Family Lasagna

Vegan MoFo 2015 Day 20: Veganize an old family recipe.

If our family has a "recipe" it has to be lasagna. We had this lasagna every Christmas and Easter, many times during the year for Sunday dinner, and it was always what I requested for my birthday meal. Everyone in our family loves it, and my brothers and I all make our own versions to keep the recipe alive.

I've never seen a written recipe for it, because I don't think there is one. My paternal grandmother showed my mom how to make it when my folks were married and that was that. It's straightforward, and doesn't need much explanation, and it's also very easy to veganize.

Of course it's versatile. I often layer other vegetables into it and add other bells and whistles, but this  is our quintessential family version: just homemade sauce, ricotta filling, and either parmesan and/or mozzarella on top.

The original filling consists of ricotta, egg, grated parmesan, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper. I make mine by blending ground almonds, extra firm tofu, lemon juice, garlic granules, salt and pepper in a food processor and then stirring in parsley leaves. As a kid, it was always my job to pick the parsley off the stems to put in the filling.

More often than not, I use nut parmesan for the topping. It's how my mom makes it--no mozzarella, just parmesan--this contains ground blanched almonds, minced garlic, and kala namak salt. 

There's a bit of rivalry between us siblings as to who makes the best version...as far as I'm concerned mine wins, if only for being vegan.

I'm bummed for having missed several MoFo prompts; I was thinking of going back and making up the ones I missed, but then I'd fall even further behind. Well done to all the MoFoers who have been posting everyday. It's difficult to do--your efforts are appreciated!

When The Males Let You Down...

...no offense to any guys out there, of course I'm talking about male squash blossoms. :D

Anyone who has grown cucurbits has probably encountered this problem: male and female blossoms don't open at the same time. Well, at least not at first. It doesn't always happen in this order, but this year I've got lots of female blossoms while the males are lagging far behind! Come' on guys, get blooming! 

Male blossom (hubbard squash)                                       Female blossom (hubbard squash)

While we're waiting for the males to catch up, the squash on the female blossoms won't get pollinated and grow; they'll just fade on the vine. There's a yummy solution though--fried squash blossoms. 

There are more delicate and refined ways to prepare these little gems, but I really like them fried in batter...the blossoms are especially good (just check to make sure there's no little insects hiding in the buds before you get started).

I'm growing blue hubbard squash and zucchini this year, and we snacked on the unpollinated squash from both. The hubbards were a little bitter, but they were only a little bite each, so it scarcely mattered. The zucchini were quite nice, and the blossoms are toothier than you'd think they'd be. 

Tasty!

And to make up for being such a lazy blogger, here are some other eats we've had lately:

Portabella and green pepper fajitas with all the fixins'

Nachos

I like to make homemade chips by cutting fresh corn tortillas into triangles, brushing them with a mixture of soy sauce, lime juice, and nutritional yeast, and baking them. They're yummier than regular old corn chips and, I guess they're a little healthier too because there's less fat. 

And now, for any vegan cheezsters that might be reading, here's a little vegan cheese interlude. I bought some Vegan Gourmet on a couple occasions lately, and I've been pleasantly surprised. (I always like to tell myself that I'm going to make my own nut cheese, but somehow, I rarely get around to doing it.)

We've tried this brand in the past and didn't like it. But, maybe they've changed their formula, or maybe our tastes have changed. At any rate, it's been pretty good this time round. It doesn't have as much flavor as Daiya, but when it's melted, the texture is nicer. I've always found Daiya to be on the slimy side when melted. There's no weird plastic-y smell from it as it heats up either, which I remember from my previous experience with FYH.

This was a particularly yummy batch of lasagne with some of Vegan Gourmet on top, which melted nicely. 

The filling was the star though: firm tofu, thick cashew cream, pine nuts, garlic, nutritional yeast, white miso, ume plum vinegar, lemon juice, and black pepper blended in a food processor, with chopped fresh parsley and basil stirred in at the end. Next time I make it, I'll try to record the measurements, because it had a serious yum factor going on.

Lucky says, "Have a great weekend, everyone!"

