Vegan Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes grow up from the center of hard-neck garlic plants in the spring. Break off the curling round stems with small protuberances on top when they are young and tender; otherwise, they turn into flowers and seeds. They have a mild garlic flavor and can be used raw like chives.

An old friend posted a garlic scape pesto recipe online. In the refrigerator I had a small bag of scapes I'd picked, so I quickly veganized it and made some. We've been eating it on Yeasty Cheeze Crackers and now we are about to eat some on pasta.

Theirs called for pine nuts; I had Brazil nuts, plus I added some seeds. Theirs spoke of parmesan; I used a combo of nutritional yeast flakes and light miso. Theirs named canola oil; I substituted olive oil. Other than that, it is just the same! 

Toast the nuts and seeds in a pan and add to everything else in a processor. Maybe you should cut up the scapes first; I didn't, so I ended up adding more oil and changing processors before it all came together.

Dosa Vegan Crepes

Dosa vegan crepes are pretty easy to make if you have the right equipment — like a cast iron griddle and a blender. Dosas are slightly fermented pancakes made of soaked and blended white rice, a type of lentil, and a few fenugreek seeds. 

See how they are full of holes? That’s just from the fermentation; no baking powder or baking soda or yeast is needed. I suppose right before cooking you could add some salt, but not before, as it might inhibit the fermentation process. Usually I eat these with savory fillings and sauces, but this morning I spread them with vegan cream cheese and some raspberry jam and topped them with maple syrup and Soyatoo whipped cream

Dosa Recipe

Ingredients
2 cups white rice
1 cup red lentils (usually urad dal or black lentils, but these work)
1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
Water to rinse, soak, blend

Method
Rinse the rice and soak overnight in three cups water. Rinse the lentils and fenugreek seeds and soak overnight in three cups water. In the morning, drain them separately and blend them separately with enough water to make the blender go around. Blend until nearly smooth and just a little gritty. Mix them together in a glass bowl, crock, or enameled pot. You want to end up with a pourable batter on the thick side. Cover with a dish towel and let ferment for eight hours. The time could vary depending on the room temperature. You can add some non-iodized salt if you’d like.