Vegan Etc.

Veganize Me!

2010-05-20T20:07:00.002-04:00

I'm very excited to tell you that I'm giving the vegan biz a try! Check out my new website!
www.veganizeme.ca

I will still continue to post on Vegan Etc., although I won't be giving away as many recipes since it would defeat the purpose of my new project :) but will continue to share lots of pics and food ideas and news!

Quick lunch

2010-05-07T07:32:00.006-04:00

Tamari tofu. Yum! It's the simplest - and one of my favourite ways - to flavour tofu.

Here is a super quick and fulfilling lunch.

Before you leave for work in the morning, marinate cubes of firm tofu in tamari and rice wine vinegar (add some fresh grated ginger root if you want).

When you get home for lunch or dinner, you can choose to either eat it cold as is, or quickly pan fry it in a touch of peanut and sesame oil with onions, bok choy, almonds, more tamari and garnish with sriracha sauce.

Vegan in the T Dot

2010-04-26T21:12:00.008-04:00

My chum and I went to Toronto a few weekends ago for our anniversary. He's a nerd (a very cute one) over ancient history, so, for him, the trip highlight was the King Tut exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario. For me, the trip was a big, fat food fest. A big, fat, vegan food fest! Whenever I visit Toronto, I consume more calories in a single weekend than I do in a full week at home.

Friday we went to Spring Rolls on Dundas for dinner which, when I was a poor and starving journalism student, is where I used to scarf down pad thai and basil noodles between Greyhound buses on my painfully long and stinky rides from North Bay to London! They have a vegetarian section on their menu which assures us that "all of the above dishes are free of dairy, eggs, meat and seafood". Always appreciated. I ordered salad rolls with hoisin dipping sauce as an app and Ho Fun noodles with deep fried tofu for my main. (pic above)

For lunch the next day, Lebanese! A veggie pita loaded with deep fried cauliflower and eggplant, pickled turnip, lettuce, tomatoes, tabouleh, hummus and tahini. I challenge all meat eaters to forego the chicken shawarma next time they eat middle eastern food and try this veggie alternative. It is to die for.

For dinner Saturday night, I brought my VERY good sport of a non-vegetarian boyfriend to Fresh on Bloor street. To start, we shared sweet potato fries and quinoa-battered onion rings with vegan garlic mayo to dip! These onion rings are thick! For dinner, he had a curried chickpea wrap (he didn't love it...I would have eaten it but he ordered it with cheese). I had the Beach bowl, which has really nicely marinated tofu steaks with avocado, sun dried tomatoes, roasted zuch and micro greens on soba noodles (pic above).

I am reluctant to admit this but....for dessert....I ordered a slice of soy chocolate cake, a cream-stuffed cupcake and a choco-lavender cupcake too. Don't worry, I only ate two of them that night. I saved the third for lunch the next day.

On Sunday, I FINALLY hit Panacea - Toronto's first and only all-vegan grocery store. My friends, I have been to heaven. Everything, and I mean everything a vegan wants to eat is there. All the best things that I can't get in North Bay were there - they even had DAIYA cheese! Normally they only allow one container per customer, but when I lamented my long drive from North Bay, they sold me two. I think they are the only place in Ontario selling Daiya in-store. Oh, and they carry some stuff from Sweets from the Earth Vegan Bakery. Best. Vegan. Sweets. Ever.

On the way home, we stopped in Muskoka and hit the Farmer's Daughter, where I always buy awesome egg-free pasta imported from Italy.

What a trip! Ancient history lesson, check. New dress, check. Romantic dinner for two, check. 2 per cent more body fat, check!

(Pic above - Chocolate Pecan Caramel by Sweets from the Earth)

A soup with no season

2010-04-21T21:59:00.013-04:00

Spring has been playing peek-a-boo. We've had a few really warm days this month. Not today though. I went running outside and I had a bit of a chill a little while after, so I knew soup was definitely on the menu for dinner. I looked in my fridge and saw a little bit of 4 different kinds of mushrooms leftover from last week's groceries. I improvised a cream of mushroom soup and tossed in some baby spinach to make it a bit more healthy.

Here's tonight's dinner. (Makes one huge or two small bowls)

You need:

1 cup soy milk
1 cup veg broth
1 cup of roughly chopped mushrooms (I used a mix of white, cremini, shitake, enoki)
1 cup of baby spinach
1 shallot, finely chopped (if you dont have shallots, just use 1/4 cup regular onion!)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsb vegan margarine
1 tsp Braggs (liquid soy)
1/2 tsp thyme (I find dry works better than fresh in cream soups)
splash of fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt, pepper
1 tbsp soy sour cream (optional)

In a medium pot, sautee shallots in olive oil on medium high for a minute. Add garlic and margarine and cook for another minute. Add mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and thyme and cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms take on a bit of colour. Add flour and stir quickly for 30 seconds. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and Braggs and stir a bit more. Add broth and soy milk, stir and allow to simmer for 7-10 minutes. Add spinach and, if you want it extra creamy, stir in a tbsp of soy sour cream right before serving.Garnish with more enoki shrooms!

Teese, please

2010-04-20T07:35:00.006-04:00

I recently visited Panacea on Bloor Street in Toronto (which merits its own post so stay tuned, this place is vegan heaven) and picked up a few vareties of Teese cheese by Chicago SoyDairy, including Nacho Sauce. I wouldn't recommend eating this stuff cold, but I give it an 8 out of 10 when melted. It's the closest thing a vegan can get to amusement park nacho cheese! I fully enjoyed it. It even gets that plasticky top layer if it sits too long after melting! Ahh yes, it brought me back to my university days of eating B-and lower-grade food. I don't think Teese is half as damaging to my body as "real" fake stuff, so I went ahead and ate half a pack in one sitting. I melted some for Taco night. I spread some on a few open-face tacos and, you'll see below, blobbed it on another few. My tacos are topped with Yves ground soy (quickly pan fried), salsa, Tofutti sour cream, cilantro, lettuce, onions and tomatoes.,

Fancy Friday Finger Food

2010-03-28T19:29:00.014-04:00

Do you ever get that urge to wrap your food? And each time, you try to be a little more clever about it? Well, this is hardly clever, but it tought it looked pretty darn cute. I was craving Tofurkey deli slices, but minus the bread (trying to shed my *ahem* winter coat). So instead, I wrapped them around something. I blanched then pan- fried some asparagus spears in olive oil, garlic, kosher salt and loads of rainbow cracked pepper, then wrapped them in deli slices and pan-fried again. Still hungry! Then I thought of my friend Meg - who once told me she loved to wrap kale around vege pate (she also gave me that cute little dish the food is on). I didn't have kale, so I used the last of my collard greens and rolled them with the pate and loads of fresh dill. Who knew un-fried-low-carb finger food could be this good.

Deep fried tofu for me, deep fried tofu for you

2010-03-04T18:19:00.009-05:00

Deep fried tofu. It is my favourite thing on the planet. The best and biggest selection of deep fried tofu dishes drenched in perfectly balanced asian sauces that I have tried are in Chinatown Ottawa at what will forever be my favourite place to eat in the entire universe: So Good. I am not worthy, Peter So (manager, chef, and sauce maker extraordinaire), but here is one of many So Good tributes from my kitchen.

For one serving, start by deep frying about 6-8 cubes of medium tofu until really crispy on the outside (make sure you strain it and pat it dry before you fry). Set aside. Deep fry a handful of blanched almonds until golden, about 20 seconds. Set aside.