Roseann Marie Laponte

Rosanne Tobin

Roseann Laponte

Kelp Noodle Salad and Other Important Things, Including Rhubarb "Mead"

I was at the store recently, when some kelp noodles caught my eye. As something new and interesting to try, they were calling out to me, but I'll admit that I was a little hesitant as well. I like sea vegetables when they have a mild flavor. I'm down with some arame seaweed or a little wakame. I can even handle a little bit of dulse in small doses, but I'm not an all-out seaweed lover...If the flavor is too strong it literally makes  me gag. So, the first thing that crossed my mind was "what if they turn out really seaweedy?...Gulp!" But, as I read through the package, the words "Neutral Flavor" won me over.

There are  a few recipe ideas on the back of the package. One for a miso/peanut noodle salad sounded especially tempting, and I'll try that next time. But today, I wanted to go for something more low-cal, so decided on a soy-wasabi salad:

For the veggie base, I used green onions, sunburst squash, red pepper, carrot, celery and daikon.

The package just gives the ingredient list for the dressing, not the measurements, so here's what I ended up throwing together: 2 Tablespoons Bragg's Aminos, 1 Tablespoon raw agave, 1 Tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar, a good splash of cider vinegar, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste. I went light on the wasabi...a little bit more would have been good though.

You don't have to cook these noodles;  they're ready to eat right out of the bag. Here's what they look like: 

According to the package, these little noodlers have a lot going for them: fat-free, gluten-free, low cal and low carb, and they are a source of many trace minerals including iodine.  

My verdict? The texture is great, a little bit rubbery and toothsome...maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but I really like it. The flavor is indeed neutral; the noodles add texture and serve as a vehicle for the dressing, while the core of the salad's flavor comes from the veggies you choose. All in all, I'm glad I gave these a try. They'll be fun to add to salads and switch things up a bit.

Part of the reason I wanted to eat light today was because yesterday (Easter) was quite a feast. We didn't plan on it being quite so sumptuous...it just sort of happened that way. For the vegan main course, I made some fettuccine in cashew-basil cream. It was a winner; everyone enjoyed it. 

I didn't measure the sauce when I was making it, but here's roughly what I put in:

Cashew Basil Cream Sauce:
1 generous cup raw cashews, soaked in water for an hour or so
2 generous Tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves minced garlic
1/8-1/4 cup nutritional yeast (to taste, I usually go for 1/4 cup)
6-8 drops ume plum vinegar (because it's quite salty and tangy, I just drizzle a bit in...you'll have to adjust to your tastes)
1 generous/heaping Tablespoon white miso
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice ( I usually go for more like 3)
1.5 cups water
Generous 2 cups chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Drain the cashews and blend in food processor with the rest of the ingredients, except the basil. Add the water gradually until you get the smoothness and consistency you want, I went for a thick consistency that was still "pourable".  For a nice smooth consistency, blend it for several minutes. When you've achieved the consistency you want, toss in the chopped basil leaves and pulse a few times to blend through.

Toss the cashew/basil cream with some drained noodles that are just on the verge of al dente and gently heat through. Serve right away with lightly steamed green beans, and some pine nuts and basil shreds to garnish. Pretty yummy stuff!

In addition to the pasta we had broccoli, pineapple, sweet potatoes, salad, and some rye bread. My mom also made some awesome fresh tomato salsa for hors d'oeuvres:

We had strawberry pie and coconut milk ice cream for dessert...sorry no pics. See, what I mean about the feasting?

Now, for a rhubarb "mead" update for anyone who might be interested. Over the weekend, we broke open the rhubarb mead I posted about here. It's a lovely color, lightly effervescent and has a mild flavor, not terribly rhubarby though. (rhubarby...that sounds funny! :D)

Alessandra suggested that it might be more aptly named rhubarb beer...kind of like ginger beer, and I'm inclined to agree. There is only a trace amount of alcohol in it, which can be either good or bad depending on your perspective. Personally, I was hoping for something wee bit stronger. But, it is refreshing mixed with some sparkling water or other sparkling juice, and we'll certainly enjoy sipping it from time to time as the weather warms up. 

And last but certainly not least, I want to give a big Thank You to Rebecca of Enjoying the Journey blog, who was my seed swap partner. Cassie of Vegan Fox fame hosted a seed swap this month, which I thought was a fun idea. 

