Novel Recipes…..Literally
Prolific playwright and novelist, Glen Merzer & his wife Joanna showcase vegan recipes from his political novel with story related recipes, “Off the Reservation.” Glen’s vegan play, One-Way Love” just had a reading at Writers Guild of America, West! Today on #LunchBreakLIVE, Joanna makes Creamy Sweet Potato Soup & Berry Cobbler with Chocolate Syrup! To order “Off the Reservation” about a vegan presidential candidate, click here: http://amzn.to/2mxude2
RECIPE:
CREAMY SWEET POTATO SOUP (Anti-inflammatory)
1 ½ lbs peeled sweet potatoes
2 cups water
1 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk (hemp, soy or almond)
2 Tbsp coconut aminos
3 tsp turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Pinch of black pepper
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
Steam peeled sweet potatoes until soft (about 20 minutes). Remove them from the steamer and let them cool a little bit. Put the sweet potatoes with the remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Then transfer the soup from the blender to a pot and heat it up on the stove stirring it frequently (don’t let it boil, just let it barely simmer for about 5 minutes to let the flavors develop). Serve garnished with a sprig of cilantro.
Servings:Â 4
MIXED BERRY COBBLER
½ cup all purpose flour or gluten-free flour (millet flour or rice flour)
½ cup non-dairy milk (almond or hemp milk)
1 ½ cup mixed berries (frozen-thawed or fresh): blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries (or at least 2 types of mentioned berries)
1 Tbsp arrowroot starch/flour
1 flat tsp baking powder or baking soda (per preference)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp grated lemon rind
½ tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp coconut sugar (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
In a mixing bowl combine the flour, arrowroot starch, sea salt, and baking powder and make in the center a well. In a separate container mix the non-dairy milk with the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract and the lemon rind.  Pour the mixed liquid into the well of the flour and gently stir everything with a wooden spoon until the mixture appears smooth. You can add a Tbsp or more of the millet flour if the consistency is too thin.
Put 1 ¼ cup of the berries into a non-stick pan or a small casserole dish (preferred single serving small ceramic ramekins, you would need 3-4 of them). Spoon the topping mixture over the berries (don’t worry, they don’t have to be covered evenly). Scatter the remaining ¼ cup of the berries on top of the batter, and sprinkle with coconut sugar (optional). Bake uncovered in the preheated oven (350 F degrees) until golden, not too brown, for about 35 – 40 min. Remove from oven and to retain moisture cover with a cotton cloth for at least 15 minutes before serving (you can drizzle sparingly chocolate syrup – see the recipe below). Serve if desired with a scoop of non-dairy vanilla ice cream.
Not to worry about the cracks on the surface of the cake which are an indicator that the cake mixture is baked well.
Servings:Â 3-4
Advice: if unsweetened milk is used the amount of maple syrup may need to be slightly increased.
The chocolate syrup is a great addition to the berry cobbler! It can be sparingly drizzled over the cobbler before baking or after baking just before it is served.
CHOCOLATE SYRUP
Equal amounts of cocoa powder and maple syrup, for example: 3 Tbsp cocoa powder and 3 Tbsp maple syrup. Mix it well using a spoon and add a few drops of orange extract or almond extract depending on the desired flavor (orange will have more uses).
The amount of the maple syrup can be a little bit increased or decreased if the chocolate is preferred to be thicker or more like a syrup to drizzle over cold desserts or cakes before baking.
What's Your Reaction?
Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award-winning TV journalist and New York Times best-selling author. She is the founder of UnchainedTV and the host of several shows on the network.