Now the sauce. In a bowl, whisk together a little more than half a cup of water with 2 tbsps of soy sauce, 1 heaping tbsp of hoisin sauce, 1 tsp of sugar or sweetner, sriracha sauce (I used a little less than a tsp), 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, half a tsp of tapioca starch (you can use potato or corn starch too), and 1 clove of garlic, minced.

Now in a wok, heat 2 tbsps of veg oil with a splash of sesame oil. Flavour your oil by tossing in a few chunks of peeled fresh ginger root and sizzle them for a few minutes and remove. Now on medium-high (closer to high) heat, stir fry your veggies for about 3 minutes alone then toss in your tofu and the sauce and stir fry for another 3 minutes.

That's it! Top with almonds!

(my veggies were broccoli, cauliflower, onions, bok choy, water chesnuts, bamboo shoots, carrots, celery)

Chickpeas and Wilted Lettuce on Rice

2010-02-27T10:50:00.009-05:00

Chickpeas remind me of my childhood. I remember the kids at school thinking it was funny when I'd eat them one by one out of a little container at recess.

Here is a dish that makes me feel good all over. Chickpeas on my favourite blend of rice - wild, brown, red and sweet - it has great nutty flavour. I bought it pre-mixed. You can find these blends at your local bulk store.

Cook the rice as directed but to the water add a veg broth cube, a bay leaf, 1tsp dried sage, pepper and a big splash of olive oil.

In a pan, sautee finely minced onion, garlic and chopped celery in olive oil with rosemary, salt and pepper on medium heat. When softened, add chickpeas (drained if you're using canned) and cook for another 5 minutes. Add a big handful of julienned romaine lettuce and cook until wilted - about 3 minutes. Deglaze your pan with your favourite liquid (I just used water because I had nothing fancy on hand). Spoon over rice!

Veggies Make the Water Cooler

2010-02-22T20:30:00.019-05:00

I'm back!

Never dreamed I'd say this, but veganism and vegetarianism have been the stars of water cooler talk in North Bay lately. A Facebook group was created recently where a local vegetarian revealed that our city's most beloved, 40-year-old pizza place has been using lard (pig fat) in the dough of all of its pizzas, including, you guessed it, vegetarian pizzas. Around this time, I discovered that another local restaurant has been flavouring its tofu dishes (which are listed under a menu section labelled "vegetarian") with chicken stock. It generated some really interesting (and heated) debates....have a look here. Since then, the pizza joint has promised to offer an alternative: a whole wheat pizza dough that is 100% vegetarian. Thumbs up!

Here is tonight's dinner in my own vegan kitchen. Oat-crusted chickn fingers with roasted potato salad and veggies with garlicky curry dip.

Chickn fingers were made with Gardein chicken, sliced into strips and coated with a mixture of rolled oats, creole powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and pan fried until golden brown.

Potato salad was made by oven roasting 4 medium diced potatoes which were coated in olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic, and, once done and cooled to room temperature, tossed with chopped celery, fresh dill, fresh chives, half a tsp of dijon, tbsp vegenaise (vegan mayo), tbsp soy sour cream, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper, 1 clove garlic (mashed into a paste).

The dip for the veggies is a secret for now, sorrry ;)

Daiya shipment numero deux!

2010-01-16T10:46:00.007-05:00

I mentioned in a previous post that upon trying Daiya for the first time, I became an instant Daiya devotee. No other vegan cheese melts or tastes this good. I ordered more Daiya, in both mozza and cheddar flavours, from www.vivagranola.com for the holidays. For North Bay readers, I've recommended it to Bins and Bins and was asked to bring my next Daiya order in to show them, so here's hoping the best vegan cheese becomes available in North Bay in 2010!

Here is a blend of Daiya cheddar and mozza used in creamy tomato mac n cheez. If I can offer a tip, add most of your Daiya quantity near the end of making a dish like this one. It melts very fast and has a tendency to dissolve when cooked too long.

Below is the mozza or "Italian style" Daiya - it's quite good cold on salads and reminds me of fresh grated parmesan.

I caved and ordered another Sweet & Sara product. I will hug and kiss Sara if and when I meet her. Their "Smores" really hit the spot. And I love that all of their stuff if handmade too - with lots of love I'm sure. But I don't find it tastes like a Smore as much as a....(and my boyfriend is the one who hit the nail on the head on this one)....Wagon Wheel. Remember those things? Well either way, this S&S one is better tasting - and better for you. Everything in it is natural, organic and none of the oils are hydrogenated. Bonus.

Ooooh yes!

New Years Eve Buffet

2010-01-15T11:43:00.009-05:00

I bought a house last summer and still hadn’t gotten around to doing the housewarming thing so I decided to host a NYE party, starring, of course, an obscene amount of food. My guests were not vegan so I tried to keep things safe and simple. Here are a few of the dishes that were on my buffet:

Fruit n Nut Couscous:
Couscous was cooked with a blend of juices and water, and tossed with chopped nuts and dried fruit, and spices. Sorry, secret recipe for now :)

Dilly Waldorf Salad on Red Endive:
Salad was made with finely chopped apple, fennel, celery, toasted walnuts, vegan mayo, lemon juice, loads of fresh dill, salt and pepper.

Guacamole with Toasted Tortilla:
Easy guacamole: avocado, chopped tomato, minced (seeded) jalapeno pepper, fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, garlic, hot sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper. Tortilla was cut into wedges and tossed in olive oil, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili power, salt and pepper and baked in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Potato Wedges with Garlic Dip: Sorry friends, this one is a secret recipe for now.

Sober Upper Toasters! Curried Cauliflower Soup with Red Pepper Drizzle:
See recipe below. If you’re wondering why these look a bit messy, it was after midnight, and I have terrible fine motor skills to begin with, so my hands weren't so steady at this point, wink.

Curried Cauliflower Soup with Red Pepper Drizzle

2009-12-27T08:54:00.012-05:00

There was a little Martha in me this Christmas. I wanted to share a little taste of my vegan holidays with the ladies at work, so I made them all this boootiful, colourful Michael Smith-inspired curried cauliflower soup with red pepper drizzle.

I am a huge, HUGE fan of Chef Michael Smith (Food Network Canada - Chef at Home, Chef Abroad). He's not vegan, not even vegetarian, but he consistently shines a big, bright spotlight on his veggie dishes. He's a big nerd over food, just like moi hehe. I totally dig his passion for flavour combinations. Did I just say "totally dig"??

Michael, je t'adore, but I've made a few adjustments to this recipe ;)

Soup:

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 cups veg stock

1 1/2 cups orange juice

Olive oil, about a 1/4 cup

1/2 cup (loose) chopped fresh cilantro

A big slpash of Braggs

1 tbsp curry powder

Pinch more of turmeric, mainly to enhance the colour

Salt, pepper

Drizzle:

1 large red pepper

1/2 cup tomato juice

2 tbps olive oil

Salt, pepper

In a big baking pan, toss cauliflower and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake in a 350 degree oven for at least 30 minutes or until a bit golden. When finished, combine cauliflower and onions with the rest of the soup ingredients (except the cilantro) in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes. After about 15 minutes, puree the soup with an immersion blender (or in small batches in a blender) until smooth. Add cilantro at the very end.

In another pot, simmer all the red pepper drizzle ingredients together until peppers are very soft then puree until mixture is perfectly smooth. Pour soup in bowls and drizzle red pepper puree on top and garnish with more cilantro.

(pic above is from Food Network...i forgot to snap a shot of my own garnished soup :) )

On the fly post

2009-12-14T21:55:00.012-05:00

Not a whole lot of down time lately so I'm not able to blog as often :( I hope to get back into more frequent posting in the new year. For now, here are a few quick ones.

