Parmesan-Crusted Avocado & Kale Florentine with Smoked Paprika Hollandaise, But I could Never Go Vegan Review

These fun baked parm crusted avocado florentines are from Kristy’s book But I Could Never Go Vegan. It is a gorgeous and super fun cookbook by Kristy Turner. The book Chapters focus on busting vegan myths, giving you creative recipes, fun dialogue and pretty photos in the process.

Chapters include – All Those Special Ingredients are Way More Expensive; I Could Never Give Up Cheese!; Where Would I Get My Protein?; Tofu Doesn’t Taste Like Anything; Vegan Cooking is Too Hard; Just Thinking about Salad Makes Me Yawn; What About Brunch?; Fake “Foods” Freak Me Out; It’s All Rabbit Food; Not Soup Again!; I’d Miss Pizza; I’m Italian (or Southern/German/Mexican/French); But I Hate (Insert Vegetable Here); I Don’t Want to be Left Out at Potlucks and Family Get-Togethers; Wait, Is Chocolate Vegan?; But I Scream for Ice Cream. The book is filled with 125 recipes by Kristy, who blogs at Keepinitkind.com and photography by her husband Chris. I have followed Kristy for years now and have always admired the creativity on her blog. 

One weekend saw us enjoying the Buffalo Cauliflower Calzones with Cashew Blue Cheese, because cauliflower. Hubbs attempted the artichoke crab cakes with sriracha tartar sauce, which were devoured before I even knew he made some. I have a feeling he ate them with ketchup. 

There are other interesting recipes like the Pretzel Dumplings with Mushroom-Sauerkraut Gravy, Spinach Artichoke Soup, Jackfruit Tuna Salad Sandwich, Falafel Tacos with Sriracha Tahini sauce, Iced Oatmeal cookies, Molasses-Hazelnut chocolate Mousse tart and Potato Sauerkraut Soup with Sausage Crumbles.

I love the colors in the book. The bright, colorful photographs invite you in to read the recipe before turning the page over. Some recipes do need a little planning, but then the result is totally worth it. Once you get cooking through the book, it gets easier and easier. 

Parmesan-Crusted Avocado & Kale Florentine with Smoked Paprika Hollandaise
Makes 8 burgers Nut-Free, Can Be Made To-Go, Plan-Ahead

Afraid you’ll miss the feeling of being oh-so-fancy when you order eggs Florentine at brunch? No worries—you can feel fancy all the time with these super-easy vegan Florentines you can make at home! Avocado replaces the egg, and yes, you could serve it with some fresh, cold avocado and be totally content, but it’s even better to coat the avocado slices in panko bread crumbs and Pecan Parmesan and bake them briefly so the coating gets nice and crispy. Then just add English muffins, kale, and a smoked paprika hollandaise sauce and you can go on being your fancy self. Recipe from But I Could Never Go Vegan!: 125 Recipes That Prove You Can Live Without Cheese, It’s Not All Rabbit Food, and Your Friends Will Still Come Over for Dinner , copyright © Kristy Turner, 2014. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Photo of Parm crusted Avocado and Kale Florentine by Chris Miller.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Down Time: 1 hour (while cashews soak)

avocado & kale
¼ cup (40 g) Pecan Parmesan (recipe below)
¼ cup (20 g) panko bread crumbs
Juice of 1 lemon
1 large avocado
Olive oil spray
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups (160 g) tightly packed destemmed chopped kale

hollandaise
½ cup (80 g) raw cashews, soaked in water at least 1 hour, water reserved
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste

2 English muffins
Sliced tomato, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
2. Combine the Pecan Parmesan and bread crumbs in a small shallow bowl. Pour the lemon juice into another small shallow bowl.
3. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Without removing the peel, slice each half into 4 quarters. Use a spoon to carefully scoop each slice out of its peel. One at a time, place an avocado quarter in the lemon juice and, using one hand, turn to coat on all sides. Using your other hand, place the slice in the bowl of crumbs and gently turn to coat all sides. Place each slice on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly spray the slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the exterior is golden and crisp.
4. Meanwhile, heat the 1 teaspoon of oil in a large shallow saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until golden and fragrant. Add the kale and keep stirring until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper.
5. To prepare the hollandaise sauce, combine the cashews, vinegar, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, mustard, turmeric, and 6 tablespoons of the reserved soaking water in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Add more soaking water as needed to thin the sauce. Add salt and pepper. You can make the sauce up to 2 days in advance; if so, you may need to add more water later to thin it out.
6. Split the English muffins in half and toast them. Place halves on each plate, cut side up. Place a tomato slice on each, if using. Divide the kale among the muffin halves. Top each half with two crispy avocado slices. Drizzle hollandaise sauce over the top and serve immediately.

pecan parmesan

3 cups (375 g) raw pecan pieces
1 cup (70 g) nutritional yeast
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic

to make the pecan parmesan
Combine the pecan pieces, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use or up to 2 months.