Rebecca sent me some kale, lavender, and lemon cucumber seeds, all of which I love. She also included a handy seed-starting guide and some fun animal rights stickers. Thanks Rebecca! I'll plant the kale and lavender now, and the cucumbers I'll start in early June. 

VegNews Vegan Alfredo

If you have the March-April edition of VegNews, you might have seen the recipe for fettuccine alfredo. If you haven't yet, you've got to try it.

I tried to find the recipe published online, but I couldn't find it, which is a shame. I think they send out the edition to subscribers before it hits the shelves in the stores, so I'll keep looking for it. Maybe when they update their website with the March-April edition, the recipe will be available online.

The sauce is your average cashew cream variety with some pine nuts thrown in, then thinned with water, lemon juice, and some garlic, nutmeg, and black pepper. (I left out the nutmeg for a fussy eater.)

The recipe didn't call for it, but I added a tablespoon of white miso, a few drops of ume plum vinegar and extra garlic...for garlic lovers, this is a great vehicle for some intense garlic action. Oh yeah, and I tossed in a handful of mozzarella-style Daiya, since I had some in the fridge I needed to use up. It all came together for a tasty sauce.

Then, I sauteed some yellow pepper, slivered garlic, (in keeping with the intense garlic theme) and broccolini to toss with the pasta and the alfredo sauce. Garnished with green onion slices and fresh oregano, it was a flavor bomb. Oh, and don't forget plenty of fresh ground black pepper.

It hit the spot with some spinach and roasted eggplant rollups: thinly sliced eggplant brushed with garlic-infused olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, then roasted until brown and garnished with a squeeze of fresh lemon. They're tasty little treats; we ate most of them before they made it onto the plate! 

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Tailor's Collar Soup or Szabógallér-leves

**Post Factum:** 

This is one of a series of posts for Vegan MoFo 2010; my theme was a 'Virtual Random Road Trip', where I used random.org's random geographic location generator to select locations around the globe, I then attempted to cook a few dishes from the traditional cuisine of that place. I didn't have a lot of time between generating the locations and coming up with recipes (~ 1 day). So, lacking time to do proper research, I can't vouch for the authenticity of anything I came up with. However, they are what they are, and it was a fun theme. 

Szabógallér-leves is a traditional Hungarian soup: "leves" = soup, and Szabógallér = tailors' collar, which refers to the triangular ravioli-esque dumplings that are in it. This is a rich broth with veggies, dumplings, and in this veganized version, baked tofu.

For this, I made two varieties of ravioli/dumpling fillings (traditionally meat) which were potato-chive-parsley, and walnut-sun dried tomato-paprika. I was torn as to which sounded better, so I made some of each. The dough is just a basic pasta dough...I always use Vegan Dad's recipe, which I highly recommend because it's easy to make and just as easy to work with.

To get started, make the dumplings:

Vegan  Szabógallér-leves Dumplings (Soup recipe follows)

(Of course, these fillings are just my suggestions...whatever mixture that sounds good to you would work.)

1 batch Vegan Dad's pasta dough

Walnut-Sun Dried Tomato-Paprika Filling:
1 cup raw walnuts
6 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped into small peices (if using dry packed ones, reconstitute them in some warm water or broth for about 30 minutes first)
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika (use sweet or hot...whatever suits your fancy)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until you get a mince-like texture.

Potato-Chive-Parsley Filling:

1 large potato
1 small handfull chives, chopped fine
1 small handfull parsley chopped fine
pinch of salt
Earth Balance or olive oil to taste

Boil the potato, then make a mash with the remaining ingredients.

Once you have your fillings and your dough made, roll out the dough to about 1/16 inch thickness. Cut out circles (~ 4-6 inches in diameter...the bigger the circle, the easier they are to make).

Cut each circle in half and place about 1 teaspoon (or more if it will fit) of filling on one side of the half circles. Make a "glue" by mixing 1 tsp flour with a little water to make a paste. Brush the pastry "glue" around the edges of each half circle. Fold the dough over lengthwise, and press the edges firmly, but gently with your fingers or a fork to seal the dumplings.