Pan fried polenta discs stacked with marinara, Teese cheeze medalions, sauteed mushrooms, zuch and spinach.

"I only have 10 minutes to cook and eat" salad: chick peas, lots of fresh dill, kale, cauliflower, hearts of palm, celery, green onion, vegan mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, braggs, salt, pepper.

20 Minute Lentil Soup: red lentils, veggie broth, splash of coconut milk and braggs, celery, onion, zuch, curry blend, more turmeric, spinach, cilantro, soy sour cream or soygurt garnish.

Viva vivagranola.com!

2009-12-02T21:05:00.015-05:00

Vegan shopping in North Bay is improving but it is by no means Toronto. We have some of everything but the problem is we don't have the best of everything. For example, we have vegan cheese, but not Daiya. Reading my copy of VegNews was always a big tease - flipping through pages showing amazing vegan products I couldn't get my hands on. That is until last month when I discovered www.vivagranola.com, an online vegan store which ships all the best vegan products from Quebec. Won't Daiya go bad in the mail? Nope! They toss in a freezer pack for a couple of bucks!

Here is what I ordered (each of the item headings below should link to vivagranola's product description webpages):

Daiya (Italian style shreds):

For so long I've been drooling over pics of Daiya recipes and couldn't quite believe how well it appeared to melt. I bought it, melted it, ate it and............it's true! It really does melt just like cheese! I couldn't get over it. Stings of cheese! Other vegan cheese brands say 'it melts', but lets be honest here, they melt into liquid, not into ooey gooey goodness! I'm guessing arrowroot was the key to Daiya's success. I don't really care actually. It tastes amazing. I'm declaring myself a Daiya Devotee. For life.

I tried Daiya in a bunch of dishes but here are pics of vegan mexi macaroni casserole made with Yves mexican ground soy and scalloped potatoes:

(CHEESY STRETCHY STRINGY!)

Teese Cheeze (mozza flavour):

This stuff is quite nice. No aftertaste. Very smooth texture. It doesn't melt very well but it tastes great cold in salads, on sandwhiches or crackers.

Sweet and Sara Vegan Marshmellows (Vanilla flavour):

These are very close to the real thing - mind you, it's been over 5 years since I've had a marshmellow. The Sweet and Sara ones are very sweet, and less chalky than the non vegan ones, which is good. I made crispy rice squares with them and my only tip would be to break the S&S mashmellows into small pieces before trying to melt them into the recipe. They don't break down or melt as easily as non vegan marshmellows. I will definitely buy these again and again.

Jokerz candy bar (mimics Snickers):

It was love at first bite. But I can't believe that I, a chocolate bar-deprived vegan, am about to say this.... this bar was almost too sweet. Maybe it's because my tastebuds have been on candy bar vacation for five years, but I could barely finish this. I took a break and then polished it off. And it was great. I hope Crispy Cat bars expand their variety soon too...hey who's to say, in 10 years, we could see vegan sections at Macs corner stores. Maybe not.

Primal Stips - Key Lime and Teriyaki flavours:More, please. That's all I have to say about that.

PS - I am mad at Blogger! Does anyone else have a problem with photos? My pics remain thumbnails and arent clickable for some reason. Why?????

Barley on the side

2009-11-26T15:54:00.007-05:00

I think I will name my next pet Barley. Wouldn’t that be a great name for a dog? Ok, back to food. I find barley is so underrated. It’s fantasterrific swimming in soups, but I thoroughly enjoy spoonfuls of “big-bite-barley”as I call it, so I often swap it for rice in side and main dishes.

Here is an easy barley side dish:

You need:
1 cup pearl or pot barley
3 cups vegetable broth
1 zucchini, halved then chopped
1 cooking onion, halved then thinly sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Olive oil
Vegan margarine
Bay leaf
Herbes de Provence
Fresh thyme
Salt, pepper

Cook your barley in 2 ½ cups of the vegetable broth and toss in a bay leaf and a tsp of dried Herbes de Provence (or whatever herbs you have).

In the meantime, heat a tbsp of olive oil and a tsp of vegan margarine in a skillet. Cook your onions until almost caramelized. Toss in the garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, a sprig of thyme, a pinch of herbs, salt, pepper.

When barley is cooked, toss it in the skillet with the vegetables and add the remaining ½ cup of veggie broth. Toss in the spinach, a big slash of olive oil and cook until broth is fully absorbed.

Pan-fried Tofurky Deli Slices on a Sandwich. C'est Bon!

2009-11-12T07:22:00.009-05:00

Toasted sprouted grain bread

Vegenaise

Faux cheddar cheese

Lettuce

Tomato

Pan-fried Tofurky Deli Slices & red onions

Avocado

With sweet potato medallions, heart of palm, dill pickle,

Fatty Fat Fat Fried Her Food

2009-11-05T19:04:00.011-05:00

Cajun deep fried pickles and onions. How could I resist? This is a veganized Emeril Lagasse recipe...my apologies. Man is he annoying.

I served these goodies atop a bed of coleslaw (chopped cabbage, vegenaise, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, chopped pickles, paprika).

You need:

About a dozen dill pickles, some whole, some halved, some quartered, for fun

1 large onion, sliced, rings pulled apart individually (you could also do onion wedges)

Part A of batter:

2 cups soy creamer

2 tsps hot sauce

Egg replacer equivalent to two eggs

(mix together in bowl A)

Part B of batter:

1 cup AP flour

1 cup corn flour

2 tbsps creole spice mix

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

As much cayenne as you want

salt, pepper

(mix together in bowl B)

Oil for frying

Heat about 3 inches of oil in a tall pot (or deep fryer...I purposely don't have one because I'm a big pig and I'd use it all the time) to 350 degrees. Dunk pickles and onion rings in bowl A, then bowl B, let them sit for a few minutes, then dunk again in bowl B. Deep fry in small batches until golden and crispy and delicious and fattening.

Big Brunch

2009-11-01T12:53:00.014-05:00

Most days, breakfast is coffee, a handful of almonds and a fruit or two. But lately there is something about Sundays that puts me in a big brunching mood. A la table ce matin - rosti and banana pancakes - ouf! My belly hurts. Rosti is a traditional Swiss potato dish that is similar to hashbrowns but the potato is always grated and often cooked with different ingredients like bacon (ick), onions or cheese. Since an enormous serving of fried potatoes wasn't enough for this pig, I stuffed my face with banana pancakes too.

Rosti - you need:

Two large, waxy type potatoes, peeled and grated (for best results, use day old par boiled potatoes. but uncooked will work just fine.)

1/4 cup very thinly sliced onion (optional)

1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used taragon, chives and dill)

Vegetable oil

1 tsp vegan margarine

Salt, pepper

Grate your potatoes with the largest holes on your cheese grater. Strain excess liquid. Heat a generous amount of vegetable oil and margarine in a non stick pan to medium high heat. Add potatoes, onions and herbs, pack them firmly together into a "pancake". Season with salt and pepper. Cover with lid and cook for ten minutes. Now the fun part. Flip the rosti onto a plate, add a touch more margarine to the pan then return rosti to the pan to cook the other side for another ten minutes. Garnish with sour cream (I used Yoso today), herbs and fresh veggies or fruit.

