231).

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium russet potato
(peeled and sliced
into 1/8-inch rounds)
6 large eggs
½ cup diced smoked sun-dried
tomatoes
¼ cup 2% milk
½ cup minced shallots
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)
2 ounces Manchego
cheese, shredded, plus
more for garnish
½ cup sliced garlic chives or
green onions (to garnish)
2 to 3 tablespoons
sriracha (to garnish)
Herbed Aioli (recipe follows)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a 10-inch frying pan over high heat until it starts to smoke just a little. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then add the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet. Turn off the heat on the skillet, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes. The heat from the skillet will sear the outside of the potato, and the residual heat will cook them through.

Mix the eggs, sun-dried tomatos, milk, and minced shallot, and then pour this mixture over the potatoes. Top with salt, pepper, and cheese. Cover and place the skillet in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the center is set. After running a knife around the edge of the tortilla, turn the tortilla over onto a serving plate so that the potato side faces up. Serve tortilla hot or at room temperature. Garnish each slice with a bit more cheese, garlic chives, sriracha, and Herbed Aioli.

Makes 4 servings.

1 ½ cups loose-packed parsley
1 medium clove garlic
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup olive oil mayonnaise
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)

Blend parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and olive oil mayonnaise until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. You may have some aioli left over to use on sandwiches or wraps. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Makes about ¾ cups.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large eggs (beaten)
½ cup Simple Smoky
Salsa (page 223)
1 ½ cups corn chips
1 cup prepared white
or brown rice
Seasoned Black Beans
(recipe follows)
3 to 4 ounces soft goat
cheese, crumbled
Cilantro leaves (to garnish)
4 small flour tortillas
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper to garnish

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and stir constantly using rubber spatula. Once the eggs come together, add the salsa and continue to scramble. Add the corn chips and mix to incorporate. Divide the rice among two serving bowls and top each with about ½ cup of the Seasoned Black Beans and then add half of the scrambled egg mixture to each bowl. Top with goat cheese and cilantro leaves. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Makes 2 servings.

1 teaspoon canola oil
¼ cup diced shallot
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon sage
½ teaspoon cumin
1 (15-ounce) can black
beans (drained, rinsed)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
½ cup broth or water
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the canola oil, shallot, granulated garlic, sage, and cumin. Cook until fragrant. Add the beans, vinegar, and broth. Allow the beans to simmer for 5 minutes. Mash lightly with a potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

Makes about 1 ½ cups beans.

APPLE, CHEDDAR, AND THYME GALETTE

This is a more grown-up but still sneaky little way to have apple pie for breakfast. It's lightly sweet with only two tablespoons of brown sugar in the whole dish, and the cheese is baked right into the filling. The onion and thyme add to its savory qualities.

Juice of 1 lemon (about
2 teaspoons)
4 cups sliced apples (about
4 medium, peeled and
sliced into ¼-inch slices)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups sliced onion
(about 1 medium)
¼ cup white wine (like
Pinot Grigio)
1 ½ cups shredded sharp
Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
leaves (about 4 sprigs)
2 tablespoons firmly packed
light brown sugar
Sea salt flakes and cracked
black pepper (to taste)
Basic Piecrust Dough
(page 227)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Place the lemon juice and apples in a large bowl. In a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion until translucent and beginning to brown, which should take 8 minutes. Add the wine and turn up the heat to medium-high in order to reduce the wine. Once most of the liquid has evaporated, remove the onion mixture from the pan and add it to the bowl with the apples. Toss together the Cheddar, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.

To assemble the galette, roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured board to approximately a 17 x 12-inch oval. This is supposed to look rustic, so no need to be too precise. Place the dough on a 17 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pour the apple-Cheddar mixture into the center of the dough, and press it with your palms until it's evenly distributed, making sure to leave a 1 ½inch margin around the edge. Fold the margin of the dough over in 2-inch sections overlapping the end of each section. This will hold in any juices.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the apples on the top are caramelized.

Makes 4 servings.

SWEET POTATO PANCAKES WITH PEACHES AND PECANS

At the downtown farmers' market on Saturday morning, a coworker was so excited about going to the arcade restaurant in order to have their sweet potato pancakes for breakfast, and we just had to have some, too—from our own kitchen. These pancakes offer a silkiness that's different from the usual buttermilks or buckwheats.

1 cup roughly chopped sweet
potato (about 1 large)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups 2% milk
¼ cup soy or olive
oil margarine or
butter, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat
pastry flour
3 tablespoons cane sugar
3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon iodized sea salt
? teaspoon of nutmeg

2 cups diced peaches
(about 4 peaches)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 cup pecans, toasted
and chopped
Unsalted butter
Maple syrup

Boil the sweet potato on medium-high for about 15 minutes in a saucepan with enough water to just cover it. Carefully test with a fork; when it's soft, it's ready. Pour the potato into a colander and run cold water over it. Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the potato well in a large bowl. Add the eggs, milk, and margarine.

In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg together. Add the flour mixture to the sweet potato and mix until just combined. Heat a griddle pan on medium-low, butter the pan, and pour ¼ cup of the batter onto the pan. Allow the pancake to cook until the top looks like it has set (about 3 minutes). Flip the pancake and allow it to cook for another minute. Repeat until all the batter has been used.

Next, combine the peaches, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow the peaches to macerate for at least 5 minutes.

To serve, pile a few pancakes on a plate, top with the peach mixture, and add chopped pecans, butter, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes 4 servings (16 pancakes).

FRENCH TOAST PANCAKE

Whenever we have an easygoing morning, one of us clamors for either pancakes or French toast. One morning, with little time to waste, we invented the super-fast French toast pancake. There's no agonizing wait for the egg-and-milk mixture to soak into the bread, it's very hands-off since it cooks in the oven, and the whole thing is done in two quick steps.

2 cups torn French bread
6 large eggs
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon iodized sea salt
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 ½ tablespoons
unsalted butter
Macerated fruit, butter,
powdered sugar, and
maple syrup (to garnish)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Place the bread, eggs, orange zest, vanilla, milk, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until there are no big chunks of bread left.

Heat a 12-inch-oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. Place the butter into the hot pan and allow it to melt completely and coat the pan. Pour the egg and bread mixture into the pan. The hot pan will help the pancake start cooking and will prevent it from sticking.
(Continues...)

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Excerpted from THE SOUTHERN VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK by JUSTIN FOX BURKS. Copyright © 2013 by Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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