Now for the soup:

Vegan  Szabógallér-leves/Talior's Collar Soup
(serves 4)
6 cups rich veggie broth ( I used 1 cup no-beef broth, 2 cups low-sodium veggie broth, and 3 cups water)
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
2 carrots, diced large
1 (smallish) celeriac bulb, diced large
8 oz soy-baked tofu, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (I just marinated a few thick slices in soy sauce and baked them in the oven for ~ 10 minutes)
1 teaspoon whole pepper corns
Pinch of paprika (sweet or hot) to taste
Pre-made dumplings (see recipe above)
Salt if needed: depending on how salty the veggie broth is, you may not need to add any salt...taste and add salt if desired at the end

Saute the onion slowly over medium-low, allowing it to caramelize a little. Add in the garlic and saute for another ~ 2-3 minutes. Add in the peppercorns and veggie broth and bring up to a simmer. When the broth is simmering, add the carrots and the celeriac and continue to simmer gently. About 8 minutes before serving, gently drop in the dumplings and the tofu and continue to simmer until the dumplings float to the top. Taste for salt, add to taste if needed, and sprinkle with paprika to finish if desired.

dumplings and veggies simmering in broth
(The corner where my stove is has to be one of the darkest corners known to man.)

Note: The original recipe called for parsley root, which I didn't have. So, you may also want to add some parsley root along with the celeriac and carrot if you can find it.

This is a hearty and tasty soup; perfect for using autumn vegetables.

In doing some image searches, I see that the Hungarian capital is a beautiful city indeed:

 Source: http://www.budapest-transfers.net/

Széchenyi Chain Bridge over the River Danube between Buda and Pest 

and the Royal Palace Buda

 Source: http://www.destinationguidebudapest.com

Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom)

Source: http://www.destinationguidebudapest.com

Matthias Church (Mátyás Templom) by night

Source: http://www.transitionsabroad.com/

Budapest's Széchenyi Baths

Back in a day or two with another dish from Hungary. (All Hungarian, All the Time)
Rose Tobin Seattle

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Chilled Raspberry Soup w/ Thai Flavors (& Ravioli Follow up)

These past few weeks, we've literally been buying pounds of fresh berries at the farmers' market and munching on them as snacks, dessert, and everything in between. That's just thing with berries; you can toss those little jewels in anywhere (especially your mouth!).

This soup may not suit everyone's tastes...it's a bit on the tart side and you have to like the flavors of cilantro, lemon grass, and kaffir lime. (Of course, cilantro-averse people could sub basil or mint, or any herb that suits their fancy.)

Although I give approximate measurements of what I used below, I intend this as more of a recipe idea rather than an actual recipe.  I encourage anyone who tries this to add the ingredients in little by little adjusting to suit your own tastes and/or subbing with other flavors that sound good. The end result in this case came out in a strong raspberry flavor with subtle hints of lime and lemongrass.

And one last thing: I didn't sieve the raspberries...we don't mind the errant seed and a slightly thicker texture, but it's up to you...*if I were serving this to company, I would definitely sieve them first.* :)

Recipe Idea   (Makes 4 small appetizer servings or 2 average servings):

1 pound fresh raspberries, rinsed ( ~ 2 cups)
12 inches worth (~ 1/3 cup finely chopped) lemon grass,  tough outer leaves removed and cut into fine rounds
4-5 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (or more/less to taste)  ( I use dried ones)
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (or more/less to taste)
1 cup coconut milk (or more for a creamier, more coconut-y flavor)

Mix everything in a blender until smooth and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled and garnish with cilantro and raspberries. As an afterthought, a bit of shredded coconut would be nice too.

PS: If you don't have a super blender...make sure you really trim off all the tough leaves from the lemon grass...get down to the really tender stuff... in order to avoid any stringiness.

And now for something completely different....

Here's a follow-up shot of the ravioli from this post...(in case anyone was wondering):

I served them with sauteed crook-neck squash and a fresh tomato sauce seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, and fresh oregano; garnished with basil and black olive.

Verdict: Thumbs Up.  The filling imparted a light lemony richness, while the summery flavors of fresh tomato and oregano gave a sweet-savory zing. The yellow squash was a nice textural component and added color.

