How to Make Vegan Cake | Interview and Cooking with Jen Shipley
295Jen Shipley has been a vegan for over 30 years and was a vegetarian for 15 years before that. She loves using beautiful colors, textures, patterns & flavors from plant kingdom that are not only nutritious and delicious, but also visually appetizing.
Lentil Loaf
Prepare and set aside:
2 cups cooked black caviar lentils (or brown lentils)
2 cups cooked purple or black rice
Pulse together in food processor with S blade until coarsely chopped:
1 red bell pepper, quartered
2 cups mushrooms
½ red onion
4 cloves garlic
¼ cup sundried tomatoes
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup pecans or walnuts
1 TBSP smoked paprika
1 TBSP salt- free mustard
6 fresh sage leaves (or 2 tsp dried)
Salt substitute to taste
Add rice and lentils and pulse to mix. Mixture should be uniformly chopped but not mushy.
Press into a 9” cake pan lined with parchment paper and roast, covered, at 400° F. for 60 minutes.
Turn oven off, uncover, and allow to cool.
Herbed Rice Stuffing. Prepare and set aside:
Pulse together in food processor with S blade until coarsely chopped:
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
4 stalks celery
Sauté onion mixture in 2 tbsp veggie broth, until lightly cooked, about 5 minutes, add rice. (2 cups cooked wild rice, 2 cups cooked red rice) Pulse together in food processor with S blade until coarsely chopped:
1 apple such as Envy, or Honeycrisp, quartered
¼ cup toasted pecans
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup combination of fresh herbs—sage, rosemary and thyme
Add to rice and cooked onion mixture and add salt substitute to taste. I like this served without further cooking (other than to reheat) so it retains its fresh character.
Winter Squash with Sage
1 butternut squash cut lengthwise in half, seeds removed
1 kabocha squash, cut crosswise in half, seeds removed
Place squash halves face down on rimmed baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roast at 400 °F. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. The necks of the butternut squash usually take longer. Remove from oven when the skin is darkened and the squash is easily pierced with a fork.Pulse together in food processor with S blade until finely chopped:
1 onion
4 stalks celery
8 fresh sage leaves
When cool enough to handle, scrape flesh from squashes and add to mixture in food processor. Pulse to combine all ingredients. Add salt substitute to taste. The residual heat of the squash will lightly cook the onions and celery, but if you desire further cooking, the dish can be flashed in the microwave for a few minutes.
Cranberry Sauce
2 cups raw cranberries
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1apple such as Envy, or Honeycrisp, chopped
1 cup frozen sweet cherries
Cook on the stovetop over medium heat until mixture bubble and berries begin to pop. Remove from heat and pulse in food processor until coarsely mixed.
Mushroom Gravy
Create broth by blending in a high-powered blender:
¼ cup onion
¼ cup dried mushrooms (porcinis are great for this)
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt substitute
1 TBSP regular balsamic vinegar (not one of the sweeter, thickened varieties)
2 cups water
Reserve ½ cup broth and pour remainder into saucepan over medium heat. Add:
2 cups sliced mushrooms
Simmer until mushrooms are cooked, about 10 minutes. Create thickener by adding 2 TBSP arrowroot powder to reserved broth and blending well. Pour this mixture into the mushrooms and stir, without boiling, until the gravy thickens. Transfer to quart container.
The individual components (lentil loaf, pink or purple potatoes and winter squash should be prepared ahead of time. They will be layered into a parchment lined container and allowed to chill at least 24 hours. If time allows, this can also be frozen and brought back to serving temperature (in the microwave) before adding the final layer of whipped potatoes.
Because it is a loosely combined layer, the Herbed Rice Stuffing is sandwiched between the pink/purple potatoes and the winter squash layer. This helps it conform to the shape of the container. The cooked lentil loaf is added to the top of the strata before it is inverted and unmolded.
After the strata is unmolded, it’s” frosted” with white mashed potatoes. A portion of the potatoes are then decoratively piped or mounded around the top of the strata to contain a final layer of cranberry sauce on the top.
5 pounds of white russet potatoes, peeled and mashed will generously cover a strata made using a 6 qt Instant Pot liner as the mold. A strata of that size will easily serve 8, if not more people.
To further decorate the strata, green vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, or asparagus can be arranged around the platter and pomegranate arils scattered over those. Serve with extra cranberry sauce and mushroom gravy. This freezes quite well. It’s best to cut it into individual portions and lay these out on a parchment paper or silicone mat lined cookie sheet and placed in the freezer until frozen. The slices can then be stored in freezer bags and reheated.