Veganacious

Archive for the ‘Danish cuisine’ Category

My son says that tortilla chips are just a salsa delivery system.  I think that may be why his son loves aebleskivers – they are a delivery system for all the sugar and jams he wants to devour!  Whatever the reason, seeing my Chinese-American grandson relishing these funny round pancake balls from my mother’s cultural heritage gave me great pleasure; it would have delighted her.  She was born in Randers, Denmark and came to the United States via Ellis Island, along with her mother and all their Danish recipes.  On the Chinese side, they employ a huge pan that makes round little dumplings, so I guess this is just the Scandinavian variety of the same idea – a doughie ball; and this one is vegan!

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This was a favorite recipe of my grandmother, Martha Antoinetta Sophia Andreasen Christensen.  My grandmother immigrated to this country via Ellis Island with my mother many decades ago, from Randers, Denmark. She had been an indentured servant since she was very small, as her mother died when she was very young; my grandmother was left all alone. But she survived and maintained a love of the recipes of her childhood, which came with her across the seas. Wienerbrod (Danish pastries) meant company was coming. I used to get a bit tired of Danish Applecake – we had it every holiday for all of my early memories.  It was always served with a big dollop of pure whipping cream. When I recently tried a vegan version, it was a big hit with the little ones who had not tried it before.  In fact, asking for thirds had only happened once before, and that was for ice cream!  This is a simple recipe and a nice light treat – once in awhile.

Use 1-1/2 cups fined crushed vegan graham crackers (try Keebler); crush in your blender, or put in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to break down the bits and pieces.  About two internal packages of commercially prepared grahams are about right.

Melt 1/4 C. of Earth Balance.  Add to the graham cracker crumbs, along with 3 Tb. brown sugar.  Mix well, then brown lightly in a frying pan before placing in the pan.  Place half the crumbs in a large glass pan, pressing down firmly.

Pour 2 C. applesaurce on top of the crumb mixture.  Spread evenly, and lightly sprinkle with cinnamon.

Top the applesauce with the remaining graham cracker mixture.  Cover and chill for several hours or overnight.

Serve with a vegan cream topping in small dessert dishes.  Try with cashew cream:

Place a few handfuls of raw cashews in your blender. Cover with soymilk or soy cream.  Add 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1-2 TB. vegan sugar. Blend for a few minutes, stopping to allow your blender to cool down if necessary.  Mixture should be completely smooth; it will be somewhat liquid. Allow it to rest in the refrigerator for several hours (at least one) before serving.

1/12 recipe

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I am half Danish; when it comes to food, that half is stretching to veganize some old, traditional family recipes.  I recently came across this Raspberry Pudding recipe and test-drove it within the family.  It received raves!  Admittedly, it is right on the border of my healthy recipes boundary, but I will confess right now: I think it is fine to have an occasional treat.  (I am half Danish, after all.)

• 3 TB cornstarch
• 1/3 C. sugar, turbinado or other
• 1-10 oz. package frozen raspberries
• 2 C. cranberry juice cocktail

Mix the cornstarch and the sugar in a saucepan.  Defrost the berries and press them through a strainer by pressing a wooden spoon against the berries.  This should give you everything but the seeds.  Mix the liquid with the cranberry juice cocktail and add to the sugar/cornstarch mix.  Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat until mixture begins to thicken. (It will thicken more as it cools, so do not panic if it is not quite the texture of puddings to which you are accustomed.)  Pour into eight heat-resistant dishes.  When cooled off a bit, place in refrigerator until well-chilled.

Serve with soy creamer. You may add 1/3 C. blanched chopped almonds mixed with 2 TB sugar which is the traditional topping, but it will increase the fat and sugar content, so I omitted those. (To blanch almonds,drop the whole almonds into boiling water.  Let them boil a few minutes, then drain.  As they cool, the brown skin will easily come off and voila – blanched almonds. Chop finely and mix with sugar.)

Almonds with Sugar

1/8 recipe

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My mother was born in Denmark and immigrated to this country with her mother when she was young.  I have a legacy of delicious pastries and dishes from the Scandinavian tradition that are not animal friendly and are definitely not low in fat.  Occasionally you will find a Danish recipe on this site that I have veganized.  To be included the recipe has to pass a certain standard for healthful nutrition, although I do make exception for the occasional treat. I am half Danish, after all.

This is a very easy, low fat recipe, although it uses two pots.  It has a creamy texture that belies its low fat content.  Use your double boiler if you have one, or simply use two pots.

Boil the Potatoes

4 medium-sized potatoes, peeled

In the larger pot, gently boil the potatoes until they are cooked but not soggy. Immediately remove them from the water, drain and cool.

Brown the Onions

1 onion, sliced thinly

1 tsp. vegan margarine (Earth Balance)

Melt the margarine in a medium pot; add the sliced onion and brown, stirring the onions. Use a water braising technique to make sure the onions get a little caramel in color before proceeding: add a bit of water to the pan and stir quickly until they turn a light golden color.

Add the Vinegar, Sugar and Soymilk

1 tsp. turbinado or other vegan sugar

1 tsp. white or rice vinegar

1/2 C. soymilk

Add to the onion mixture and stir until well mixed.  Add the sliced potatoes and gently coat them.

Warm Thoroughly and Gently

If you do not have a double boiler, just set the medium pot with the potato mixture into a larger pan with a couple of inches of water in it and you have a functional double boiler. The purpose of the water is to allow the potatoes to heat thoroughly without browning or cooking further.

You should now have a creamy potato mixture that uses very little fat. Season with salt, cracked pepper, and serve.  Add a little Danish to your meals!

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