A couple of vegan banana pancakes - you need:

1/2 cup vanilla soy milk

1/2 cup all purpose flour

Half of one very ripe banana, smashed

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar or sweetner

Small splash of vanilla

In a bowl, combine banana with the soy milk, vanilla and sweetner (if it's liquid sweetner). In another bowl, sift together flour and baking power (and sugar or sweetner if it's dry sweetner). Combine dry and wet ingredients together and stir lightly. If you mix too rigorously, the pancake will be too tough. Cook them (recipe makes two medium pancakes) in a bit of oil or margarine (I find latter works better) in a non stick pan until golden on each side. I was feeling particularly piggy today so I garnished mine with icing sugar, maple syrup, margarine, walnuts and sliced bananas.

Iminahurry Food

2009-10-26T21:13:00.014-04:00

Not a whole lot of time or energy to cook last week. I often had less than 30 mins to eat. When I did have time, my energy was weighed down by a little cold I was fighting. Here are a few quick meals and snacks that kept my motor running.

Pita pizza with Yves Cuisine veggie pepperoni, Tofutti cheese, mushrooms, onions and leftover marinara sauce and a side of sauteed kale ( with olive oil, onions, garlic, more leftover marinara sauce, salt, pepper):

Végé paté and pan fried tomato, mushrooms, spinach on toasted Ezekiel sesame bread (Vegenaise made it perfect):

The last of my fresh zuch from the local farmers' market (oven roasted with olive oil, elephant garlic, fresh oregano, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper):

Red Bliss (sauteed beets, kidney beans, red swiss chard, with tahini):

Hummus on Rice. A Love Story.

2009-10-21T22:40:00.008-04:00

One day at my most favourite Shawarma joint in Ottawa I ordered the falafel platter instead of the falafel sandwich. By the time I transported it home, some of the hummus was all mixed up in the rice. Shoot, I said, what a mess. Hmm, *Homer eating noises* this is pretty good *spooning more hummus onto the rice*. Since then, I have been putting blobs, er, dollops of hummus on rice all the time. The end.

Here is long grain rice that was cooked in veggie broth (and herbs and garlic and olive oil), tossed with lima beans, peas, onions, a bunch of fresh herbs and a big blob, sorry, dollop, of hummus.

Arepas

2009-10-18T21:15:00.006-04:00

I have not yet mastered arepas, that's for sure. But I give myself A for effort on this batch. Arepas are a tradional Venezuelan dish. I hear there are some pretty mean arepa joints in NYC, which I will more realistically try before heading way south. I used this recipe for the arepas. But a few weeks back I saw Mark Bittman (NYTimes) make them with cream, so I'll try using soy milk next time.

I couldn't decide what I wanted as filling, so I made two types.

On the left, avocado, soy sour cream, soy cheddar, and black beans cooked with onions, tomatoes, garlics, paprika and chili. On the right, sauteed mushrooms, peppers and onions, leftover nooch cheez sauce, tomatoes.

Eggless Salad

2009-10-17T22:08:00.004-04:00

I never liked egg salad when I wasn't vegan. It kind of grossed me out. But for some reason, eggless salad was one of the first ways I experimented with tofu in my early vegetarian days. I like having it for breaky or brunch. Today I wrapped it up in a pita with broccoli sprouts.

Mix together:

Medium or firm tofu (not silken), mash it up with your fork

Vegenaise

Finely chopped dill pickle, celery, onion

Dijon mustard

Fresh dill

Turmeric

Garlic

Salt, pepper

Mac n Cheez

2009-10-15T22:21:00.018-04:00

Some vegans just adore their nooch sauce, a creamy alternative to cheese sauce made from nutritional yeast. Some vegans just....dont. I gotta say, it took me a while to get over nooch's smell. But with the right recipe, it can get quite velvety and creamy and tasty, and oui, oui, fromage-ee. But sometimes I just find it's easier to make cream sauces with non dairy versions of cream cheese, sour cream, milk, margarine, and cashew cream - if there's already a big batch of it made.

This is my favourite recipe for nooch cheez sauce so far. I added garlic and some canned diced tomatoes to the ingredient list. I used rice pasta shells and fusilli, and topped it with crumbled crackers and a Toffuti American Cheese slice, which melted nicely in the oven.

One of the simplest ways I eat leaf lettuce and I just love it: oil, vinegar, mixed dried herbs, coarse salt, cracked pepper. Tossed with any mild onion and olives!

A generous Vegan MOFO entry despite my mofo cold

2009-10-14T12:02:00.030-04:00

I have a cold. My head hurts so I don't feel like writing much. But it's Vegan MOFO (Month of Food), so I really should.

First, a pic of my super duper cold buster - boiling water, ginger chunks, lemon, lime, grapefruit, cayenne pepper, agave syrup. I sipped this while enjoying the gorgeous autumn view from my living room window:

Next, udon noodle soup - broth is made with shitake mushrooms, braggs, ginger, garlic, raw sugar, sriracha sauce, sesame oil. Floatings things are tofu, shitake mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, bok choy, celery, green onion:

Here are some of the things I brought to Thxgiving dinner - fattoush, coconut curried cauliflower, apple fennel salad, sage pesto mushrooms, tofurkey slices:

Toby, my parents' dog, brought booze (Dan Aykroyd wine, oooh la la):

My sister made a squash dish from (I think) In the Garden of Vegan and a vegan pumpkin cheesecake - OH MY WOW. I was the only vegan at the table of about ten people but they never would have guessed the cake was non dairy:

Sage Pesto Mushrooms

2009-10-13T12:58:00.012-04:00

I love sage and mushrooms together. Sage pesto would taste great on all mushrooms, but I particularly love it on cremini and oyster types.

I made the pesto by following a recipe and proportions of traditional basil and pinenut pesto but instead using fresh sage and walnuts (not toasted since this dish cooks in the oven) with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, oh, and a tiny splash of lemon juice. I didnt totally puree because I like a bit of crunch from the walnut pieces in this dish. I drizzled the pesto over the mushrooms (photo, right) and baked them for about 25 mins in a 375 degree oven. I removed the cremini mushroom stems to allow the pesto to cook in their pockets.

The flavour is quite strong, so I paired the mushrooms with a very simple couscous that was dressed only with sundried tomatoes (sweetness was a perfect balance to savoury, salty pesto), flat leaf parsley, fresh lemon juice, olive oil and salt, pepper.

Key West Salad

2009-10-08T09:47:00.016-04:00

We drove to Key West last January – me, my boyfriend, his brother and girlfriend, and of course our dog and their two dogs, from NORTH BAY ONTARIO! That’s 3000 kms or 1864 miles of “pull over, dog 1 has to pee”, drive, “pull over, I have to pee”, drive, “pull over, dogs 2 and 3 have to pee”, drive, “pull over, dog 1 just barfed”. On top of stressing over dog messes, the whole ride down, I worried about food. I hadn’t packed much vegan grub for fear of having it taken away at the border, and I didn’t know much about the restaurants and grocery stores down there. There wasn’t much available on the highway down there either. I was eating a lot of nuts and corn chips and BK garden salads, which are pretty wimpy, let me tell you. Needless to say, when we finally got to Key West, I was totally famished. An old friend of mine, who is a raw foodist, spent some time in the Keys and recommended I check out a place called Sugar Apple . Boy did I get lucky because the condo we were staying in was on Simonton, three minutes down the street from it! Not only is it a great place for takeout, it’s a vegan’s dream grocery too! It has everything we love, all the best products. Oh, and their smoothies, all made with coconut milk , are the best I’ve ever had. I was there almost every day.

When Cecily – my dog – and I went running we just happen to stumble upon Help Yourself a funky little place housed in an old gas station. Really amazing vegan options and everything is so incredibly fresh.