Summer is fleeting by isn't it? I hope everyone is enjoying it.

Ciao for now.

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Ravioli Fun in Two Colors

Who doesn't love ravioli? I know they're one of my favorite things.  And sure, there are a few vegan ravioli options out there...but  if you have some extra time to spend in the kitchen, why not make some of your own? They're not that difficult to make (it's actually pretty fun) and, you have total control of what's in the filling...there's no end to the flavors and combos one can devise around those! They don't have to be picture perfect either, they just have to stay together while cooking and taste good.

This weekend, it so happened that I had some of that elusive stuff called spare time, so I decided to have some fun and make ravioli.  Inspired by a common pasta combo of green and yellow pasta called "paglia e fieno" or "straw and hay", I made two different doughs: a green dough  and a regular old plain pasta dough, which passes as yellow my book. (You could make it more yellow by adding some saffron, but I didn't bother with that.)

I think the green dough is traditionally made with spinach or nettles, but why not get a little crazy and try collards (or any other leafy green)?  It's not meant to impart any particular flavor--it is more for the color effect anyway.

For the dough, I usually go with Vegan Dad's recipe (Thanks Vegan Dad!), which I highly recommend. It's simple and makes a very easy-to-work-with dough. To make the green dough, I added about 12 (smallish-sized) collard greens to the regular recipe...all tolled, it was about 2 cups worth of finely chopped raw collards added to the basic recipe.

We don't have a pasta machine, but I find that provided you let the dough rest first, rolling it out by hand is just as easy.  Even if you do have a pasta machine, resting the dough is a good idea. To do this, roll the dough up into a ball, wrap it in some cellophane so it won't dry out and let it sit for 30 minutes or so. The dough becomes more relaxed and easy to work with after resting...isn't that true for us all? :)

Another important consideration is the workspace where you will you roll out the dough.  Make sure you give yourself ample room, and ideally the surface should be nice and cool...(i.e., it might not be the easiest thing to do in the midst of a heat wave). I use a granite slab pastry board that is ideal for working with doughs; it stays cool, and when lightly dusted with flour, nary a dough will stick.

In order to achieve sturdy ravioli that won't break open when you cook them, work gently with the dough, keeping a light dusting of semolina flour on your work surface and a tad bit on top of the dough and your rolling pin...you'll probably have to keep dusting it with more flour as you go. The important things are to get a uniform thickness in the dough and ensuring there are no tears or wholes in it.

Once rolled out to ~ 1/16 inch ( ~ 1.5 mm) thickness,  it may not look like a tidy bit dough to cut ravioli from, but that's easily fixed by trimming the dough to form a rectangle.

At this point, it's just a matter of dolloping the filling on in rows, placing the other half of the dough over it, and cutting out little squares.

You can make a sort of pastry "glue" by mixing some flour and water together (say 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons water) and brushing it around the dough where the edges of the ravioli will be. This will help the dough stick together.

After the squares are cut, gently reinforce the seal by pressing around the perimeter with your fingers. If you use a ravioli cutter, you get those nice little scalloped edges. (Alternately, you could make a half-moon variety of filled pasta, like the ones in this post.)

In the picture above, you can see where some flour/water "glue" is brushed around the filling.

Speaking of the filling,  I used a recipe for cashew cheese from The Conscious Cook cookbook. This recipe needs to be made in advance (you need to soak the cashews for several hours, and then another 14-16 hours for the probiotic cultures to form). Having ravioli on the brain this weekend, I started the cheese process yesterday morning. (Of course, you don't have to fill ravioli with cashew cheese, or vegan cheese of any kind for that matter...the options are limitless and up to your own taste, mood, and creativity.)

The basic method for making the cashew cheese is quite common and easily found online so I think it's safe to divulge. For instance, you can find the full recipe for the cashew cheese and what Mr. Ronnen makes with it here.

Basic cashew cheese method from The Conscious Cook, by Tal Ronnen:

Soak 2 cups raw cashews in water for 12 -14 hours. After the cashews have soaked, dissolve 1 tsp probiotic powder in 1 cup warm water, rinse the cashews and blend them in a food processor with the dissolved probiotics. Now, transfer to a clean bowl, cover and let it sit in a warm place for another 14-16 hours.

