I love the people in  our Francophone/Francophile group, but I noticed that when yesterday's host was serving the spinach pie I made, one of the people in the group was much more enthusiastic about it when she thought he had made it than when he told her I had.  She took about a tablespoon of it, suspecting that a tarte couldn't be good if it left out the eggs and milk.

But I'm happy to say that everyone turned out to like it--sincerely, I think!  Here's the recipe:

Filling:  

12 oz. fresh spinach, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, chopped (about 6-7 scallions)

1/4 cup fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 t. ground black pepper

Olive oil or veggie broth for sauteing

1 cup of vegan feta cheese (You can use store-bought or follow this recipe.)

 

Vegan feta cheese:

1 c raw cashews soaked overnight or boiled for 25 minutes to soften them

2 T distilled white vinegar

1 T water

3/4 t sea salt or more, to your taste.

In a food processor, add the cashews after raining and rinsing them), vinegar, water, and salt.

Pulse until you get a chunky but coarsely chopped texture.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F

Brown the scallions in olive oil or brother until soft--about 2 min.

Add spinach, salt and pepper and saute until wilted, about 5 min. Turn off heat.

Add dill and parlsey and mix well.  

Make the feta cheese.

Pour the cashew "feta" mixture into the bowl with the spinach and mix well.

Crust (This is basically a cornbread recipe, but put on the bottom and the top of the filling, as I explain later)

1/2 c. maple syrup

1/3 c. canola oil

1 c. plain plant-based milk

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. fine cornmeal

1 T baking powder

1 t. kosher salt.

Stir wet ingredients together.

In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

Mix wet and dry together.

Pour as little as you can to cover the bottom of a greased 9 x9 pan.

Put the filling on top of the batter.

Cover the filling with as little as you can of the batter, making sure it's all covered but not too thickly.

Bake in a 350 oven for about 35 minutes.

Another day I'll give you a different recipe for crust--one that's gluten-free as well as vegan.  Most of the time I don't like recipes that are both gluten-free and vegan, but this one is really tasty.  I think I like it even better than the one I've given you, the one I made for our Chew and View group.

 I'm coming in after a long absence, but I've continued to enjoy vegan treats!  Here's what I had for my Day-after-Oscar gathering:

See the abundance of  plant-based dishes that can be made even for something as specific as food from Oscar nominated Movies?  When I invited my film-fan friends (good f-words), I told them I'd make some dishes related to the Oscar-nominated movies, and they'd all be plant-based since animal welfare and the environment are two pet causes for Joaquin Phoenix, Jessica Chastain, and others. I added parenthetically and sardonically, "We must always follow Hollywood's sterling example."  I thought it would be fun figuring out how to represent "The Whale's" over-consumption of just about everything!

Here's how it turned out!  (Two couples contributed to the food; most guests brought wine!)

 I think of Trader Joe's as progressive, so I was disappointed to see their greeting card saying, "I found a Vegan,  sugar-free, gluten-free, whole-grain cake, but I think this card might taste better!  Happy Birthday."

That plays into people's prejudice, that vegan is for people who are on a health kick and into denial and that vegan products aren't tasty.  

Vegan products aren't just for vegans.  They're for animal welfare and the environment.  

Vicolo Plant-Based Pizza Sold Out

 

Beyond Italian Sausage & Roasted Mushrooms Pizza

Plant-Based

Made with all natural, fresh & local ingredi

Two SF Chronicle Staff Members Went Vegan for a Month

 https://www.sfgate.com/cooking/article/Veganuary-vegan-January-lessons-learned-15033807.php#taboola-4

We tried Veganuary and went vegan for a month. This is what happened.

Madeline Wells, Susana Guerrero, SFGATE

Feb. 6, 2020Updated: Feb. 4, 2021 12:37 p.m.

 

by Taboola

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Discovery of Patrick McDonnell

 https://mutts.com/product/strip-011921/

I just happened to glance down and see this quote from MLK:  "The time is always right to do what is right," showing the Mutts and cook going to a restaurant that's been transformed to vegan.

I looked up the cartoonist Patrick McDonnell and found out he's been vegan since 2012.  

https://mutts.com/2020/06/12/a-note-from-patrick-june-2020/  Here's what he says:

As a vegetarian for over 30 years and a vegan since 2012, I’ve always felt a little strange drawing the cheeses and salamis that hang over Butchie’s head. I’m feeling better because they will now be plant-based and cruelty-free.

With the pandemic, and understanding the cruelties of raising and processing “meat,” it’s more important than ever to rethink how we treat the animals — and people — on this planet. Going plant-based is a win-win. It’s good for your own health, the health of the planet, and obviously the billions of suffering, factory farmed animals.

Going veggie gets easier and easier. (Millions have already discovered new, delicious meat substitutes.) I ask everyone to do what you can. Even observing Meatless Mondays can save a billion animals each year in the United States alone. If Butchie can do it, so can you.

Galette des Rois

 This was my second try, so I'm still learning.   But I think this is a good recipe:

https://fullofplants.com/vegan-king-cake-galette-des-rois/

If you're impression you can go straight to the print recipe command.

The only thing he doesn't explain is how to score the top, so here's a recipe for that:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=218005192411674