The above pic is a salad very similar to one from Sugar Apple I’d often pick up and enjoy with my coconut banana smoothie in the hot sun at dog beach :) Mesclun mix topped with roasted tofu (seasoned only with a splash of Braggs), sundried tomatoes, avocadoes, almonds, red onion, hemp hearts and tahini dressing (not sure how they make theirs, but I used tahini, rice vinegar, Braggs, agave nectar, salt, pepper).

Voici Cecily, my big furry sandbeast, at dog beach in KW.

Tower O'Squash

2009-10-06T11:36:00.004-04:00

Spaghetti squash is probably in my top ten favourite foods. Yep, I have decided that I love it that much. I make it a few different ways, but below is my personal fave.

You need:

1 medium spaghetti squash
10 cremini mushrooms, very thinly sliced
1 shallot, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Small handful of fresh basil and flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp dried oregano
Pinch of chili pepper flakes
Salt, pepper
Vegan parmesan, optional

Tomato sauce:
1 can plum tomatoes (796 ml / 28 oz)
1 small cooking onion, finely diced
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp vegan parmesan
1 tsp tomato paste
Juice of half a lemon
Big handful of fresh basil, chopped
Salt, pepper

Cut squash in half (lengthwise), remove seeds and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Make your sauce in the meantime: In a medium saucepan, cook onions in a good amount of olive oil on medium heat until softened. Add garlic, cook for another minute. Add lemon juice, then tomato paste, salt and pepper, and cook for another few minutes. Add canned tomatoes and another splash of olive oil. If the tomatoes are whole, mash them up a bit. Add vegan parmesan, half of the basil, cover with lid and simmer for about ten minutes. Then blend with an immersion blender until almost smooth, but I like to leave a bit of texture (I put the immersion blender right in the pot as the sauce is cooking. If you don’t have a handheld, transfer sauce to regular blender, blend, then bring back to pot). After blending, cook for ten to fifteen more minutes, adding the remaining basil at the very end.

Mushrooms: In a skillet, cook shallot and garlic in 2 tbsps of olive oil on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Increase heat slightly (medium-high), add mushrooms, season with dried oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until slightly golden, set aside.

When squash is cooked, remove flesh by scraping it out with a fork. Toss spaghetti squash strands with tomato sauce and extra fresh basil and parsley. Twirl it onto a plate, top with mushrooms, a sprinkle of chili flakes and more parmesan if desired.

I can eat a whole medium squash by myself, but you definitely have more than enough sauce and mushrooms for two.

Tacos with Tofu Cream mmm

2009-10-02T14:13:00.012-04:00

There are so many vegan ways to eat a taco. Main toppings can be chili, ground soy, beans, rice, TVP, tempeh, tofu, or just veggies. I never make tacos quite the same way twice. But I do prefer using beans over faux ground beef. This time, I stuffed them with a rice and lentil mixture and topped it with corn salsa and, since I was fresh out of Tofutti Sour Supreme, I made my own tofu cream.

The lentils and rice were cooked in vegetable stock then sautéed in some oil with onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and splashed with tomato juice a few times to keep it moist.

Salsa was made with fresh corn kernels sawed off a bbq’ed cob, finely chopped tomatoes, onion and bell peppers, a seeded and minced jalapeno pepper, garlic, olive oil, freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, salt and pepper.

Tofu cream was made by blending together about 1/2 cup of medium tofu with ¼ cup of rice milk and a bit of safflower oil, chopped fresh cilantro and chives.

PS - Happy VeganMoFo! (Vegan Month of Food)

HAPPY WORLD VEGETARIAN DAY, October 1

2009-10-01T16:18:00.005-04:00

Nutmeggy Cabbage Rolls

2009-09-25T15:56:00.012-04:00

I love my dad’s cabbage rolls. He makes “regular” ones for him, and lentil/rice ones for me but uses his stellar, signature nutmeggy sauce on both batches. I’m talking BIG NUTMEG flavour here people. And he always manages to balance the sweet and savory flavours perfectly. No measurements, he just eyeballs it. I made my own batch and my sauce turned out a wee bit too sweet this time. I don’t have an exact recipe yet, and promise to share one soon, but for now here are the ingredients I worked with:

Cabbage roll stuffing:
2 parts lentils (3/4 green lentil, 1/4 red lentil. I like what the mushy red ones add to the texture), soaked, rinsed and strained but not cooked
1 part brown rice, soaked, rinsed, strained but not cooked
Very finely chopped mushrooms, onions, celery, swiss chard
Sage
Garlic
Salt, pepper
Olive oil

Sauce:
2 parts tomato juice (I used a whole tall can in this batch)
1 part tomato sauce (a neutral one if possible)
Sugar/sweetener
Nutmeg, don’t be shy
Garlic powder
Chili powder, only about 1/5 of the amount you used for nutmeg
Salt
Finely ground pepper

Remove first few outer leaves and tough inner core of cabbage. Boil cabbage (whole) in a big pot until leaves soften a bit. Rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.

Mix stuffing ingredients together in a bowl. Mix sauce ingredients together in another bowl (it is not necessary to cook sauce before making cabbage rolls). Make enough sauce to completely cover cabbage rolls. They must all be submerged in sauce for the rice to cook thoroughly.

Stuff n’ roll your cabbage rolls, placing them side by side in a casserole dish. Cover completely with sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 90 minutes (assuming you have 6 or more rolls).

Red Miso Soba & Tempeh

2009-09-22T14:05:00.014-04:00

I admit, if given the choice, most of the time I choose tofu over tempeh. I prefer the taste and texture. But I know it’s important to incorporate tempeh into my diet as often as possible. For those who aren’t vegetarian, you may not know the difference. Tempeh is a whole soybean product. Soybeans are soaked, de-hulled, partially cooked and packed into patties. Tofu is the curd after the beans have been processed into soy milk, kind of like what cottage cheese is to cow’s milk (but not as gross :p). I usually like marinated, pan fried medium tofu with my soba noodles. I tried something different tonight. The noodles were lovely in this improvised red miso and sesame sauce, and the tempeh was pretty decent although it tasted a bit undercooked. If you’re a tempeh expert, try this out and feel free to suggest tips to improve its texture.

You need:

4 tempeh “steaks”, see photo below
Two medium handfuls of buckwheat soba noodles
1 large carrot, cut into match sticks
1 celery stalk, cut into match sticks
Half of a medium onion, sliced
2 bok choy stalks, julienned width wise
¼ cup frozen peas
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 clove garlic, smashed (don’t chop)
2 half inch pieces of peeled fresh ginger root

Sauce:
3/4 cup water
2 tbsp Aka (red) miso
1 tbsp tahini (sesame butter)
1 tsp Braggs liquid soy
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh grated ginger root

Boil soba noodles in salted water. Strain, set aside.

In a small pot, simmer sauce ingredients on low heat.

Using 4 to 5 ounces of tempeh, cut into 4 thin steaks, as seen in photo.

Heat peanut oil in wok on medium-high heat. Flavour your oil by frying the smashed garlic clove and ginger chunks for a couple of minutes then remove them. Now fry tempeh steaks on each side for 3 minutes or until slightly golden. Remove tempeh steaks and transfer them into pot of simmering sauce.

Cover and allow them to cook in sauce for about 20 minutes (you may need to add of bit of water to the sauce if it evaporates too fast).

To that same wok, lower heat to medium and add a tsp of sesame oil (to the peanut oil that’s already in there) and cook onions, celery and carrot until softened. Add peas and stalk portion of bok choy (you’re reserving the leafy part for garnish). Remove all veggies from the wok and set aside.

To that same wok again, add a small splash of water and soba noodles. Transfer the sauce from the pot to the wok and mix together with soba noodles, setting the tempeh steaks aside on a plate.