After it has set for the required amount of time...you can add in any extra ingredients you like for the filling. I didn't follow the rest of the recipe from the book, but rather added the following:

(not Tal's additions):

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
the zest and juice of 1 organic lemon
1/2 cup of finely chopped chives
1 cup diced zucchini
1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

 lemon-chive cashew cheese with zucchini

The filling has a light lemon flavor and the zucchini pieces add a nice toothsome dimension.

Here's a shot of the top and bottom of the colored ravioli:

left=top  / right=bottom

If you wanted to get creative, you could probably come up with more artistic ways to combine the two doughs. For example, you could try overlapping strips of each dough slightly and rolling them out side by side to form one large stripey piece of dough...that would be fun. But I'll leave that for another day. I stuck with using one color of dough for the top and the other for the bottom, switching halfway through so some ravioli have green tops/yellow bottoms and some have yellow tops/green bottoms.

Here are the resulting ravioli. They're not picture perfect, but I'm pretty sure they'll hold together, and I sure hope they taste good:

ravioli colorati w/ collards and lemon-chive cashew filling

Once you have the ravioli made you can store them in the fridge for about 5-6 days, or freeze them. Freezing them is a good strategy because, in my experience, they tend to cook up better and without any breakage from a frozen state.

In order to avoid any breakages or filling mishaps, add them into gently boiling water and keep the heat such that they don't go into a rapid, rolling boil. Unlike regular unfilled pasta, ravioli don't fair too well at a rapid boil. You'll have to judge as you go how long to cook them...it will depend on the thickness of the dough and the shape/size of ravioli...but generally speaking, they are cooked when they rise to the surface...usually in about 6-8 minutes.


Ciao for now...have fun, make some ravioli!

Roseann LaPonte

Rosanne Tobin

Carmelita and Huge Dandelion Things

Grilled white and green asparagus, pistacio-tarragon emulsion, miners lettuce and hearts of palm salad -vegan 

We had a (mostly) smashing dinner at our neighborhood veggie restaurant last night. I say mostly because this place, Carmelita, can be hit or miss. Their seasonal menu always sounds fabulous, and you can get a great meal there...but sometimes not so great. Last night was definitely a hit...with only one little miss. For starters we had grilled asparagus (above) in a pistacio-tarragon sauce...hit! (Sorry about the dark shots)

We also had this deliciously moist foccacia with a tangy and citrusy sun-dried tomato pesto...hit!

Homemade foccacia, truffled artichoke-sun dried tomato spread -vegan

PizzaFor mains, I ordered this foraged mushroom and nettle/spinach pesto pizza, topped with mizuna rabe. The crust was absolutely perfect and very tasty, and the mushrooms were tender, grilled to perfection and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The nettle-spinach pesto was earthy, rich, and full of flavor, and the raw rabe on the top added a fresh and peppery finish...definitely a hit and the star of the evening!

Nettle-spinach pesto, grilled spring onion, foraged mushrooms, seasonal greens, balsamic -vegan option 

Now for the miss part...this would have been a perfect dish as well if the linguine weren't overcooked. Such a basic mistake...not sure how a place that makes the rest of the food so delicious and beautiful can screw up on pasta..but it appeared that they cooked the fresh pasta like you would have done dry pasta, and as I said, the result was not good...would have been lovely otherwise as all the other flavors and ingredients were well-conceived and very good. I loved the little chive flower garnishes.

Housemade linguine, snap peas, morels, chive-pistacio pesto - vegan

We took a bit of a walk around the neighborhood afterwards and cut through the food co-op parking lot...they really have lovely gardens surrounding their lot. You'll find all sorts of wonderful aromatic shrubs, herbs, and vegetables growing there. Last night, I was struck (not literally...the dandelions were very peaceful) by these extra large dandelions. They are growing about 5 -6 feet high! I think these are wild variety...not sure whether they are technically called dandelion, but I'm sure they are in the same family at any rate.

Update From the Comments: Apparently, these plants are most likely salsify...and they are in the same family as dandelions: Asteraceae.

mammoth dandelion-type plants (salsify), worthy of prehistoric times