In the past, I used to make different snacks from puff pastry. I loved it as it was so versatile and you could make it sweet or savory and form various shapes. It took just a few minutes to prepare, was easy and quick to bake and an absolute crowd pleaser.
I haven’t had puff pastry for over three years. Why? I started to read labels and learned more about production of palm oil and its negative impact on the environment. The production of palm oil causes deforestation and destroying of the biodiverse regions, which contributes to climate changes by releasing carbon into the atmosphere and it also threatens natural habitat of species, such as orangutan. It has also negative social effect as it is not uncommon that the land is illegally stolen from the farmers who as a consequence lose their income which has significant negative impact on their lives.
I am not trying to save the world as I am not a utopian but I did my part and changed how I live my life. One of the changes is that I’m trying to reduce my carbon footprint as much as possible and this is the reason why I stopped buying food with ingredients such as palm oil.
I couldn’t find vegan puff pastry that wouldn’t have palm oil as one of the ingredients. I have almost given up as I went to all the shops in our city and was disappointed every time. I kept checking from time to time as I knew that it must come one day and guess what? A few weeks ago, I have found it! Finally, vegan puff pastry without palm oil! I was so happy and bought 4 packages to compensate for those ‘lost’ years.
When I was a child, my mom used to hide veggies in puff pastry to make us eat more varied. It was a snack for me and my brother and we would eat it filled with anything possible (even veggies which I didn’t like that much at that time).
When I went for a walk while visiting my in-laws in Holland last week, I found some zucchini for free in front of one house (There was a note saying: Please help yourself). I took 3 of them, left a note to say thank you, and couldn’t wait to use them in my kitchen. I thought of my mom and how she wrapped veggies in puff pastry and knew that this was the perfect opportunity to use them!
LET’S COOK!
What do we need?
1 package of puff pastry
1 package of vegan sour cream (200 g)
1 small onion
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt (Himalayan when possible)
¼ tsp black pepper
Juice of ½ lemon
1-2 small zucchini
1-2 tbsp hot sauce (I use homemade sambal from my mother-in-law)
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
How do we make it?
Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Let’s start with preparing of our sour cream sauce. We have a traditional sheep cheese called Bryndza in Slovakia. It’s a soft, strong, salty and at the same time delicate cheese. I cannot really compare it to any other cheese that I know.
I wanted to resemble its taste in this dish as it pairs perfectly with puff pastry and light zucchini. I find that my sour cream sauce achieved what I was looking for. Place your sour cream, onion, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and lemon juice in a blender and process until nice and smooth. The sauce should be salty, so don’t be surprised. If you don’t like using this much salt, you can use 1 tsp too. It’s still going to be delicious, just not that strong.
Slice zucchini lengthwise using a mandolin. If you don’t have a mandolin (like me) you can use a wide vegetable peeler. The slices won’t be perfect but it doesn’t matter as they will be hidden inside of the puff pastry.
Now we are ready to assemble our zucchini swirls. Yes, it’s this simple!
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge and cut it lengthwise in 2 thick slices. Then cut each slice through the middle to get 4 slices and each of 4 slices once more to get 8 more less same sized slices.
Spread ca 1 tbsp of the sour cream sauce (or as much as you like) on the first slice, drizzle the slice with a few drops of your hot sauce and place a layer of 4-5 zucchini slices on it.
Then carefully roll the slice to create the swirl/flower. Place the prepared piece on the baking sheet. Continue one by one until you’re done. It might take some time but it is worth it.
Drizzle each piece with the olive oil and place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the appetizers cool for 15 minutes.
You can top them with your favorite herbs. These zucchini appetizers can be served warm or cold, they are delicious either way. And believe me, they are perfect as party snacks.
If you want to make them faster you can prepare them first (spread the sour cream sauce on the puff pastry, drizzle your hot sauce, place the zucchini slices and roll the puff pastry) before cutting the puff pastry into 8 pieces with a very sharp knife. I personally find it easier to cut it first but it is up to you. You can try both ways and decide what works better for you.
Don’t throw away the rest of your delicious sour cream sauce! It’s perfect with roasted garlicy hasselback potatoes or as a dip for crunchy bread or veggies.
Enjoy!
Thank you for visiting!
Cheers!