Southern Suppa

Here you go, some old time Southern favorite recipes done the vegan way.

Kum-Bak Dressing




This is the delicious blend of Ranch and Thousand Island dressings. A little sweet, a little spicy, and creamy smooth fabulous. Pour it over green salads. Spoon it over bitter greens, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and whatever else you can think of. This retro recipe needs to make a kum-bak!

Makes a generous cup.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegan sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup ketchup
1 T. sugar
1 T. water
1 t. vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 t. spicy mustard
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 t. finely minced onion
2 drops Tabasco
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients with a whisk. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.


Deluxe Ranch Beans

A spicy version of baked beans, this classic can be put together a day ahead, then baked and served warm to the table. Adjust the amount of chili powder to suit your taste.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 T. canola oil
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 ounces (6 T.) tomato paste
1 (10 oz.) can Ro-Tel (tomatoes with green chilis)
2 t. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. vegan Worstershire sauce
2 T. molasses
1 t. salt
½ t. black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chickpeas
3 cups pinto beans, canned (drained and rinsed) or homemade from 1-1/2 cups dried
¼ cup vegan cheddar or Jack cheese, finely chopped or shredded

Directions:
Heat oil in medium skillet and sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Add in tomato paste, Ro-Tel, chili powder, cumin, Worstershire sauce, molasses, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in corn, chickpeas, and beans and mix well. Put into a 2 quart casserole dish. You can refrigerate at this point if you want. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Stir in cheese until melted. Serve immediately.

Broccoli and Corn Pudding

A quick and easy recipe for a true classic.

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh or frozen and thawed broccoli florets
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 lemon rind, grated
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coconut milk (I used lite)
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup AP flour

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 pan. Arrange broccoli florets at either end and corn in the center. Sprinkle the lemon rind over the broccoli and the pepper over the corn.

Mix together the milk, cornstarch, and flour. (Add in 1 T. of melted margarine or canola oil if you like – I didn’t use it.) Pour over the veggies. Bake for 40 minutes or until pudding is set and tester comes out clean.

Obviously I used too large of a dish or should have doubled my pudding. I also used the broccoli stalks, because I love them, but they did not work here. But other than those two boo-boos, this stuff was surprisingly incredibly yummy! Next time I will put a ring of broccoli around a pie plate with corn in the center so each slice can have broccoli and corn. (My next veggie pie!) It was so delightful to taste the lemony broccoli against the peppery corn. The seemingly bland pudding was perfect. And the individual slices looked very nice on the plate.

My suppa plate was filled with Ranch Beans, Broccoli and Corn Pudding, a Green Salad with Kum-Bak Dressing, and some boiled kohlrabi (tastes like potatoes) topped with Eggplant Bacon. Do not make eggplant bacon – blech!

Gotta have dessert. Gotta have that Southern favorite, Strawberry Shortcake.

If you saw my previous posts you will remember I had some gorgeous strawberries. I swear these photos have not been enhanced. These strawberries were amaaaaazing!

Strawberry Shortcake

For the Strawberries:
Wash, dry, and slice your berries. In a glass bowl, mix together 1 T. sugar, ½ t. vanilla extract, and 2 T. grand marnier, brandy, or other boozy substance. Mix in the berries and let macerate 20 to 30 minutes.

For the Shortcake:
Ingredients:
1 c. AP flour
½ t. salt
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
3 T. shortening
1/3 cup cold nondairy milk
1 t. vanilla extract
extra sugar for sprinkling

Directions:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl combine flour, salt, 1 T. sugar, and baking powder. Cut in shortening until it is broken into pea-sized pieces. Add milk and vanilla, and stir with a fork to combine. Form into a ball with your floured hands. Roll out on a floured surface into an 8-inch circle about a ½ inch thick. Cut out 8 to 10 2-inch circles. Place cakes onto a parchment lined baking sheet with the sides touching. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake until browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To serve, split shortcakes (or use two!) and place bottom half on a plate. Top with strawberries, then top with the top half of the shortcake. Top with whipped cream or vanilla yogurt and garnish with a berry. Heavenly.

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of the South. Please let me know if you try any of the recipes!