Plate your soba noodles, top with vegetables and bok choy greens and serve with 2 tempeh steaks each (serves 2).

Fattoush!

2009-09-21T10:13:00.011-04:00

I LOVE Middle Eastern food. Some of my very best food memories were made during the six years I lived in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, which is loaded with authentic international restaurants. During the last two years, I worked in a building in the heart of the Byward Market that was oh so conveniently equipped with a Lebanese cafeteria! This is where I discovered one of my great loves: Fattoush salad. Fattoush means “crumbled bread” I think. In this case, pita bread is baked or fried and tossed with greens and a beautiful lemony dressing accented with sumac – a spice I could not find anywhere in my hometown, the city of North Bay, until our first ever Lebanese restaurant opened recently!!!!!!!!! The Cedar Tree. As I chatted with the owner about how happy I was that North Bay finally has fresh falafel that are not freezer burnt or microwaved, I noticed his onion toppings were sprinkled with purple-ish powder…SUMAC! The foodie loser that I am, I got all excited about sumac right there in his restaurant and fed him my sob story about how I had been deprived of fattoush all these years because the key ingredient didn’t exist in this city. His restaurant doesn’t serve fattoush, so he kindly offered me a container full of sumac, asking only that I come back to eat his falafel in return. “Hey, no problem, mister!”

That night, I made an obscenely big bowl of Fattoush salad.

You need:

(Suggested items for salad)
Pita bread, cut into bit size pieces
Romaine lettuce or, if you’re really blessed with diverse produce in your city, it is most traditional to use purslane. I was low on romaine so I had to use a bit of iceberg too, but I wouldn't recommend it.
Tomatoes, sliced however you like
Cucumber, sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Green onion, finely chopped
Fresh mint, roughly chopped
Fresh parsley, roughly chopped (curly or flat, they both work)
Radish, thinly sliced (I didn’t have any on hand but it’s good in this salad)
Vegetable oil
Salt, pepper

Dressing:
¾ cup good olive oil
½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (or 2 very juicy lemons will do)
1 tsp ground sumac
3 cloves garlic
½ tsp salt
½ tsp finely ground pepper

3 or 4 mint leaves, very finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, toss chopped pita bread in a bowl with a splash of vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet and toast in oven until golden and crispy, about 7 minutes. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine dressing ingredients and blend together. It’s not necessary to use a blender, but if you choose to simply whisk or shake, it might be best to turn your garlic bits into a paste by running your knife over them with salt and oil.

Make your salad with any or all of the ingredients from suggested list. Toss together with toasted pita and desired amount of dressing. I like to sprinkle a bit more sumac on top.

Oh, and for dessert, I attempted vegan choco-peanut butter puffed rice squares. Recipe not yet perfected. Will share another time :)

Can Change Festival

2009-09-18T16:45:00.000-04:00

If you're from the North Bay area, be sure to attend the Can Change Festival tomorrow.
See you there :)

Healthy Mexican Rice

2009-09-17T10:32:00.016-04:00

When I make Mexican food, rice is usually the side dish to another main course so generally I keep its components very minimal. Today felt really long, though, so I was too lazy to make a big fiesta meal (and cooking dinner is what I look forward to and think about all day - is that sad? - so for me to skimp out even a little on dinner prep, I have to be really exhausted). So there I was, craving Mexican flavour, but wanting to keep it quick in prep time yet seriously needing replenishing nourishment. I opted for a quick, main dish rice, using brown rice instead of white. It went something like this:

You need:

1 cup brown rice (uncooked), thoroughly rinsed and strained
1 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup vegetable juice (if you don’t have veggie, use tomato)
1 cup red kidney beans
½ cup onion, diced
½ cup bell pepper, diced
½ cup corn kernels
1 tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili power
½ tsp cumin
Salt, pepper
Cayenne pepper, amount is up to you
Olive oil
Few slices of avocado and pinch of paprika to garnish

In a tall pan or medium pot, heat a big splash of olive oil on medium heat and sauté onion, peppers and garlic until softened. Add rice to pan, allowing it to “toast” in the oil for a few minutes (frying the dry rice will enhance its nutty flavour). Add another splash of olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and chili powder and cook for another minute. Add vegetable stock and vegetable juice, stir, lower heat to low-medium, cover with lid. When rice has absorbed a little over half of the liquid, add corn, tomatoes and kidney beans, cover with lid again and cook until all liquid is absorbed.

Garnish with avocado slices and paprika. Yields two side dishes or one large main.

Creamy Kale Quinoa

2009-09-14T10:52:00.018-04:00

In my last post, I wrote that the water content in Fresh Restaurant's creamy sunflower dressing was too high for lettuce-based salads. I still had half a mason jar of it left in my fridge so I needed to find another use for it. I was making quinoa the other night and the plan was to cook it with only a bit of olive oil, garlic and kale, but then, as I watched my non-vegan boyfriend cook creamy pasta, I too began to crave something creamy. I grabbed the leftover sunflower dressing and dumped it on the simmering kale and quinoa. It was the perfect solution. Wow, was it good (my boyfriend tasted it and asked if he could have a bit on his plate)!

You need:

1 cup of (almost cooked) quinoa
1 cup kale, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup of Fresh’s creamy sunflower dressing (mine was a bit altered. I had swapped the grapefruit juice for lime, and added cilantro to the recipe)
¼ cup water
Salt, pepper

Fresh's Creamy Sunflower Dressing Recipe:
⅔ cup raw sunflower seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup grapefruit juice
3tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup filtered water
Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and frothy.

While you’re boiling the quinoa, heat some olive oil in a pan. Simmer shallot and garlic on medium heat for a minute. Add kale to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until a bit wilted. Add 1/4 cup water, sunflower dressing and strained quinoa to pan. Stir, cover with lid, and allow it to cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

This makes one serving.

Labour Day Salad

2009-09-09T14:35:00.006-04:00

I wanted to quickly share this salad I made over the Labour Day weekend. I topped some romaine lettuce with bbq’ed “Chick’n” (Gardein), hearts of palm, avocadoes, tomatoes, red onion, and sunflower seeds. I just brushed the veggies with a mixture of olive oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Tip: grill the hearts of palm whole, then slice them.

I topped it with creamy sunflower dressing you get at Toronto restaurant Fresh (they have a cookbook out), but added cilantro to the recipe and swapped the grapefruit juice for lime because I figured it would go well with the avocado.

T’was delish, although this particular dressing would be better with non-lettuce salads (like potato or rice-based) because of the high water content in the recipe. Water and lettuce don't mix very well.

Artichoke Orecchiette

2009-09-09T11:11:00.021-04:00

I have a love-hate relationship with pasta. There is nothing I love more than a big old bowl o’ noodles. But that usually comes with a pasta hangover the next morning – which I always curse as I struggle to slide my rings on. So when I indulge, it’s gotta be good! I approach pasta night as a mission: VEGAN PASTA SHALL NOT BE DULL! And it never is :)

I love how well the ingredients in this dish work together. Creamy artichoke hearts, sweet sundried tomatoes and crunchy pine nuts all nestled in the pockets of orecchiette noodles, which have unbeatable texture (don’t mistake these noodles for ordinary shells!). I have yet to find good orecchiette in North Bay. I usually buy mine when I’m in Ottawa, at La Bottega, an amazing Italian grocery in the Byward Market where I always find new vegan-friendly treasures.

You need:
1 and ¼ cup of dry orecchiette noodles
2 fresh artichokes (if you’re in a hurry, canned artichoke hearts will do, I GUESS!)
1 shallot, diced (or half of a small cooking onion)
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup marinated sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
¼ cup plain tomato sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp vegan margarine (optional)
1 tsp oil from sundried tomatoes jar
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup chopped mixed fresh parsley and basil
2 tbsp pine nuts (toasted lightly beforehand on a skillet or in oven)
Salt, pepper
Vegan parmesan (optional)

To prep fresh artichokes, saw off the stem and top inch. Boil in salted water until you can easily insert the tip of your knife well into the bottom. It will take 15 to 20 minutes. When they’re soft, rinse with cold water and strain. Remove tough outer leaves and dispose (or if you’re like me, eat the meaty part off of each leaf first…just scrape it off with your teeth). When you get to the inner, softer leaves, select the very softest ones and set aside – you will use these in your pasta dish (See pic at right. Soft leaves are on the bottom right). You should now see the heart. Remove prickly choke (See pic again. Removed choke is on the bottom centre). Chop up the hearts and soft leaves and set aside.

While your pasta is boiling, heat olive oil in another pan (and margarine if you opted to use some…it just makes the sauce more velvety). Cook shallot and garlic on medium heat for a couple minutes. Add artichoke pieces, sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook for another few minutes. Add a splash of lemon juice and tomato sauce and allow it to simmer together for a couple more minutes. Strain noodles, reserving a ¼ cup of pasta water. Add noodles and pasta water to pan and cook together for a final few minutes, adding your parsley and basil at the very end.

Put it all in a big bowl and top with pine nuts, a drizzle of oil from the sundried tomato jar and vegan parmesan if desired.

This recipe is for a single dinner serving.

Paté Chinois Végétalien (Vegan Shepherd's Pie)

2009-09-03T14:56:00.009-04:00

I’m very fortunate. My parents have been supremely supportive of my vegetarian-gone-vegan diet from the get-go. I’m sure that's not the case for all vegans. Suddenly your family’s most adored culinary traditions become culinary eeeevils. It’s gotta be insulting to the household chef. When I go to family dinners, mom and dad always serve loads of veggies and either I bring my own protein or they go out of their way to make a veggie version of the main dish. Mom actually prefers to eat vegetarian with me. I think there is a potential vegan in her :) We often ate Paté Chinois (French for shep pie) when I was a kid. Traditionally, it was layers of beef, creamed corn and paprika-kissed mashed potatoes. Mom isn’t a fan of red meat, so she is happy to make this dish with lentils when we get together. This is my version of Carmen’s Paté Chinois Lentilles.

You need:

Two large sweet potatoes
1 large potato
2 cups cooked lentils (it’s best if you boil them only to 80% cooked)
½ cup corn kernels (frozen, canned, sawed off the cob, whatever you have)
¼ cup frozen peas
1 can creamed corn
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ cup mushrooms, very finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of chopped fresh herbs (I used rosemary and thyme)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Olive oil
Non dairy milk for potato mashing
2 tbsp vegetable juice
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Salt, pepper

Boil sweet and regular potatoes until tender and strain. Mash with 1 clove of minced garlic, a big splash of olive oil and milk, sprinkle of nutmeg, salt pepper.

Heat some oil in a pan. Cook onions, mushrooms, herbs and 2 clove of garlic on medium heat for a few minutes. Add tomato paste then lentils and a splash of vegetable juice and cook until tomato paste is blended in.

In a casserole dish, pack down lentil mixture on the bottom. Top with creamed corn, peas and corn kernels, pack down again. Top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes. Makes 4 heaps of happiness.

Karate Chop! Rice Bowl

2009-08-31T13:32:00.021-04:00

I love rice bowls. I love salads. My Karate Chop! Rice Bowl is nestled somewhere in between and will leave you feeling energized and satisfied, never sluggish. I called it karate chop because when I take the first bite, the combined wasabi and ginger make my face feel like it's just been karate chopped. But it's a good pain. Yeeeouch.

You need:

1 cup cooked brown rice (I cook mine in vegetable broth)
6 to 8 big-bite-size tofu cubes (medium to firm), strained
Half a zucchini, halved and sliced diagonally (see photo)
1 carrot, shredded
½ cup of bok choy (I prefer the Shanghai variety in this dish), julienned
½ cup finely chopped kale
3-4 small peeled chunks of ginger
1 green onion for garnishing
Oil for pan frying

Tofu coating (photo, right):
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp wasabi powder
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt, pepper

Karate Chop! Dressing

1 tbsp tahini (sesame butter)]
1 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sunflower or safflower oil
1 tsp wasabi power
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (I use the smallest holes on my cheese grater)

Combine tofu coating ingredients in a small bowl and mix together.

Throw in your tofu and ensure to coat all sides of each cube.

Heat some oil on high in a pan or wok. Simmer ginger chunks for a few minutes to flavour your oil – remove ginger and dispose. Cook tofu cubes on medium-high heat until each side becomes golden. Turn heat off and throw the kale in the pan – the residual heat will wilt it just enough.

In another small bowl, whisk or blend dressing ingredients together.

Put warm rice in a large serving bowl and mix it up with the kale. Top with carrots, zucchini, tofu, bok choy, green onion and dressing.

Fennel and Apple get married

2009-08-28T09:02:00.013-04:00

A straight forward veganization of Waldorf salad (apple, celery, walnuts and mayo) wasn’t good enough! Mr. Fennel adds so much flavour – he and Ms. Apple were made for each other.

Only a few warm days left (where I'm from anyway). Make this your star salad at summer’s last BBQ!

You need:

1 Pink Lady apple
1 Granny Smith apple
1 fennel bulb
2 celery stalks
½ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
¼ cup of Vegenaise
A big handful of chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon (if it's not very juicy, you may find you need need a bit more)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt, pepper

For those who aren't vegan, Vegenaise is an eggless mayo available at most health food stores (Bins and Bins in North Bay). Don't be afraid! I promise you'll love it so much that you'll give up real mayo. It's THAT good. Bonus > the company uses solar power to produce it!

How you chop the apples, fennel and celery is up to you. Sometimes I slice them all very thinly, other times I chop them into bite size cubes (as seen in above photo). Fennel tip: I use the main bulb, stalks and the fennel greens in this dish. Just make sure to remove the outer layer, the top inch of stalks and the tough inner core.

Toast walnuts in oven or on skillet until their colour deepens a bit.

Put apples, fennel, celery, walnuts and dill in large bowl – reserve a few walnuts for garnishing. In a separate bowl, mix together Vegenaise, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper. Pour over salad and toss together. Transfer to serving dish and top with more walnuts and fresh dill.

My Favourite Curry

2009-08-26T15:29:00.011-04:00

I’m sure most vegans have mastered coconut curry. It’s one of our staples, am I right? I prefer the flavour of Thai over Indian curry. I’ve made so many variations that were inspired by how I think some of my favourite restaurants concoct it. As a result, this is my favourite way to eat it and it’s a hit in my kitchen. My boyfriend used to be a chicken noodle soup kind of guy but I’ve converted him (not to veganism, just to better soup-ish dishes). He is crazy for curry now! We eat this dish once a week…at least :)

You need:
½ block medium tofu, strained and pressed
A big handful of medium-width rice noodles (typical Pad Thai size)
A big handful of thin vermicelli rice noodles
2 cups cauliflower florets (there is something magical about coconut curry-soaked cauliflower)
1 cup broccoli florets
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced diagonally

½ of an onion, halved and sliced
3 thumb-size peeled chunks of ginger (galangal)
2 cloves garlic, smashed to release flavour
1 small Thai chili pepper, halved, seeds removed
10 or so holy/Thai or sweet basil leaves (if you can’t find this variety, regular fresh basil will do)
1 tbsp red curry paste (I find Aroy D is the best if you're going with pre-made)
2 cups vegetable stock (you may want to add a bit more in the end, depending on how soupy you want it)
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp Braggs liquid soy (or light soy sauce)
Fresh cilantro or green onion to garnish
If you can find Kaffir lime leaves, great! Toss in a few
Oil - peanut or canola or vegetable

Tofu prep: Remove from watery packaging. If I’m in a hurry, I just wrap it up in a clean dish towel and lightly squeeze it until excess water is absorbed by towel. Or, place it on a small plate, place another plate on top of the tofu. Within 15 or so minutes, the excess water will ooze out onto the bottom plate. Cut it into bite size cubes.

Coat the bottom of your wok with oil on high heat. Simmer ginger, garlic and Thai chili for a few minutes to flavour your oil then remove them and dispose. Lower your heat a bit and cook onion and cauliflower (it takes longest to cook) for a couple minutes. Add remainder of veggies (not the basil and kaffir leaves) and cook for a few more minutes. Add curry paste – cooking it in the oil for a minute will enhance its flavour a bit (NOTE: at this point, If I’m in the mood for more complex curry flavour, I add ½ tsp of regular curry powder to the mix) and Braggs. Add coconut milk, vegetable stock, basil and kaffir leaves and cook until coconut milk and vegetable stock become “one”. Add noodles and tofu (noodles first until they are submerged in liquid, then tofu…otherwise the noodles with smoosh the tofu) and cook for a few final minutes.

Garnish with fresh cilantro or green onion. Serves two very hungry people.

Veganism in ‘Year of the Dog’

2009-08-24T14:55:00.007-04:00

If you’re a vegan, watch ‘Year of the Dog’. If you’re not a vegan, watch ‘Year of the Dog’.

This flick offers vegan advocacy without blatantly taking sides. I have an undying love for Molly Shannon (and veganism), so I of course loved this film even before I pressed play. Her character, Peggy, is a bit of an introverted nerd who has had unfulfilling social and romantic encounters with people, yet she seems content with having had one healthy relationship in life – with her dog Pencil. That is until he is poisoned to death by a toxic mess left behind by a careless neighbour. Peggy discovers veganism as a way of life and “Vegan” as the only word that has ever properly represented her. Along the way, Peggy joins the SPCA, adopts an abused dog, gives her neighbour a taste of being “hunted”, saves 15 doomed dogs from the pound, and gets fired for forging her boss’s signature on donations against animal cruelty. It’s a film about selflessness, and finding peace, happiness and sanity by giving in to a love for animals. I laugh and cry out loud every time I watch it.

Comments section

2009-08-24T11:22:00.001-04:00

My comments section was previously closed. My fault! Sorry to those who tried to post. It's now open for your feedback :)

Ragout a la Vegan

2009-08-24T10:46:00.014-04:00

I’m French Canadian so of course, as a kid, dinner at grand maman’s meant eating your way into a lethargic comma with traditional ragout. This main-dish stew was always made with beef or pork – or both – in our family. I do admit that when I gave up meat, I particularly missed this dish for its comforting texture and luscious jus. I felt I owed it to my French roots (and taste buds) to honour it as best as I could through veganization! It is usually simmered on a stove-top for hours, but I prefer cooking it in the oven. This dish is a meal in itself and needs no other accompaniment but fresh bread to soak up its flavourful liquid!

You need:

1 package (or 2 cups) of faux beef strips (I use Gardein)
**chop the following veggies into same size pieces**
2 large potatoes
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 zucchini
1 large onion
Turnip is a great addition to this dish
**
½ cup roughly chopped cabbage
A few sprigs of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, smashed and quartered
¾ cup vegetable broth
¼ cup orange juice
2 tbsp Braggs liquid soy (a light soy sauce will also work)
1 tbsp margarine (I use vegan-friendly Earth Balance)
2 tbsp olive oil
A few splashes of Tabasco sauce (or any hot sauce)
A light sprinkle of ground clove and nutmeg (optional)
Salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put all ingredients into a large casserole dish. Toss together until veggies and faux beef are evenly coated with liquids, oil, spices and herbs. Cook in oven for about an hour (make sure you cover it with a lid or foil), removing only once, at 30 mins, to mix everything around. Serve with fresh bread for dipping.

I want to say that this recipe feeds 4 people, but I was really hungry when I made it and greedily ate more than half in one sitting. Shame, shame. So, it feeds 4 reasonable people.

Mushroom Fried Rice

2009-08-19T11:58:00.011-04:00

Eating Chinese takeout can be tricky for vegans. So many dishes that are seemingly veggie-friendly are not 100% animal-free. Vegetable dishes are often flavoured with chicken stock and oyster sauce, and vegetable fried rice usually contains eggs or is cooked on the same icky surface as meat. Here is a vegan-friendly recipe that should satisfy your craving for Chinese takeout!

Makes 2 large servings or 4 small, side dish servings

You need:

2 cups of cooked jasmine rice (the key is to cook it ahead of time and allow it to cool in the fridge for an hour. Do not over cook – remember, firm rice produces the best fried rice)
½ cup sliced white mushrooms (halved if they’re large)
2 tbsp peanut oil (canola will do if someone has a nut allergy)
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 or 4 big chunks of chopped fresh ginger root
3 cloves garlic (smashed, to release the flavour)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
¼ cup finely diced onion
¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
¼ cup frozen lima beans, thawed (optional)
½ cup finely chopped green onions
Soy sauce (try to avoid the really dark $0.99 cent stuff…splurge a little!)

Heat peanut oil in wok on high heat. Add ginger chunks and garlic cloves and allow them to simmer for a couple minutes – this will flavour your oil – then remove them and dispose.

Now that your oil is ready, lower the heat just a touch and add onion (just the cooking onion, not green onion) and celery and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms, bean sprouts, peas and lima beans and cook for a few more minutes. Remove everything from the wok (try to leave the oil in the wok) and set it all aside on a plate. Add sesame oil to wok. Add rice and splash as much soy sauce as you see fit. Cook it until all the rice is heated through. Add veggies, green onion, a few more splashes of soy sauce and cook together for a few minutes.

Crispy Potato and Wilted Spinach Salad

2009-08-18T11:40:00.004-04:00

This is a great summer side dish and a tasty, healthy alternative to mayo-heavy potato salad. (Inspired by Food Network Chef Michael Smith)

You need:

3 large potatoes (russet works well)
1/2 of a red onion, thinly sliced
two big handfuls of fresh baby spinach
3 cloves garlic
juice of 1 lemon (taste as you add it...you may not need the whole lemon if it's really juicy!)
a few big splashes of good olive oil
1/2 cup of chopped fresh oregano or a tsp of dried oregano (i prefer dried in this recipe)
1/4 cup of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
a pinch of paprika
kosher salt, cracked pepper to taste

Cut potatoes into small wedges. Heat olive oil in skillet or pan on BBQ (if weather doesn't permit, you can pan-fry or oven-roast them), cook until golden and crispy on all sides and soft in the middle and make sure you season them with salt , pepper and a little paprika.

While potatoes are cooking, finely slice onion and chop herbs and garlic (**to create a garlic paste that will distribute evenly in your salad, pour a bit of olive oil and sprinkle salt over garlic pieces and run your knife over it until it all blends together). Place spinach in large serving bowl.

When potatoes are cooked, immediately place them in bowl with spinach as their heat will wilt it. Add garlic paste, onions, herbs, lemon juice, salt, pepper.

Toss together and serve!